ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF
SUBURBS AND OTHER PLACES
This list of Sutherland Shire place names and their origins was originally published in August 2003 as
Sutherland Shire Council Fact Sheet 6, attributed to the late Mrs. M. Hutton Neve. The list has now
been updated with additional information and corrections which have come to light since that time,
and the inclusion of several new suburb names and additional place names. The NSW Government
Gazette has been used as a source of validation of the names and the dates they came into use, as
has books and documents held in the Local Studies Section of the Council Library.
Dates shown in the references to each item are the date on which that item appears in the NSW
Government Gazette. Where reference is made to a Village or Town name, it is the first notice in
which the name was used – any later notices which amend the village or town boundary have not
been referenced.
Almost all the names in this list have been assigned by the Geographical Names Board (GNB) and
references include the date(s) of gazettal of the name. Since the GNB was formed in 1966, it has
verified pre-existing names and included new names where they have been adopted. In 2008, most
of the Suburb names were reassigned and some new Suburb names added. For a full list of
Geographical Names in the Shire, see the web site www.gnb.nsw.gov.au.
A more extensive listing is currently being compiled. For further information contact the Information
Management Team at [email protected].
ALFORDS POINT
Alford was the name given to the area and public reserve bordering the south bank of the Georges
River and also to a road leading to it from Old Illawarra Road, Menai. The area now bearing the name
Alfords Point is a couple of miles downstream from 50 acres of land that was owned by Jane Alford,
widow of James Alford snr. in 1828.
Ref: GNB Neighbourhood 5 March 1976, now Suburb18 January 2008
AUDLEY
This area was surveyed by George Edward Thickness-Touchet, 21st Baron Audley, in
1863-64, where he set up a semi-permanent camp, He later became a son-in-law of
Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell.
Ref: GNB Locality 2 November 1973, now Rural Place 4 May 2007
AUDREY BAY
Origin unknown.
Ref: GNB Bay 23 November 1973
BANGOR
Named after the city of Bangor in the Menai Strait of Wales. The name was originally suggested by
Owen Jones, a Welshman who was an early settler in the area.
Owen Jones selected his farm in 1895 and called it Bangor after his birthplace in Wales. To
overcome confusion with Bangor in Tasmania, the name of the area was changed to Menai in 1910,
but in the 1950s the eastern area of Menai was subdivided and named Bangor.
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Ref: GNB Neighbourhood 5 March 1976, now Suburb18 January 2008
BASS AND FLINDERS POINT
Named after explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders who camped near this location during their
survey of Port Hacking in 1796. In Flinders’ account he comments: “Before noon, we entered Port
Hacking, and landed in a small cove on the north side, where we observed a number of cabbage
trees growing…Two natives had visited us in the afternoon and had behaved very civilly. We
understood them tolerably well, and were not under the least apprehension…” (see Flinders’
“Narrative of expeditions along the coast of New South Wales”, for 30th March 1796.)
Ref: GNB Point 22 November 1974
BIRNIEMERE
Located south of what is now the village of Kurnell, it was originally part of ‘Alpha Farm” which
belonged to captain James Birnie, who was granted “700 acres, Portion No, 1” in 1815. This was the
first farm in what later became Sutherland Shire, “alpha” being Greek for “first”. (Hutton Neve, The
Early Days of Kurnell to Cronulla and Bygone Days of Sutherland Shire). Birniemere was a low-lying
section of the farm which adjoined the mangrove-covered Gwawley Bay. The suffix `mere` usually
means lake or an association with water.
Ref: GNB Locality 4 May 1973, now Historic Area 4 May 2007
BARDEN RIDGE
In 1992 local residents voted to rename part of the suburb of Lucas Heights. In 1996 the
Geographical Names Board assigned the name Barden Ridge to the area 3 kms south of Menai.
Named after Alfred Barden who was an original absentee land holder in the area prior to the 1850s.
Ref: GNB Suburb 12 January 1999, now Suburb18 January 2008
BATE BAY
A bay in the Tasman Sea to the east of the suburbs of Cronulla, Greenhills Beach and Kurnell, which
is bounded on its generally western shore by the beaches between Merries Reef and Glaisher Point.
The first known instance of the name appears on an Admiralty chart of 1853. Robert Brettell Bate
was appointed as the agent for Admiralty charts in 1830 and it is likely that the bay was named after
him. (Watt, The Shire; A Journey Through Time, pp.86-87)
Ref: Bay GNB 4 May 1973
BONNA POINT
Reported by Frank Cridland as being named by the surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, and it is assumed
that “Bonna” was the local Aboriginal name for the locality. (Cridland, The Story of Port Hacking,
Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire, Angus and Robertson, 1950 ed. P.20)
Reported by George Thornton in 1899 that the Aboriginal name for the area was “Bunna Bunna.” (Val
Attenbrow, Sydney’s Aboriginal Past, UNSW Press, 2010 ed., p.19)
There is no known translation for either of these names
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
BONNA POINT RESERVE
Named for its location adjacent to Bonna Point.
Sutherland Shire Council records indicate that the reserve was purchased by the NSW State
Government in 1965 for open space; it was originally part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate subdivided in
1882, later transferred to private ownership. The reserve was placed under the responsibility of
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Sutherland Shire Council in 1964, with the land transferred to the Council in 1994. An additional area,
formerly Prince Charles Parade (original name Princes Parade) was purchased by the State
Government from the Holt-Sutherland Estate in 1975 and placed under the management of
Sutherland Shire Council, although still owned by the State Government.
The area developed as reserve also extended informally for many years into the area of Silver Beach
to its north (which is within the boundaries of Botany Bay). This area including the boat ramp has now
been licensed to Sutherland Shire Council.
Ref: GNB Reserve 5 July 1985
BONNET BAY/HEAD
Named by the Geographical Names Board, NSW Lands Department in 1969. An area of land northwest of Jannali bounded by Woronora River, originally proposed to name the area Kirkby. However a
cave in the area known as “The Bonnet” (as it is shaped like an old woman’s bonnet) prompted the
suggestion to name the area Bonnet Bay.
Ref: GNB Suburb 7 March 1969, now Suburb18 January 2008 and 1 August 2008, GNB Bay 4 May
1973, and GNB Head 22 June 1973.
BOAT HARBOUR
So named as it became a refuge for boats during storms.
Ref: GNB Cove 4 May1973
BOTANY BAY
Originally named by Captain (Lieutenant) James Cook as “Sting-ray Harbour” but altered to Botany
Bay.
According to a transcription of Captain (Lieutenant) James Cook’s diary, held in the Australian
National Library, Canberra, Cook first wrote on 6 May 1770: “In the evening the yawl return’d from
fishing having caught two Sting rays . . . The great quantity of this sort of fish found in this place
occasioned my giving it the name Sting-Ray Harbour.” There were however a number of
amendments apparently made by Cook, so the last part, as corrected, read “The great quantity of
new Plants &Ca Mr Banks & Dr Solander of in this place occasioned my giving it the name of
Botanyist Bay ” [note further correction from Botanist Bay to Botany Bay]. There are also corrections
in later entries with similar corrections from “Harbour” to “Bay” and “Sting-ray” to “Botanist” to
“”Botany”
In 1790-91, William Dawes recorded the Aboriginal name of Botany Bay to be “Kamay”. Ref: William
Dawes’ notebook “Vocabulary of the language of N.S.Wales, in the neighbourhood of Sydney,”
c.1790-91, pages 54, 55, available as a PDF from:
http://www.dnathan.com/eprints/dnathan_etal_2009_dawes.pdf
On 27 May 2002, the dual naming of “Botany Bay National Park” as “Kamay Botany Bay National
Park” was included as part of the adoption of Botany Bay National Park Plan of Management by the
NSW Minster for the Environment.
.Ref: GNB Bay 9 March 1973
BOTTLE FOREST (Historic)
Bottle Forest was the name given in 1842 to the village which later became Heathcote. Most of the
original village is now on the eastern side of the railway and since 1903 has generally had the local
name of East Heathcote. There are two theories for the origin of the name (1) said to be named by
Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell in early 1840s after a bottle left behind by an earlier surveyor was
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found embedded in a tree. or (2) the map of the area circa 1942/43 was in the shape of a soldier's
water bottle. [P. Kennedy, From Bottle Forest to Heathcote: Sutherland Shire’s First Settlement, p.9]
The general locality is said to have had the Aboriginal name "Nannunggurrung" as reported by
Richard Hill in 1892 in his paper “Notes on the Aborigines of New South Wales”). The nearby creek,
now known as Heathcote Brook, is labelled “Nuningerong” on surveyor Wells’ map circa 1874.
BULGO (PARISH)
The civil parish of Bulgo is the administrative district at the southern end of the Shire which contains
part of the Royal National Park. The name is one of the few feature names shown on the original
parish map (parish proclaimed in 1835).
The feature name also appears on a map attributed to surveyor Robert Dixon, “compiled from
authentic surveys, &c” that was published in London in 1837. [National Library of Australia Map F891,
Map of the Colony of New South Wales].
“Bulgo” is assumed to derive from the Sydney region Aboriginal word “bulga”, meaning “hill” (see
section 4.7 Macquarie Aboriginal Words).
Ref: GNB Parish 5 May 1973
BUNDEENA (SUBURB) & BUNDEENA BAY
The first known mention of the name appears on the plan of subdivision of the area known as the
“Yarmouth Estate.”, where it is indicated as the name of a residence erected just prior to the
auctioning of the estate in 1886. When the land around that location was re-subdivided in early
1900s, names such as Bundeena Creek and Bundeena Street appeared on the plans. The Village of
Bundeena was proclaimed in 1938. (Sutherland Shire Council records)
“Bundeena” is said to be an Aboriginal word for “noise like thunder”, however the source of this
translation is not known.
Bundeena Bay was formerly known as Horderns Bay, after Samuel Hordern, an early owner of the
land. (see also Horderns Beach) (research notes – Sutherland Shire Council)
Ref: Village of Bundeena 23/9/1938 -- GNB Suburb 4 May1973, now Suburb 18 January 2008, and
GNB Bay 4 May 1973.
BURRANEER (SUBURB) & BURRANEER BAY
The name “Burraneer Bay” first appears in 1827, on surveyor Dixon’s map, as “Burranear Bay”. The
name was then carried on to the various maps that followed, but it was sometimes spelt differently.
“Burraneer” appears as the name for the Burraneer peninsula on Walker’s 1868 map of Holt’s
“Sutherland Estate”.
It has been generally assumed that Robert Dixon accessed the local Aboriginal names when he
surveyed the area in 1827, however there is currently no direct proof for this, although in 1890,
Richard Hill reported “Boorranea” as the Aboriginal name for the point on the western side of
Gunnamatta Bay [see the Sydney Morning Herald, Fri 6 June 1890, page 5, under “Aboriginal
Names”].
There is no known translation for the name.
Ref: GNB Neighbourhood 28 April 1978, now Suburb 18 January 2008, and GNB Bay 22 June 1973.
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CABBAGE TREE POINT
Named for the profusion of cabbage trees growing at that location.
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
CAPE SOLANDER
Named by Captain Cook for Dr Carl Solander a botanist on the ‘Endeavour’.
Ref: GNB Headland 4 May 1973
CARAVAN HEAD
The locality of Caravan Head is thought to have been named after “Caravan Rock’, which was
shaped like a covered wagon or caravan situated on private property on the point of caravan Head.
[Mark Florence and Sue Gardiner, A Short History of Oyster Bay, November 2001.
Ref: GNB Locality 22 June 1973, now Urban Place 4 May 2007, and GNB Headland 4 May 1973.
CARINA BAY
Formerly the eastern of the two bays that were known conjointly as Double Bay, Located on the
southern side of Georges River on western side of Green Point, the name first appeared on the
auction plan for the “Railway Bridge Georges River” subdivision of the Holt-Sutherland Estate at
Como on the eastern side of the Illawarra Railway Line, which was first auctioned 21 January 1888.
(National Library MAP Folder 173, LFSP 2714 )
The name seems to be a continuation of a theme of naming the roads in the subdivision after Italian
place names which theme commenced with naming of Como (see Como). Carina is an Italian word
meaning "pretty." So Carina Bay would likely mean “pretty [scenic] bay””;
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
CARINA BAY RESERVE
The original part of this reserve, known as “Yackerboon Reserve” at the corner of Tivoli Esplanade
and Oyster Bay Road, was agreed to be reserved in 1926 and was included in the subdivision
registered as deposited plan 14716 on 27 April 1927. It was marked as a public garden and
recreation space, which was later transferred into the name of Sutherland Shire Council in November
1973 when negotiation were in place to have a large reclaimed area of Carina Bay added to the
reserve. That reclaimed area became Crown recreation reserve No 89576, gazetted on 29 August
1975, which also placed it under the care, control and management of Sutherland Shire Council
Since that time the rear sections of the properties fronting Riverview Road, south from Scylla Road
have also been added to the reserve as they were purchased by Council from the private owners.
(Sutherland Shire Council records)
The date at which the name changed to Carina Bay Reserve has not been determined. The name
reflects its proximity to and inclusion of part of Carina Bay (see also Carina Bay).
“Yackerboon” is said to be an Aboriginal word for “green grass” That translation is shown in Thorpe
W W, 1929, List of New South Wales aboriginal names and their meanings, The Australian Museum,
Sydney
CARINGBAH
An historical source (Kirkby papers held in Sutherland Library) indicates that Bindarra was an early
name for the area. An early subdivision (1894) shows a road in the area as Bindarra Road, but
Bindarra Road was altered to Caringabah Road in 1901, which was further amended in 1911 to
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Caringbah Road. At around this time, the area was also referred to as Highfield, but the name was
changed to Caringbah with the opening of the Post Office in 1912.
The usual meaning given for the current suburb name is that it an Aboriginal word for “pademelon
wallaby.”
It is possible that both “Caringabah/Caringbah” and “Bindarra” derive from Aboriginal words from the
Coffs Harbour-Grafton area (land of the Gumbaynggirr language group). “Kuringbar” was recorded by
the Anthropological Association of Australasia in 1900 as a word used in the Nymboida region and
with the meaning “paddy melon”. Both the Nymboi-Binderay and Bindarri National Parks are in the
Nymboida region and appear related to “Bindarra””.
The village of Caringbah was proclaimed in 1921, and in 2008, the southern part became the Suburb
of Caringbah South.
Ref: Village of Caringbah 7 January 1921 – GNB Suburb 4 May 1973 now Suburb18 January 2008
CARINGBAH SOUTH
A new Suburb created from the southern part of the suburb of Caringbah in 2008 – see CARINGBAH
for details.
Ref: Suburb18 January 2008
CARRUTHERS BAY
Named after Joseph (later Sir Joseph) Hector Carruthers, who regularly visited the area in the 1890s,
and was appointed a trustee of the National (now Royal National) Park in 1891. He became Premier
of New South Wales in 1904.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
CARTERS ISLAND
Origin not known, but was probably named around 1840-50
Ref: GNB Island 4 May 1973
COMO
With the start of construction of the Illawarra railway just on the south of Georges River in late 1882,
a small settlement commenced, composed mainly of railway workers and was known variously as
Woniora or Worinora or Woronora. James Murphy, in his capacity as manager of the Holt-Sutherland
Estate Land Company suggested the area should be named Como, after Lake Como in Italy, as he
considered that it had similar scenery [Lawrence, A Pictorial History of Sutherland Shire, Kingsclear
1997, p.35] .The name Como was in use by mid-1883. [Freeman's Journal, 14 July 1883, p.19], The
Village of Como was proclaimed in 1922
Ref: Village of Como 5 May 1922 – GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
CONSTABLES POINT
A point which forms the eastern headland of Fisherman’s Bay. The land (portion 10) was originally
granted to Marmaduke Constable.
Ref: GNB Point 29 March 1974
CORONATION BAY
A bay located on the southern side of Georges River and east of Green Point. Formerly Frogholllow
Bay, it was renamed, reputedly on request from a local resident, to honour the ascension of King
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George V to the British throne. The King’s coronation took place on 22 June 1911. (McKinley &
Hewitt, Sutherland Shire – Some Early Residents, Cliff Lewis Printing, 2007, p.99)
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
COSTENS POINT
Named after William Costen, an early settler in that location. His first selection (portion 11 parish of
Wattamolla at Red Jacks Point) was from Crown land offered for sale in 1858. He sold that land in
1869. He then selected the adjoining land to the west (portion 12 at Costens Point)) which he
occupied from 1870 to 1882. (Judith Carrick, History of Royal National Park1879-2013, published by
author 2014, pp. 7-8.)
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
CRONULLA
Thought to be a European variation of the Aboriginal word “Kurranulla” (alternate “Curranulla”) — a
place of pink shells. In 1827 Surveyor Dixon named the area the “Cronulla Beach”. The Village of
Cronulla was proclaimed in 1908, after having originally been proclaimed as the Village of
Gunnamatta in 1899. The Town of Cronulla was proclaimed in 1931.
Ref: Village of Gunnamatta 25 November 1899, Village of Cronulla 26 February 1908, Town of
Cronulla 23 October 1931 – GNB Suburb 4 May 1972, and now Suburb18 January 2008
CUMBERLAND
The County of Cumberland is large administrative district generally centered on the city of Sydney,
which contains many Local Government Areas including Sutherland Shire. Proclaimed in 1835 it is
named after a historic county of North West England.
Ref: GNB County 24 October 1969
DARK BAY
Origin not known -- possibly descriptive
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
DAROOK PARK Presumed to be named after the Darook (Dharug/Daruk) tribe of Aborigines. Further research has
indicated that the tribal area did not extend to that locality but was located around Western Sydney
(near Parramatta) and may have been mistakenly assigned. The name of the South Botany tribe was
the “Gweagal”, their country being known as “Gwea”.
Ref: GNB Reserve 5 July 1985
DEEBAN SPIT
"Deeban" (alternate "Jibbon") the Aboriginal name for Port Hacking.
Ref: GNB Spit 5 July 1985
DOLANS BAY
Named after Patrick Dolan who purchased approximately 286 acres on 17 January 1856.
Ref: GNB Suburb 22/6/1973 now Suburb18 January 2008 as amended 10 July 2009, and GNB Cove
4 May 1973
DOUBLE BAY (Historic)
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Original conjoined name for the two bays that have been known as Carina Bay and Scylla Bay since
1888. The name seems to have been in use prior to being mentioned in Crown land auction sales
advertised in the NSW Government Gazette of 3 March 1856. It remained in use in official notices
until around 1969. It was adopted as a geographical name on 5 May 1973, but was discontinued on
10 June 1977.
Ref: GNB Bay 5 May 1973, discontinued 10 June 1977.
EAST HEATHCOTE
The local name for the section of the suburb of Heathcote that is situated on the eastern side of the
Illawarra railway line, surrounded on its other sides by the Royal National Park.
Originally part of the village of Bottle Forest, dating from 1842, it was included in the village of
Heathcote in 1903. [P. Kennedy, From Bottle Forest to Heathcote: Sutherland Shire’s First
Settlement, p.7]
ECKERSLEY
The Parish of Eckersley (also shown as Eckersly on some early plans), proclaimed in 1835, is the
administrative district at the south-west end of the Shire, which is mainly the Holsworthy army area,
Heathcote National Park and Woronora Dam. The origin of the name is not known, but would appear
could be of English origin, perhaps Eckersley in Bedford, Lancaster or personages of that name
known to Surveyor General Mitchell, possibly Lieutenant Nathaniel Eckersley (1779 – 1837) who
served with Duke of Wellington in Peninsular Wars.
Ref: GNB Parish 19th March 1976
ELOUERA
Aboriginal meaning “a pleasant place”.
Ref: GNB Beach 22nd June 1973
ENGADINE
Charles McAlister purchased land here in 1890. After visiting Europe with his wife, McAlister named
his property the Engadine Estate for the Engadine district of Switzerland, noted for its hills and
valleys of flowers. When the railway station was opened in 1920, his widow, Mrs. McAlister, named it
after her estate. The Village of Engadine was proclaimed in 1933
Ref: Village of Engadine 17 November 1933 – GNB Suburb 4 May1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
FARNELL BIGHT
Named after Hon. James Squire Farnell, Premier of NSW in 1877-8, and appointed a trustee of the
National (now Royal National) Park in 1881
Ref: GNB Bight 4 May 1973
GARIE
Two theories: 1. Aboriginal meaning: “sleepy” and 2. Geera, Garie or Geara: not Aboriginal in origin:
named after a bushranger called Geaty who camped there. Name recorded as a local name by
surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827 and is one of the few feature names shown on the original Bulgo
parish map.
Ref: GNB Locality 5 July 1985, now Rural Place 4 May 2007
GEORGES RIVER
Named after King George III, probably by Governor Philip.
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Ref: GNB River 23 November 1973
GOGERLYS POINT
Named after Charles James Gogerly, Some historians contend he may have first squatted on the
land, which had been unsold at a Crown auction in 1847, but it is recorded in the NSW Government
Gazette of 2 March 1854 that he had selected 22a 2r (portion 21 parish of Wattamolla) on 3
December 1853 and of 19 September 1854 that he selected 20a 1r (portion 20) on 19 June 1854. He
is recognized as the first European settler to erect a dwelling on the southern shores of Port Hacking
in 1854, where he lived with his wife Charlotte and several children until 1870 when he moved back to
Sydney. The land remained in Gogerly’s name until 1884 when he transferred it to his daughter
Caroline. (Maree McKinley and Sue Hewitt, Sutherland Shire: Some Early Residents, Cliff Lewis
Printing, 2007, pp.59-63)
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
GRAYS POINT
Two theories: 1. Named after Samuel William Gray who owned 50 acres of land on the point in the
mid-to-late 1800s and 2. Named after John Edward Gray, a resident ranger in the National Park in
the late 1800s; he lived at Gundamaian and became a well-known local identity.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008, and GNB Point 4 May 1973
GREAT TURRIELL BAY
See "Turriell Point"
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973 and Erratum 7/12/2012
GREEN POINT
This locality was reputed to have been named on an undated plan by surveyor Charles Grimes who
became the Surveyor-General in 1794. Used as name of part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate (Walker
1868).
Ref: GNB Point 4/5/1973 and 11/3/1977
GREENHILLS BEACH
Sutherland Shire’s newest suburb (formerly part of Kurnell). After extensive public consultation the
Geographical Names Board in July 2011 named it after "Green Hills" which was the name given to
this area on a map of the Kurnell Peninsula drawn by Myles Dunphy, and which was also recorded
on the 1951 Parish map of Sutherland.
Ref: GNB Suburb 22 July 2011
GUNDAMAIAN
No known meaning
Ref: GNB Locality 4 May 1973, now Rural Place 4 May 2007
GUNNAMATTA (BAY)
Recorded by Surveyor Robert Dixon as local name in 1827 from Aboriginal name “Goonamatta” or
“Goonamurra” meaning: “a place of beach and sandhills”. The original name for the Village of
Cronulla (see CRONULLA).
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
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GUNYAH BEACH
From the Aboriginal name "Gunyah" meaning a hut or dwelling
Ref: GNB Beach 22 June 1973
GWAWLEY BAY
The Aboriginal name for the locality, recorded as local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827.
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
GYMEA
Probably a Dharuk Aboriginal term “Goomea” for the gigantic lily, doryanthes excelsa which is
abundant in the area... Believed to have been named by Government Surveyor WAB Greaves in
1855, after the tall, red flowered, native lily.
Ref: GNB Suburb 22 June1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
GYMEA BAY
Used as name of part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate (Walker 1868). Village of Gymea Bay proclaimed
in 1933. For origin of name see GYMEA.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008 and GNB Bay 4 May 1973
HEATHCOTE
1 The Civil Parish was called Heathcote (1825) by Surveyor General Mitchell after one of two fellow
officers who served with him in the Peninsular Wars (1809-1814).
2. The Village was originally called Bottle Forest. It was surveyed in 1842 and is now Heathcote East.
The Site for the Village of Heathcote extending to the west of the railway was notified in mid 1886
and proclaimed later that year.
Ref: Village of Heathcote 3 July1886 and 9 October1886 – GNB Parish 19 March1976; Suburb 04
May1973 now Suburb18 January 2008
HOLSWORTHY
Was named in 1810 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after a quiet village in Devon, England where
married his second wife in 1807. It referred at that time to a small community which had emerged at
what was then the navigable head of the Georges River. The Parish of Holsworthy proclaimed in
1835 extended the name over settlement areas south to the Parish of Eckersley and east to the
Woronora River. On early maps and gazettals the name was often shown as “Holdsworthy”. In 1910,
Lord Kitchener, on a visit to Australia advising on military matters, went to Liverpool and declared
Holsworthy as the site for a permanent Army encampment, and the Army took possession in 1913.
The original name of Holsworthy was retained for the military establishment. This military area was
finally recognized as separate Suburb in 2008.
Ref: GNB: Parish 21 March 1975; Suburb18 January 2008
HOLTMERE
A Kurnell locality covering an area of land originally held by Thomas Holt, appearing on the first map
of the Sutherland Shire,
Ref: GNB: Locality 4 May1973, now Historic Place 4 May 2007
HORDERNS BEACH
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Named after the prominent Sydney retailer Samuel Hordern (son of Anthony Hordern Snr), who
owned the land fronting the beach before the area was subdivided in the late 1880s.
Ref: GNB Beach 22 June 1973 and Erratum 5 March 2004
HORSE ROCK POINT
Site of a stockyard built by John Connell for work horses and stock waiting to be swum across the
river to markets. This could reasonably be assumed to be the origin of the name.
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
ILLAWONG
An Aboriginal word meaning “between two waters”.
The peninsular part of Illawong was originally under the Holsworthy parish administrative area, and
when opened for Crown subdivision in 1887 became known as part of nearby Como, although
separated from it by the Woronora River. The landholders decided a few years later that they would
be better served by being included in the Hurstville Municipal Council area. Accordingly they
petitioned the Governor in late 1894, and were successful, with the area becoming the Como Ward of
Hurstville Council. In 1900 the ward boundaries were altered and it became part of Peakhurst Ward.
This area was returned to Sutherland Shire in 1922, and was generally referred to as Bottle and
Glass Point. This later changed to East Menai. In 1960 it was proposed to name the new public
school as the “Bottle and Glass Point public school”, however it was considered that name was
unsuitable, and accordingly the whole area was renamed as Illawong.
Ref: Petition 21 January 1895, Annexed to Hurstville 12 July1895, Ward change 13 August 1900,
Annexed to Shire 4 August 1922 – GNB, Suburb 23/11/1973,
Neighbourhood 5 March 1976, now Suburb18 January 2008
INSCRIPTION POINT (KURNELL)
Named by the Australian Philosophical Society (later the Royal Society of NSW) in 1822 after it
affixed a plaque to the cliff face where the “Endeavour” crew first landed.
Ref: GNB 4 May 1973
JANNALI
Aboriginal name for 'place of beautiful moon-rises' P. 72. (Infor. from Two Hundred Years in
Retrospect - Kurnell Sutherland 1770-1970). Also: may be Aboriginal term for moon but if so it's a
Dharuk (Sydney) Aboriginal term. The local Dharawal word for moon is 'djadjung'. (Appleton; 1992).
The Village of Jannali was proclaimed in 1927, which was coincided with the construction of a new
railway station on the Illawarra line (opened in 1931).
Ref: Gazettal of Village 19 August 1927 -- GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
and 1 August 2008)
JIBBON BEACH/BUMBORAH
Aboriginal name for the location, and is an alternative spelling of "Deeban" the local Aboriginal name
for Port Hacking. Recorded as local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827
Ref: GNB Beach 4 May 1973, GNB Bumborah 22 June 1973
KANGAROO POINT
Kangaroos were often hunted here by being chased onto the point and cornered, hence its name.
This practice began with the indigenous occupiers and was continued by the colonial settlers. Used
as name of part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate (Walker 1868)
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Ref: GNB Suburb 22 June 1973 now Suburb18 January 2008 and GNB Point 4 May 1973
KAREELA
Previously part of Oyster Bay. Name suggested by Sutherland Shire Council and approved by the
Geographical Names Board of the NSW Lands Department in 1967. From the aboriginal word 'KariKari' meaning fast. The southerly winds in this area are usually very strong, hence 'Kareela' meaning
south wind (fast wind).
Ref: GNB Suburb 15/12/1967, Suburb 4/5/1973, now Suburb18 January 2008 and 6 March 2009.
KIRRAWEE
Aboriginal meaning: “lengthy” —the name was adopted in 1939 with the opening of the railway line. A
postal receiving office in the locality was known as “Bladeville”. It operated from the home of Mrs.
Louisa Blade, was opened in 1909 and closed in 1915 when a letter delivery commenced from the
Post Office at Sutherland,
Ref: GNB Suburb 22/6/1973, now Suburb18 January 2008 and 6 March 2009
KURNELL
Two possible origins: (1) corruption of a Dharuk? Aboriginal term 'cunthal' or 'kundel' or ‘kurdul’
perhaps for 'wild carrot'. (2) corruption of surname of John Connell, first settler in area.
Part of the suburb of Kurnell was renamed as Sutherland Shire’s newest suburb “Greenhills Beach”
in July 2011.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May1973, Suburb18 January 2008, now Suburb 22 July 2011.
LIGHTNING POINT
Origin not known -- possibly descriptive
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
LILLI PILLI / LILLI PILLI POINT
Aboriginal. Native name for tree with little edible berries. Named after the native Myrtle (Lilly Pilly or
Lilli Pilli) Tree (Acmenia smithii). The earliest landowner in the area was Francis Mitchell who, in
1840, gave his address as Great Turriell or Lilly Pilly Point.
Ref: GNB Suburb 22 June 1973 now Suburb18 January 2008 as amended 10 July 2009, and GNB
Point 22 June 1973.
LITTLE TURRIELL BAY
See "Turriell Point"
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
LOFTUS
Named after a former governor of New South Wales, Lord Augustus William Spencer Loftus, who
was Governor at the time the railway station was opened and his name was used for it.
Ref: GNB Suburb now Suburb18 January 2008
LUCAS HEIGHTS
Named after John Lucas snr. flour miller at Liverpool, granted 150 acres at “head of unnamed stream
sailing into Georges River”, 1823. It was believed that he built a water-driven mill for grinding corn
from the Illawarra farms — small ships sailed up the coast into Botany Bay, Georges River and
Woronora River, but there is another school of thought that the mill was constructed in another
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location on a stream entering further up the Georges River. Part of the Lucas Heights Area was
renamed as the Suburb of Barden Ridge in 1996.
Ref: GNB Locality 22 February 1974, Neighbourhood 5 March1976, now Suburb18 January 2008
MAIANBAR
Appears to be of Aboriginal origin, but according to the Lands Department no information can be
found relating to the origin of the name Maianbar.
Ref: GNB 4 May 1973 erratum 14 September 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
MENAI
Originally called Bangor by Owen Jones, a Welshman and first settler, 1895. Changed to Menai by
the PMG in 1910 because of confusion with Bangor in Tasmania, Named after the Menai Straits
between the Welsh mainland and the Isle of Anglesey, opposite Bangor. Part of the Menai area was
later reverted to the name Bangor
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, then Neighbourhood 5 March 1976 now Suburb18 January 2008
MERRIES REEF
A reef extending south-west from the west headland of Boat Harbour which then continues as a shoal
in Bate Bay, (See also Pimelwi Rocks and Osborn Shoal.). Now within Boat Harbour Aquatic
Reserve.
Named before May 1870 when it was known as Merri Reef. Origin of name is thought to be from the
language of the Wurrundjeri balug Aboriginal tribe whose territory is now in the city of Melbourne.
Merri (also Merri Merri) has the meaning of “stony, rocky.” [ref: Sydney Morning Herald 3/5/1870;
Darabin Library web site & Victorian Register of Geographic Names)
Ref: GNB Reef 30th June 1978
MILGURRUNG
Said to be the Aboriginal name for a small beach near Cook’s landing place at Kurnell, where a creek
runs into the bay (ref: SMH 6 June 1890 p.5).
The meaning of the name has not been determined.
MIRANDA
Named after Miranda, a character in the Shakespearean play ‘The Tempest”. “The name Miranda
was given to the locality by me as manager of the Holt-Sutherland Company which I formed in 1881. I
thought it a soft, euphonious, musical and appropriate name for a beautiful place.” (Extract from a
letter of James Murphy 31 October 1921.). The Village of Miranda was proclaimed in 1921.
Ref: Village of Miranda 7 January 1921 – GNB Suburb 4 May1973 now Suburb18 January 2008
NORTH WEST ARM
Descriptive - the north west arm of Port Hacking.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
OAK PARK
Originally Oak (or Oaks) Park Water Reserve dating from 1899, where a well was sunk to provide
water to local residents in 1906. It became a Park in 1945. Named because of the profusion of Oak
Trees in the area.
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Ref: Water Reserve 7 October 1899 and 12 June1907, became Recreation Reserve 9 October 1945
– GNB Reserve 22 June 1973
OSBORN SHOAL
A shoal running generally westerly from the end of Merries Reef into Bate Bay.
Named after Captain J.H.S. Osborn who carried out the survey in 1950 when the Shoal was
discovered. (info from GNB website)
Ref: GNB Shoal 5th July 1985
OYSTER BAY (SUBURB & BAY)
Oyster Bay itself, a place once plentiful in oysters, was first shown on a map signed by SurveyorGeneral Thomas Mitchell on 27 March 1835, but may have been known earlier by thar name. The
name was used as part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate (Walker 1868). The Village of Oyster Bay was
proclaimed in 1933.
Ref: Village of Oyster Bay 17/11/1933 – GNB Suburb 4 May1973 now Suburb18 January 2008 and
GNB Bay 4 May 1973
PELICAN POINT
A gathering place for flocks of pelicans. Also previously known as "Killigalere Point", the origin of
which is unknown.
Ref: GNB Point 5 July 1985
PIMELWI ROCKS
This is part of a reef extending south-west from the west headland of Boat Harbour which then
continues as a shoal in Bate Bay, (See also Merries Reef and Osborn Shoal.). Now within Boat
Harbour Aquatic Reserve.
Possibly named after an Aborigine mentioned in an the early history of the Colony of New South
Wales during December 1790 who fatally speared one of the members of a hunting party of colonists
and then fled and escaped capture. (Watkin Tench, The Settlement at Port Jackson, chapter 12:
Transactions of the Colony in Part of December 1790.).
Ref: GNB Rocks 4 May 1973
POINT DANGER
Origin not known -- possibly descriptive
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
PORT HACKING / PORT HACKING POINT
Named by Matthew Flinders March 30, 1796. First Fleet pilot Henry Hacking had told him of rumours
of a large river south of Botany Bay. Originally named Port Aicken (alternatively Akin or Aken) after
midshipman John Aicken, First Fleet, who discovered the river, Port Hacking Heads were known as
“Port Aiken Heads” in 1870. Village of Port Hacking proclaimed in 1933.
Ref: Village of Port Hacking 17 November 1933 – GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb 10/7/2009,
and GNB Estuary & Point 4 May 1973
POTTER POINT
A point on the coast of Kurnell Peninsula just over 1 km east of Boat Harbour. The name appears on
an Admiralty Chart dated 1853 and is likely named after John Potter, agent for Admiralty charts after
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the death of Robert Brettell Bate (see Bate Bay) in 1847. (Watt, The Shire; A Journey Through Time,
pp.86-87)
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
QUIBRAY BAY
Recorded as a local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, believed to be from the Aboriginal name
for the area.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
RED JACKS POINT
Name apparently relates to a ‘white man called Red Jack’ who lived with ‘Yellow Nancy, a woman
who was, her name suggested, of mixed descent,’ on the shores of Port Hacking, as reported by
Aboriginal Biddy Giles who with her husband Billy Giles accompanied travellers in the area in the
1860s. ( Heather Goodall and Allison Cadzow, Rivers and Resilience: Aboriginal people on Sydney’s
Georges River, UNSW Press, 2009, p.101)
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
ROYAL NATIONAL PARK
Founded in 1879 by Sir John Robertson, Premier of NSW, as “The National Park”. 16,090 acres were
set aside as public reserve. The term “Royal” was adopted during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to
Sydney in 1954. For administrative purposes, the Royal National Park is now a Suburb.
Ref: GNB Suburb18 January 2008
SALMON HAUL BAY
Believed to signify a large catch of that type of fish once made there.
Ref: GNB Bay 22 June 1973
SANDY POINT (SUBURB)
Sandy Point (the suburb) is named after the Sandy Point Estate from which it was created in 1925.
A history of the area records:” It has been said by some that Matthew Flinders referred in his diary, to
an area which was the only sandy point on the Georges River, between Tom Ugly’s and Liverpool.
However, the first official mention of the name ‘Sandy Point’ was not until 1920 when a subdivision
application was made to Sutherland Shire Council.” (Singleman, L, Sandy Point Secrets: A History of
Sandy Point, Parker Pattinson Publishing, 2002, p.21)
.
NOTE: There is another geographical location known as Sandy Point at the end of Holts Point Place,
Sylvania.
Ref: GNB Suburb18 January 2008
SCYLLA BAY
Formerly the western of the two bays that were known conjointly as Double Bay, Located on the
southern side of Georges River south of Como Pleasure Grounds, it was first renamed as Mimosa
Bay, that name appearing on the auction plan for the “Railway Bridge Georges River” subdivision of
the Holt-Sutherland Estate at Como on the eastern side of the Illawarra Railway Line, which was first
auctioned 21 January 1888. (National Library MAP Folder 173, LFSP 2714 ). Apparently the new
name did not agree with the theme of the subdivision, where the roads in the subdivision and Carina
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Bay seems to be a continuation of a theme of naming the roads in the subdivision after Italian place
names which theme commenced with naming of Como (see Como).. When the subdivision plan was
lodged with the Registrar-General’s Office on 29 March 1888 as Deposited Plan No 2106, the name
“Mimosa Bay”” had been altered to “Scylla Bay.”
The "Scylla" was a sea monster in Greek mythology, SCYLLA (Skulla) and Charybdis, the names of
two rocks between Italy and Sicily, and only a short distance from one another. In the midst of the one
of these rocks which was nearest to Italy, there dwelt, according to Homer, Scylla, a daughter of
Crataeis, a fearful monster, barking like a dog, with twelve feet, six long necks and mouths, each of
which contained three rows of sharp teeth.. (Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and
Mythology)
NOTE: The name “Mimosa Bay” persisted as a local name for many years, (McKinley & Hewitt,
Sutherland Shire – Some Early Residents, Cliff Lewis Printing, 2007, p.26)
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
SHAG POINT
Probably named after the sea birds known as Shags or Cormorants.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
SIMPSONS BAY
Named after the George Simpson and his wife Mary and family who settled here in the 1860s. His
son William established "Tyreal House", which later became known as Simpsons Hotel at Bonnie
Vale.
Ref: GNB Point 22 June 1973
SOUTH WEST ARM
Descriptive - the south west arm of Port Hacking.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
STILL CREEK
A long inlet and creek running into Woronora River, formerly also known as Inchs Creek. Believed to
have been named because a whiskey still was located there overlooking the creek.
Ref: GNB Creek 4 May 1973
SUTHERLAND
This name applies to three geographical areas, which are treated separately:
1. Civil Parish of Sutherland
The Parish of Sutherland was originally proclaimed on 23 May 1835 as “Southerland”, which was the
name shown on the original parish map, and was apparently the name selected by Surveyor-General
Thomas Mitchell for the first parish south of Georges River. However just 4 days later on 27 May
1835, the proclamation was reprinted with amendments, including changing the name to
“Sutherland”, which must have been to agree with the spelling shown on the original document.
That did cause some confusion as the two names were used randomly for many years until
“Sutherland” became the only term used for the parish name.
2. Town of Sutherland
The name Sutherland Township was used for land sales in 1882 by the Holt-Sutherland Estate Land
Company. The use of the name Sutherland for the subdivision had been decided by the company in
1881. The Town of Sutherland was proclaimed in 1921.
3. Shire of Sutherland (LGA Sutherland Shire)
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The original name and boundary of the Shire of Sutherland was proclaimed on 7 March1906
(amended 11 September 1907). At that time it excluded the “Como” area which was part of Hurstville
Municipality until 1922 (see ILLAWONG). The only other change to the boundary was a small swap
with Liverpool in 1984 to place the boundary along Heathcote Road.
In early 1993 there was public concern that the area would lose its identity as “The Shire” when the
proposed Local Government Act introduced the term Local Government Area (LGA) and deleted the
words Shire, Municipality and City from the titles. Following submissions from Council, the Governor
altered the name on 25 June1993 in the following terms: I, Rear Admiral PETER ROSS SINCLAIR,
Governor of the State of New South Wales, with the advice of the Executive Council, and in
pursuance of section 14 of the Local Government Act 1919, do hereby alter, on and from the close of
business of the Sutherland Shire Council on 30 June 1993, the name of the Shire of Sutherland to
the Shire of Sutherland Shire. What this meant was that on 1 July 1993 when the Local Government
Act 1993 came into force that the name changed from “Shire of Sutherland” to “Local Government
Area Sutherland Shire”.
NOTE 1: Historians have debated for years over the possibility that any or all of the above Parish,
Town and Shire of Sutherland was/were named to honour Cook’s seaman, Forby Sutherland who
died at Kurnell, or that just being a coincidence.
NOTE 2: Another coincidence of names, also debated by historians, is whether, when the railway
station “Sutherland” opened in 1885, it was named in honour of the Honourable John Sutherland,
NSW Minister for Works, 1860- 1872.
Ref: Parish 23 May 1835 & 27 May 1835; Town of Sutherland 7 January 1921; Shire 7 March1906, 4
August 1922, 27 January 1984, 25 June 1993 – GNB Parish 05 July 1985; Suburb 05 July 1985 now
Suburb18 January 2008
SUTHERLAND POINT
Named by Captain Cook in memory of Forby Sutherland, a seaman on the “Endeavour”, who was
buried at Kurnell.
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973
SYLVANIA
Believed to have been named by James Murphy because of its sylvan appearance. Village of
Sylvania proclaimed in 1933.
Ref: Village 17/11/1933 – GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
SYLVANIA HEIGHTS
A local name only referring to the area of Sylvania south of Kangaroo Point. Has never been given
the status of a Suburb and is not a Geographical Name.
SYLVANIA WATERS
Is a canal development in the 1960s constructed on privately-owned Gwawley Bay, the waters of
which were purchased by Thomas Holt in 1865, and the adjoining part of Sylvania. The name is
derived from its location.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
TABBIGAI (GAP)
From Aboriginal name "Tobagoin" which referred to the location now known as Tabbigai Gap south of
Cape Solander.
TAREN POINT
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Origin unknown—first known as Comyns Point, then Cummins Point and finally as Common’s Point
the origin of which is also unknown. Cummins Point used as name of part of the Holt-Sutherland
Estate (Walker 1868). Later became known by the present name of Taren Point but there is no
information about the origin of that name either. The Village of Taren Point was proclaimed in 1933
Ref: Village of Taren Point 17/11/1933 -- GNB 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008, and GNB
Point 4 May 1973.
THOMPSONS BAY
Named after Thomas Thompson and family who held extensive oyster leases along the banks of the
Woronora River in this locality.
Ref: GNB Bay 23 November 1973
TOM UGLYS
Used for many years by Shire residents to incorrectly refer to the area at the southern end of the
bridges across Georges River (the western bridge is Georges River Bridge and the newer eastern
bridge is Tom Uglys Bridge), at the site of the former Tom Uglys Punt or Ferry which preceded the
Georges River Bridge. The correct name of that area is Horse Rock Point. The following information
is supplied for general interest only:
Historians for many years had two theories of the origin:
1. One of the early residents on the north side of Georges River was a Tom Huxley. The Aborigines
could not pronounce the “x” and the surname gradually became “Ugly”.
2. The name derives from a white man with only one leg and one arm, living in the locality, known to
the natives as Tom Wogully, or “Wogul”. “Wogul” means “one”, hence the Aboriginal name for the
settler “Tom Wogully” was corrupted to “Tom Ugly”.
However, intensive research by Keith Vincent Smith, an indigenous historian, revealed these theories
to be incorrect. The actual Tom Ugly, whose remains were found buried at Tom Uglys Point, was
determined to be an aboriginal named "Towwaa" or "Towweiry", nicknamed "Tom Ugly". He was from
the South Coast around Jervis Bay, but later lived, died and was buried under a "gibber gunyah"
(rock shelter) on the point of the Georges River that now bears his name.
Ref: GNB: Horse Rock Point 4 May 1973, Tom Uglys Point 4 May 1973
TOWRA POINT/BAY
Recorded as a local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, believed to be the Aboriginal name for
Kurnell Peninsula. Towra Bay has also been known as "Stinkpot Bay".
Ref: GNB Point 4 May 1973 and GNB Bay 5 July 1985
TURRIELL POINT
Two similar Aboriginal names "Gerrale" and "Tyreal" are believed to refer generally to the locality
between Lilli Pilli Point and Turriell Point. "Tyreal House" was the name of the residence (later known
as Simpson's Hotel) of the Simpson family, early settlers at Cabbage Tree Point (Bonnie Vale) on the
southern side of Port Hacking. This hotel, popular with holiday-makers, was reached by ferry from the
end of Port Hacking Road near Turriell Point. Over time the spelling changed from "Tyreal" to "Tyrell"
to "Tureel" to "Turriel" to "Turriell". An early source indicates that "Tyreal Head" was an aboriginal
camping place on a crossing place over Port Hacking by South Coast Aborigines on their visits to the
north.
Ref: GNB Point 22 June 1973
WANDA
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Aboriginal word meaning beach or sand hill.
Ref: GNB Wanda Beach 22 June 1973,
WANTS BEACH/POINT
George Frederick Want, an auctioneer, was one of the original trustees of the National (now Royal
National) Park in 1879,
Ref: GNB Beach & Point 24 May 1973
WATERFALL
Derives its name from the waterfalls near the railway station. McKell Avenue, southern boundary of
Royal National Park, was originally “Waterfall (or Waterfalls) Road”. The name was first used for the
railway station before any residential development had taken place. The station was thus named as it
created a drop off point for visitors to the National Falls in Royal National Park around the turn of the
20th Century. Parish Map dating back to 1903 shows a Crown subdivision at “Waterfall Station”. The
locality's original name was Westmacott, after Captain Robert Westmacott, who had settled in the
Illawarra in 1837, and made the first moves to develop coal mines in the region. The Village of
Waterfall was proclaimed in 1933 and reclassified as a Town by the GNB in 1976, now part of the
Suburb from 2008.
Ref: Village of Waterfall 17 November 1933 -- GNB Town 30 April 1976 now Suburb18 January 2008
WATTAMOLLA
Civil Parish of Wattamolla (1835), Aboriginal meaning. “place near running water”. Recorded by
surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827 as a local name “Wattamolla “at a boat harbour.
Ref: GNB shows Parish as “Recorded 16 December 1996” (no gazettal), Locality 4 May 1973 now
Rural Place 4 May 2007.
WEARNE BAY
Origin unknown,
Ref: GNB Bay 23 November 1973
WEENEY BAY
Recorded as a local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, believed to be from the Aboriginal
name for the area.
Ref: GNB Bay 4 May 1973
WOOLOOWARE
Aboriginal meaning: “a muddy flat”, name recorded by Surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, as
“Wooloowear”, after a bush track of that name through the area which he followed.. Shown by name
“Woollowarra” as part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate (Walker 1868).
Ref: GNB Suburb 22 June 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
WORONORA
Aboriginal meaning: “black rock” — as originally “Wooloonora”. Believed to have been named by
Surveyor Robert Dixon in 1828. Shown by name “Waranora” as part of the Holt-Sutherland Estate
(Walker 1868).
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
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WORONORA DAM
Woronora Dam was completed in 1942 and the dam and its surrounds occupy a large area of land in
the south-west of the Shire. For administrative purposes, that area was proclaimed a Suburb in 2008.
Ref: Suburb18 January 2008
WORONORA HEIGHTS
Suburb was named in 1982 when the area was being developed. (see also WORONORA)
Ref: GNB Neighbourhood 23 July 1982, now Suburb18 January 2008
YARRAWARRAH
Aboriginal word meaning Mountain Ash; area to the north of Engadine. Named by the Geographical
Names Board in 1971. Also the name of a ridge about 5km long extending NNE from Waterfall to
Heathcote. Once known as Yarrawarrah Heights.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008
YENA (GAP)
From Aboriginal "Yinna" meaning honeysuckle, and referred to the location now known as Yena Gap
north of Cape Solander.
YENABILLI POINT
Recorded as a local name by surveyor Robert Dixon in 1827, believed to be from the Aboriginal name
for the area.
Ref: GNB Point 22 June 1973
YOWIE BAY (or EWEY BAY) / YOWIE POINT
Named in 1827 by Surveyor Robert Dixon and spelt by him as “Ewey”, which may be a different
spelling of “Yowie”, being an aboriginal name meaning “place of echoes”. A source in 1890 records
that it is an Aboriginal form of "cooey", as the aboriginals when travelling north used to "cooey" from
the southern shore of Port Hacking to this prominent point on the north shore to gain the attention of
other aboriginals, so they could be brought over in canoes, the only conveyance at their disposal at
the time.
It may be a coincidence of names, but it has also been suggested that ewey is a corruption of “ewes”
(female sheep) and sheep were bred there by Thomas Holt in the 19th century, and he employed
some shepherds from Yorkshire, England. Since 'Yowie' is a Yorkshire word for lamb, this could be
another explanation for the alternate name. It is of note, however, that Thomas Holt did not own the
land until 1861, some years after the name was originally assigned.
Land originally released as the Village of Weeroona in 1889. Although the original name Ewey was
recognised by the electoral office and postal department, the name Yowie appears to have been also
widely used from at least the early 1900s. It is unknown however when it became the more
commonly used name. In 1973 the Geographical Names Board officially assigned the name Yowie.
Ref: GNB Suburb 4 May 1973, now Suburb18 January 2008, GNB Bay 22 June 1973 and GNB Point
4 May 1973
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