The Aboriginal people, in this area, the Awabakal, were the first people of this land.[2]
The suburb began as a housing estate named Cambridge Hills Estate. The local preschool on McCaffrey Drive, formerly a sales office for the estate, retains the former estate's name.
The east of the suburb contains George McGregor Park, a 19.66-hectare (48.58-acre) bushland reserve named after the late, former South Wallsend Progress Association member, George McGregor, managed by the City of Newcastle.