Place names are a critical part of our geography and sense of place. They are used to identify key landmarks and features in our environment and represent cultural values. They have long-term impacts on a person’s sense of identity and belonging.
Consistent and accurate place names are the basis of a number of vital activities, including map production, addressing, communication services, population censuses and statistics, and emergency services.
The Place Names Act 1994 is the primary legislation for naming geographical features and areas in Queensland. The Department of Resources administers the Act, but other agencies, as well as local and federal government bodies, also name various places under different powers.
This guide explains the place naming process and the principles we follow when deciding place names.
Under the Place Names Act 1994, geographical features or areas of land, whether natural or artificial, can be named.
Some types of places such as roads, buildings, canals, dam walls and national parks are covered by other legislation and authorities, and are not covered by this guide.
A list of these places and their naming authority is given below.
| Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Forests (unprotected), scrubs, mountains, hills, ranges, plateaus, peaks, ridges, rocks, pockets, passes, valleys, gorges, cliffs, lookouts, caves, deserts, plains, craters, rockholes, waterholes, springs, watercourses, waterfalls, lakes, reservoirs, pans, soaks, creeks, fords, rivers, wetlands, reaches, inlets, capes, peninsulas, gulfs, isthmuses, spits, points, bays, lagoons, anchorages, channels, sounds, passages, harbours, reefs, cays, shoals, beaches, dunes, sand banks, bars, islands etc | Place Names Act 1994 (Department of Resources) |
| Undersea features located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park | The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Hydrographic Office and the Queensland Department of Resources have an agreed process for naming reefs and other undersea geographic features within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park |
| Hydrographic and undersea features that are located more than 3 nautical miles offshore | Australian Hydrographic Office |
Note: There is no single naming authority for the following places as they can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government as well as private entities. The table below includes examples of who may be responsible for naming places.
Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Roads, bridges, overpasses, rest areas, bikeways, walkways, cattle grids, culverts, fords, railway crossings, car parks, tunnels, or viaducts, cuttings, public transport infrastructure (e.g. busways, busway stations and bus stops, park n ride facilities, light rail stations) |
At a state level, examples include the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 (Department of Transport and Main Roads and toll road operators) for the naming of roads, and Translink for the naming of public transport infrastructure At a local level, Councils have naming power for roads under the Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 |
| Railway infrastructure such as stations, railway stops (excluding public transport light rail stations) | Queensland Rail is responsible for railway infrastructure |
| Vehicles, boats, aircraft and other mobile assets | The Corrective Services Act 2006 (Queensland Corrective Services) for the naming of vehicles, or Maritime Safety Queensland for the naming of its vessels. |
| Buildings and similar structures (including schools and hospitals) | The Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Department of Education) for educational institutions, the Corrective Services Act 2006 (Queensland Corrective Services) for the naming of corrections centres, or the Department of Health Asset Naming Standard (Queensland Health) for the naming of hospitals and health facilities. |
| Dam walls and similar structures | Seqwater and Sunwater have naming power for dams |
| Canals and open drains, except where they connect parts of a predominantly natural watercourse | |
| Sports fields/grounds, courts, racing tracks, raceways and similar | Stadiums Queensland have naming power for major sports facilities |
| Statues, monuments and commemorative plaques | |
| Survey marks, trigonometric stations, telecommunication towers, water towers, electrical infrastructure and similar | |
| Mines, mine fields, oil fields, quarries and similar | |
| Airports, airfields, landing strips, runways, heliports, helipads and similar | |
| Boat ramps, jetties, marinas, pontoons, harbour infrastructure | Department of Transport and Main Roads have naming power for boat ramps and other marine infrastructure |
| Homesteads and houses | |
| Stations and other similar significant properties | |
| Rural properties |
| Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Towns and cities | Place Names Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Resources) |
| Addressable localities (bounded localities and suburbs) | Place Names Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Resources) |
| Local Government Areas | Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 (Queensland Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works, and Local Government Change Commission) |
| The State of Queensland | Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (The Australian Government Attorney General’s Department) |
| Electorates (including local and federal government Divisions /Wards) | Electoral Act 1992 (Queensland Redistribution Commission) Local Government Act 2009and City of Brisbane Act 2010 (Queensland Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works / Local Government Change Commission) Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Australian Electoral Commission) |
| National parks, conservation parks, resources reserves, special wildlife reserves, nature refuges, coordinated conservation areas and Indigenous Joint Management Areas | Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation) |
| Marine Parks | Marine Parks Act 2004 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation) |
| World and other Heritage Areas |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government. At a state level, the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts is responsible for cultural heritage areas. Heritage is the responsibility of the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. |
| Timber reserves and state forests | Forestry Act 1959 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) |
| Municipal parks and reserves | Councils are responsible for parks and reserves under the Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 |
| River Improvement Trust Areas | River Improvement Trust Act 1940 (Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water) |
| Tourism regions, business districts, pastoral districts, agricultural regions, irrigation regions, administrative regions and similar |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government. At a state level some examples include Tourism and Events Queensland for tourism regions, Queensland Health for Health Service Areas and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service for Fire Levy Districts. |
| Industrial estates, residential estates, business parks and similar |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government as well as private entities. Development Queensland is responsible for commercial estates. |
| Ports | Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and various Ports Corporations) |
| Community title schemes | Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, Land Title Act 1994 (Titles Queensland) |
We administer the place naming process by:
Members of the community can play a part in the naming process by making a naming suggestion. These suggestions can be about new names, changes to names or changes to boundaries.
We will consider the suggestion and may recommend that the Minister develop a proposal.
Not all suggestions will lead to a proposal being developed - the suggestion must deliver some benefit to the community as well as follow place naming guidelines and principles.
When a proposal is developed, it is published to notify the community and invite interested parties to comment on the proposal. All comments are considered by the Minister as part of the decision-making process.
The Minister’s final decision is published on our website.
You can suggest names for geographical features in Queensland that have no official name. If the feature has a commonly used local name, we will give preference to that name, if it is appropriate.
You can also suggest changes to existing place names, including locality names and boundaries if there are problems with the current situation.
Please read about the place naming process for information about how your suggestion will be considered.
To comment on a current naming proposal, see the proposals and decisions section. To share any research or information you have about the origins of an existing place name, please email qldplacenames@resources.qld.gov.au. Be sure to include references to back up any research.
Your suggestion must include the following:
If the suggested name commemorates a deceased person or family, your documentation should include a brief biography containing:
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Thank you for taking the time to make this suggestion.
We will consider your documentation carefully and notify you of our decision as soon as possible.
To ensure there is no confusion, errors or discrimination caused by names, we use the following principles when considering names or boundary changes.
Names should be simple and concise and easy to recognise, spell and pronounce. In the case of Indigenous languages, it is accepted that a traditional name which might appear at first to be complex will, over time, become familiar and easy to use within the community.
Names should be no longer than 50 characters in total. Locality names should preferably be one word, while feature names should include a generic term (e.g. 'river' or 'bay') to indicate the feature type.
Only characters from the standard alphabet can be included. Possessive apostrophes should be removed (e.g. 'Bethels Green' not 'Bethel's Green'), but apostrophes that are part of a personal name (e.g. 'O'Connor') can be retained. An apostrophe can also be used in aiding in pronunciation of non-English words (e.g. K'gari). Hyphens should be replaced by spaces. A forward slash may be used to distinguish between dual names.
Numbers should be spelled out (e.g. 'Seventeen Seventy' not '1770').
Names should not begin with 'The', unless there are strong historical reasons for doing so.
Abbreviations, initials or acronyms are not allowed, except for the use of 'St' for 'Saint'.
We consider the views of the relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and the wider community, for place name suggestions of unnamed features, or when changing the name of an existing feature. This may result in a dual name.
Names from Indigenous languages should be transcribed as accurately as possible to suggest a pronunciation as close to the Indigenous form as possible. Names should be local to the area and endorsed by the local Indigenous community.
Names must not be offensive, racist, derogatory or demeaning.
Names that could be construed as advertising or promoting commercial enterprises will not be used.
Naming a place in honour of a person should only occur after the person has passed away. The person commemorated should have contributed significantly to the area (ownership of land in itself is not sufficient). The spelling of the place name should follow the spelling of the personal name from which it is derived (e.g. 'MacRaes Flat' not 'McRaes Flat', where named after Mrs MacRae).
Generally, surnames are suggested as a place name, as there may be duplication if given names are used.
Cardinal indicators and similar prefixes or suffixes (e.g. 'Upper', 'New', 'East', 'West') should be avoided and more distinctive names used. If the use of such terms cannot be avoided, they should appear as suffixes instead of prefixes (e.g. 'Capalaba West' not 'West Capalaba').
Locality names must not duplicate or be similar in spelling or sound to other locality names within the country (e.g. 'Wytmont', 'Whitmont').
Feature names should not be similar in sound or spelling to any similar feature in the surrounding area.
Check for possible name duplication using the Gazetteer of Australia.
Names should not be words or acronyms protected by state or Commonwealth legislation, without the appropriate Ministerial approval.
Place names are intended to be enduring and should only be changed where there are sound reasons. Long-term benefits to the community must outweigh any private or corporate interests, short-term effects, and the impact on the community in making a change.
When a proposal to name a locality is being developed, the boundaries of the locality must be clearly defined and described on a plan. In general, boundaries should:
Some exceptions to these principles may sometimes be necessary, for example in areas with complex local government boundaries, localities in coastal or in large areas such as forests, lakes and national parks.
Feature extents shown on plans or described in decisions are indicative of the extent to which a name applies and are not intended as legal boundaries. Feature extents are not recorded in the place names database. Instead, each feature has a coordinate value which represents an approximate centroid of the feature. In watercourse and gully features, the coordinate value represents the downstream extent of the feature (e.g. where it joins another watercourse or reaches the ocean).
Before European settlement, geographical features and other areas within Australia were described and recognised within one or more of the approximately 260 Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages. Through these names, Indigenous knowledge about places, seasons, plants, animals, lore, spirituality and culture was held and transferred across generations.
Some of these names, words, stories and languages were transcribed by early European explorers into the English language and have been adapted into the names of geographical features and localities which still exist today, such as Mount Coolum or the locality of Maroochydore. However, the names of many other places were changed and assigned a European name.
As a result of colonisation, and subsequent waves of immigration and settlement, Indigenous names for places have been obscured, compromised and sometimes lost. As First Nations people continue to reclaim culture and revive traditional languages, it is expected that Indigenous names for places will become better known among non-Indigenous people. These names will then feature more prominently in modern Australian culture, and our collective understanding, knowledge, and connection to places.
Before 1859, Queensland place naming was the responsibility of the Surveyor General of New South Wales. Across the colony of New South Wales, early explorers and settlers would name places in commemoration of events, public figures and places from European culture, but also name places after close friends or benefactors.
To discourage this practice, and to recognise the Indigenous languages and culture that already existed, Major Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell (Surveyor General of New South Wales, 1828–1855) gave a directive in 1828 that surveyors must, where possible, use and record Indigenous languages for place names. This extended to the names of settlers’ grants, new leaseholds on Crown Lands and new parishes. However, when transcribing, Mitchell insisted that Indigenous languages be simplified and made easier to read and pronounced in English, which led to mispronunciation of many Indigenous language words when used for place naming purposes. By the 1850s it had become conventional practice to record and use Indigenous languages for place names.
After the separation of the states, names were supplied by the Railways Department, Post Office and the Department of Public Instructions for ratification by the Department of Lands and the Surveyor General.
In the early 1920s, an unofficial committee comprising the Surveyor General, Commissioner of Railways, head of the Department of Public Instructions and university representatives was formed to approve and ratify all new place names. Professor Cumbrae-Stewart, representing The University of Queensland, was an influential committee member, who later became Chairman of the Queensland Place Names Committee. Other contributors to the recording of the history of place names were Sydney May and Colin Gill.
The Queensland Place Names Act 1958 set up the Place Names Board to approve names in the state. The Queensland Place Names Act 1988 disbanded the board and passed the responsibility for place naming to the Surveyor General, with Executive Council approving the names.
The Place Names Act 1994 gave the power for approval of place names to a Minister of the Crown. The Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals currently exercises this power. Records were first recorded on a card system, started by the unofficial committee in the 1920s. These cards were moved to The University of Queensland and later returned to the Department of Lands (Survey Office). In the 1940s, another more extensive card system was compiled using information from cadastral, topographic and military maps and the existing card system. In 1988, a computer system for place names was developed and all available information was entered into the Queensland place names database.
The Place Names Act 1994 has not changed substantially since it came into force almost 30 years ago. In 2024, the Act was amended to respond to significant shifts that had occurred in community expectations, advances in technology and developments in business practices, policy and regulation.
Names recorded in the place names database have been collected over time through both formal and informal processes. There are names in the database that are not included the gazetteer which may be unofficial or may be formally named under another authority. The alternative name field is reserved for the recording of Indigenous names to recognise where they differ from official place names. Not all listed Indigenous names have been verified by the appropriate First Nations Peoples.
How places are named, 02 May 2024, [https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/title/place-names/naming]
This document is uncontrolled when printed. Before using the information in this document you should verify the current content on https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/title/place-names/naming.