The first people to live in the area were Kalibai people. The name Murwillumbah may derive from an Aboriginal compound meaning either camping place - from murrie, meaning aboriginal people, wolli, a camp, and bah, place - or alternatively from murra, big, willum, opossum, and bah. Nearby Mount Warning and its attendant national park are known as Wollumbin, meaning Cloud Catcher, in the Bundjalung language.