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Indigenous place names
The Victorian Government, in supporting Australia’s Council for Reconciliation, encourages the greater use of Indigenous names in Victoria through place naming. Victoria’s Registrar of Geographic Names works with councils and other place naming authorities to:

• encourage the use of Indigenous names
• help naming authorities identify appropriate names and
• involve Indigenous communities in the process.

Under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998 and the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2004 an Indigenous names can be assigned to:

• unnamed places or features
• named places or features so that the Indigenous name replaces the current name or becomes an alternative name
• named places or features so that assignment of the Indigenous name will result in the place having a dual name (when an English or other official name and an Indigenous name apply equally for example, the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park.
  
  

Before you submit a proposal to a naming authority to use an Indigenous name, ensure it is appropriate for the area and has the agreement of the relevant Indigenous communities by consulting with indigenous communities. If you are submitting historical information to VICNAMES check the recommended spelling of Indigenous names.

For more information on the use of indigenous names in naming proposals contact the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL).

Consulting with Indigenous communities

Indigenous people are the primary source of information relating to Indigenous language, culture and heritage. It is essential that they play a role in assigning Indigenous place names as these names serve as records of Indigenous history and often reflect spiritual values.

Victoria has many groups of Indigenous peoples with many different languages. Indigenous names or words from a particular language area may be proposed for places in another language area, subject to consultation with and consent of the relevant Indigenous communities in both areas.

Consultation and negotiation with the relevant Indigenous communities is essential in the place naming process. The level of consultation rests with the responsible naming authority. Time frames for consultation with Indigenous communities may be longer than anticipated as the decision-making process requires consensus by all who have responsibility in providing comment on a particular issue.

Some Indigenous communities may have developed protocols for consultation in their area. Such community protocols should be followed as closely as possible.

The Regional Cultural Heritage Program (RCHP), set up by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, is a useful source of information and contacts. The RCHP Co-ordinators can assist you to identify the relevant Indigenous communities that should be consulted in place naming proposals.

Check with your naming authority, usually your local council, for the specific format and process to be followed in making a proposal. As a minimum, a proposal should outline:

• reasons for wanting to name, or rename, the place/feature
• details of the long-term association with the place/feature, or evidence of a person having made a significant contribution to the area in the case of commemorative naming proposals
• meaning of the Indigenous name or word, location or site details.

Indigenous names will generally only be adopted:

• if the proposed name is appropriate for the locality and
• provided that the relevant Indigenous communities have been consulted and
• there is agreement to the proposed name.

Recommended spelling of Indigenous languages
For many reasons there are multiple ways Victorian Indigenous languages have been spelt in historical records. If you are using the VICNAMES historical information database to submit historical information relating to a Victorian Indigenous Languages, please refer to the recommended spellings for Indigenous Languages in Victoria provided by the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL):
Recommended Spelling for Victorian Indigenous Languages (PDF - 54 KB)