Aboriginal Street and Place Names of Canterbury
Canterbury, like many local government areas, has a number of streets named with Aboriginal words. However, there is no evidence that these names were specifically related to the Canterbury area. The streets would have been named in the twentieth century when there were probably very few Aboriginal people remaining in Canterbury. It seems that Aboriginal street names were fashionable, and many of the same names are found in other areas across Australia, indicating they are possibly not local names. For example, Girrahween Park in Earlwood is an Aboriginal word meaning 'place of flowers'. There are four streets and two other parks in Sydney named Girraween, as well as Girraween parks in other states.
Name | Location | Meaning |
Alkoomie Street | Beverly Hills | very nice |
Allambee Crescent | Beverly Hills | to remain awhile |
Arilla Avenue | Riverwood | Arellah: dancing ground |
Arinya Street | Kingsgrove | Kangaroo |
Attunga Avenue | Earlwood | high place |
Bambra Avenue | Punchbowl | mushroom |
Baralga Crescent | Riverwood | native companion |
Baringa Road | Earlwood | light |
Barremma Road | Lakemba | white ironbark |
Bellombi Street | Campsie | Bellambi means no |
Benaroon Road | Lakemba | blackbutt |
Biara Avenue | Campsie | banksia |
Boomerang Avenue | Earlwood |
|
Booragul Street | Beverly Hills | summer |
Boorea Avenue | Lakemba | turpentine tree |
Burradoo Road | Beverly Hills | many brigalow |
Burrimul Street | Kingsgrove | emu |
Bykool Avenue | Kingsgrove | blackfellow |
Carbethon Crescent | Beverly Hills | cheerful |
Coolabah Street | Beverly Hills | black box tree |
Cooloongatta Road | Beverly Hills | fine view |
Coorabin Place | Riverwood | spring constantly running |
Coorilla Avenue | Canterbury | south |
Doonkuna Street | Beverly Hills | rising |
Elouera Street | Beverly Hills | pleasant place |
Enoggera Road | Beverly Hills | from ynoggera, meaning not verified |
Eulabah Street | Earlwood | possibly Coolabah: black box tree |
Eumina Street | Beverly Hills | repose |
Garema Circuit | Kingsgrove | camp |
Garrong Road | Lakemba | species of wattle |
Girraween Park | Earlwood | place of flowers |
Gungaroo Place | Beverly Hills | crane |
Gunyah Crescent | Lakemba | place of shelter |
Iluka Street | Riverwood | near the sea |
Jindalee Place | Punchbowl | bare hill, or no skin on the bones |
Junee Crescent | Kingsgrove | Chunnee: frog, or speak to me |
Kangaroo St | Canterbury (now Phillips Avenue) |
|
Kardella Crescent | Kingsgrove | possum |
Karingal Street | Kingsgrove | happy camp |
Karool Avenue | Earlwood | stone |
Kiewarra Street | Lakemba | dark |
Kilkee Avenue | Kingsgrove | water hen |
Killara Avenue | Kingsgrove | always there |
Kirrang Street | Beverly Hills | wattle |
Koala Road | Lakemba | native bear, man |
Maramba Close | Kingsgrove | better |
Marana Road | Earlwood | stars |
Metella Crescent | Belfield | Metella: Camp Cove |
Mildura Reserve | Brighton Avenue Campsie | from dura: a fly and mil, the eye, a place where sore eyes are prevalent, caused by flies which could not be driven off. |
Minnamorra Avenue | Earlwood | plenty of fish |
Moondani Road | Beverly Hills | embrace |
Mooral Avenue | Punchbowl | plenty |
Myall Street | Belmore |
|
Myee Street | Lakemba | nature of native born |
Nanowie Street | Narwee | a corner |
Narani Crescent | Earlwood | Narangy: small, little, few, Narrami: net |
Narwee Avenue | Beverly Hills | the sun |
Nirimba Avenue | Beverly Hills | pelican |
Patonga Street | Kingsgrove | small wallaby |
Turrella Reserve | Earlwood | water weeds |
Urunga Parade | Punchbowl | a long beach |
Wangee Road | Lakemba | tallowwood gum |
Waratah Street | Canterbury | the red flowering tree |
Warrigal Street | Canterbury | dingo or wild dog |
Werona Avenue | Punchbowl | quiet |
Willeroo Street | Lakemba | curlew |
Willunga Avenue | Earlwood | scrubby place |
Wirega Avenue | Kingsgrove | clear ground |
Wolli Avenue | Earlwood | Woli: native camp Wolli: camping place |
Wonga Street | Campsie |
|
Woorail Avenue | Kingsgrove | lyrebird |
Yangoora Road | Belmore | stringybark |
Yatama Park | Clemton Park | good |
References
Aboriginal words of Australia Sydney: Reed, 1965
Endacott, Sydney J Australian Aboriginal words and place names and their meanings 10th ed. Blackburn, Victoria: Acacia Press, 1973
James R. Tyrrell Australian Aboriginal place-names and their meanings Sydney: Simmons, 1933
Troy, Jakelin The Sydney language Canberra 1994