Winda Woppa was once the site of largest timber mill in Port Stephens area. The first Europeans to work in the area were timbergetters who took an interest in the forests (mostly red cedar) along the Myall River early in the 19th century. The timber was hauled by bullock train to mills, then carted by punt down river to Hawks Nest and the Winda Woppa peninsula. Ships bound for Newcastle and Sydney picked up the timber, unloading the stone they carried for ballast on the banks of the river, much of it being used in the construction of the rock walls which can still be seen today. A timber mill was built at Winda Woppa in 1920 and shipped out 13 million square feet of wood in 1922. The Australian Agricultural Company set up in the area in 1826.
Another early industry was boat building. One pioneer was Frank Motum who arrived from England in 1877 and, with his family, established a hauling business shipping fish to the Newcastle and Sydney markets. The mouth of the Myall was traversed by punt until a ferry service was established in 1928, replaced by the bridge in 1974. Winda Woppa beach continues west of Barnes Rocks to the mouth of the Lower Myall River. It is a 1.4 km long extension of Jimmys Beach. The beach represents the terminus of a sand spit for sand moving west along Jimmys-Winda Woppa beaches. It faces southwest and receives both low refracted swell and westerly wind waves. River mouth tidal shoals extend 500 m south of the beach.
We have been visiting Hawks Nest & Winda Woppa for decades. It is a pristine paradise and attracts groups of people of many and varied interests as this gallery will show. The bird life is prolific and the fishing in season is very fruitful!