The suburb was developed in the 1980s by Mr Patrick Hargraves, a local landowner who owned a large amount of land within the Coffs Harbour and Sawtell area.

Hargraves holidayed in Sawtell with his family annually for Christmas during the 1960s and says that he ″saw the opportunity for expansion in new subdivisions to the west of the existing centre and slowly bought the land that now is Toormina″.

[3] The suburb is connected to Coffs Harbour by Hogbin Drive, commonly referred to as the Link Road, and is serviced by Sawtell Coaches and Busways.

[6] Major work on the redevelopment, which included the suburb's first set of traffic lights, was completed by November 2008 by Mainbrace Constructions, with the grand re-opening for Centro Toormina on the 27th.

Other town facilities include a velodrome, skate park and a well maintained BMX track that regularly hosts state championships.