How are places named in the Yarra City Council? Can I be notified of place naming proposals? How are roads named? How are parks, building, suburbs named?
Yarra City Council is responsible for naming roads, parks and other places in Yarra.
This is an important responsibility, as what places are called can help contribute to a sense of belonging, preserve cultural heritage or honour a contribution of a person or group.
Place names also serve a practical purpose, providing property addresses for deliveries and visitors, aiding emergency services and guiding motorists and other users of the road network.
In place naming the Yarra City Council is guided by a Place Naming Policy [ PDF, 699.02 KB] . This policy outlines the process the we must follow and also the importance of using names in the Woi wurrung language, recognising the traditional owners of the land in Yarra.
If you'd like to be notified of place naming proposals, please contact the Governance Support Unit to put your name on the mailing list.
Yarra contains many hundreds of laneways (officially called 'rights-of-way'), ranging in size from a short pedestrian pathway through to a well used vehicle thoroughfare. In deciding which ones to name, a range of factors are considered:
Does it need naming?
- Naming processes are usually triggered when a subdivision occurs and new properties are created which will use a right of way as their exclusive access. In these cases, naming the right of way can help make it easier for mail, deliveries, emergency services and visitors.
- Where a right-of-way continues to serve its original purpose (providing access to the side and rear of properties) they usually remain unnamed.
How is it named?
- A naming process includes asking neighbouring property owners, occupiers and key stakeholders such the Wurundjeri Tribe and local historical societies for submissions on a proposed name.
- The preference is to use Woi wurrung (the language spoken by the Wurundjeri people) for place naming, however an aboriginal name will not be used without the express approval of the Wurundjeri Tribe.
Occasionally there is an opportunity to name other places and facilities in Yarra. The process for naming these varies depending on what is being named, however the process is similar to road naming.
- Proactive naming means a naming proposal that is triggered by the Yarra City Council seeking to recognise a particular theme or to apply a particular name to a place.
- Responsive naming means a naming proposal that is triggered by the identification of an unnamed place that requires a name, or a named place that requires renaming.
- Anyone may submit a place naming request to the Yarra City Council.
No, the Yarra City Council currently has no proposals.
The following places have been recently named by Council:
- Bagung Lane Princes Hill - a Woi wurrung word meaning "to gather"
- Barruth Lane Fitzroy North - a Woi wurrung word meaning "marsupial mouse"
- Brooklyn Terrace Clifton Hill - in recognition of the historic 'Brooklyn' house
- Dyer Street Richmond - in recognition of Jack Dyer Sr OAM
- Garryowen Lane Fitzroy - in recognition of Edmund 'Garryowen' Finn
- Kurnagar Lane Richmond - a Woi wurrung word meaning "top of a hill"
- Vlajnic Lane Fitzroy North - in recognition of Mirko Vlajnic
- Mechanics Lane Fitzroy - in recognition of the working class history of Fitzroy
- Mills Boulevard Alphington - in recognition of the former Alphington paper mills
- Montalto Lane in Collingwood - in recognition of Joe Montalto
- Ngawe Lane Burnley - A Woi wurrung word meaning 'rest'
- Pandolean Lane Richmond - in recognition of John Pandoleon
- Shoemaker Lane - in recognition of a former shoe factory in McKean Street
- Stockade Lane Richmond - in recognition of Peter Lawler
- Tavares Lane Collingwood - in recognition of Antonio Tavares
- Tharra Lane Fitzroy North - a Woi wurring word meaning 'white hawk'
- Wadambuk Lane Burnley - a Woi wurrung word meaning 'renew'
- Worker Lane Richmond - in recognition of Yarra's long tradition of organised labour
- Yerrin Chase Alphington - a Woi wurrung word meaning 'bush'