Unanimous Support for Aboriginal Names for Newcastle’s Landmarks

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Section of Matthew Flinders' Chart noting the Aboriginal names in the vicinity of Newcastle and Port Stephens on his journeys in 1802
Section of Matthew Flinders’ Chart noting the Aboriginal names in the vicinity of Port Hunter and Port Stephens on his journeys in July 1802

The Secretary of the NSW Geographical Names Board, Kevin Richards advised the City of Newcastle Guraki Committee that their application to name eight features at Newcastle has been approved.

Mr Richards stated that the application was well received. Mr Richards will now write to Council regarding their decision in the short term. The GNB will place a public notice in the Newcastle Herald and Government Gazette in February 2014 seeking comments from the general public for a period of one month.

This follows the unanimous decision taken by Council on the 23 September 2013 to endorse the proposal that eight features of Newcastle would be given twin names to recognise the Aboriginal history. The landmarks include:

Nobbys Head Whibayganba

Flagstaff Hill Tahlbihn Point

Pirate Point (Stockton) Burrabihngarn

Port Hunter (Newcastle Harbour, The Basin, Throsby Basin, North Harbour, Port Waratah and Fullerton Cove) Yohaaba

Hunter River Coquun

Shepherds Hill Khanterin

Ironbark Creek Toohrnbing

Hexham Swamp Burraghihnbihng

The proposal is available on the Council’s website here: http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/230570/Attachments_Distributed_under_Separate_Cover_24_September_2013_Combined.pdf

or as a separate report here:

Endorsement of Dual Naming of Major Geographical Features in the Newcastle LGA (639KB PDF File) by Lillian Eastwood (Guraki Committee)

4 thoughts on “Unanimous Support for Aboriginal Names for Newcastle’s Landmarks”

  2. As a Noongar man, Newcastle resident and government employee I find the dual naming decision a wonderful achievement and my thanks to all and sundry concerned.

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  3. there is an earlier reference to Khanterin as Shepherds Hill than the publication by Plews (1858). The name is contained in a letter from Rev W B Clarke to Captain P P King of the Australian Agricultural Company dated 7 July 1847, and describing the geology of the Newcastle area. The letter was published as an appendix to the Coal Inquiry reports later in 1847:

    “APPENDIX.—No. 1.” The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) 13 Oct 1847: 4. Web. 15 Nov 2013 .

    “So in the cliff near Khanterin, (south of Shepherd’s bush cliff) the dip is slightly to N.W , but close to this there exists an anticlinal curve, one end dipping to N., and the other to S ;”

    Plews worked for the AA Co as a consultant mining engineer in the mid 1850s before he returned to England and published his report, so there may be more references in the AA Co archives.

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