What are some Aboriginal place names (Australia)?

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Kat the Great

* Canberra (ACT) - The name 'Canberra' actually comes from an Aboriginal word, which means 'meeting place'. Quite interesting, considering Canberra is actually the 'meeting place' of Australia's Government.
* Kooyong (VIC) - The name 'Kooyong' is Aboriginal for camp or resting place.
* Kurri Kurri (NSW) - 'Kurri Kurri' is Aboriginal for 'to hurry along' or 'to go very quickly'.
* Wagga Wagga (NSW) - In many Aboriginal languages, Wagga Wagga means 'place of many crows'. Perhaps it has lots of crows!!
* Moree (NSW) - 'Moree' means 'long waterhole' or 'rising sun'.
* Wollongong (NSW) This is an interesting one. 'Wollongong' comes from an Aboriginal word that means 'hard ground near water'. The area would have been named because it was so close to the water.
* Toowoomba (QLD) - Toowoomba comes from the Aboriginal word 'Choowoomba', which means

purplerose212005

Alyangula - Groote Eylandt - Northern Territory -
Means Little Rain

Caboolture (Kabulta) - home of the carpet snake
Tumut- resting place by the river

holly

http://www.livingharbour.net/maps/aboriginal_place_txt.htm

Elizabeth

Adelong- River or Plain
Bonegilla - deep waterhole
Carrarragarmungee - Carrajarmongui, place of goannas
Dubbo- from native word Tubbo, possum fur head covering.
Echuca - the place of stones, gravel reefs in river bed
Gilgandra- long water hole
Jerilderie- reedy place
Kergunyah - silent place
Longerenong - split, the dividing of the waters
Merriang - plenty of native dogs
Nar Nar Goon - koala
Omeo - mountains
Puckapunyal - middle hill
Tangamgalanga - white clawed lobster, yabbie
Walla Walla- lots of rain
Yarrawonga - where the wonga, or cormorant, builds in the river gums

John Goat

This site has history of names of towns in Western Australia - some of which are of Aboriginal origin.

http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/History+of+country+town+names

â™¥ á¹¦á¹¹á¹¦á¹¹ â™¥

kiama: The aboriginal meaning of Kiama is 'where the sea makes a noise', of course this is from Kiama's famous blowhole.

Katoomba: ( in the blue mountains) is a derivative of the Aboriginal word â€˜Kedumbaâ€™ meaning â€˜shiny, falling watersâ€™

Berowra: is an Aboriginal word meaning "Place of Many Winds"

Berala (Lidcombe-Regent's Park): An Aboriginal word meaning "Musk duck".

azza

Parramatta - Place of Eels. Named so because of the eels that live in the river in the area.

mari_daen

When we travel around on our country roads we see many traditional Indigenous names for creeks, rivers, stations & towns. These terms, words where derived from the original inhabitants & is generally the name they used for that particular spot or area. In the north west of New South Wales alot of the names are from the Gamillaraay language. There have also been liberties taken by white people in using traditional names. eg. The name , Gamillaraay has been spelt differently at least a dozen times over the years to the point where alot of Gamillaraay people have taken up the corrupted white mans version, i.e Kamillaroi. Firstly the phonetic sound that is 'K' does not exist in the traditonal tongue.

Back to the question. Alot of words are made up of joining two words of adding a particular suffix to a noun or adjective, even certain verbs. The word Gamillaraay is an example. Gamil = 'No' + araay = having. So this distinguishes them as, the people whom have the word gamil for no.

This system was still in use after Gamilaraay people first realised that white people got milk from cows, the Gamilaraay name given to cows is 'Millamb.araay', Millimb= milk + araay= having, so cow is called millimbaraay, having milk.

Ryan at iExplore

There is a hill in New Zealand called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauot
amateaturipukakapikimaungahoro
nukupokaiwhenuakitanatahul.
But it's Maori, not Aboriginal.

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