[3] The village was founded by William Yabsley in 1849 when Lismore was only a small cattle station and Casino had only one store and a hotel.

Many ships and river boats were launched there and Yabsley opened a store for provisions for the cedar cutters who came to the district.

Like many other towns in the area, it is a hub for the local agricultural industries such as cattle, sugar cane and tea tree oil.

Annually in November, the Tweed Water Skiing Club converges on the Richmond River to contest the "Coraki Assault" race.

According to the 2021 Census, there were 1,155 people in Coraki, with the following demographic features:[1] In late April 2021, the Federal Court of Australia convened at Evans Head, where a native title determination was made over 7.2 square kilometres (2.8 sq mi) of land, consisting of 52 separate areas of land.