VICNAMES

VICNAMES has been upgraded and the new version launched in January 2011.
VICNAMES allows you to search all registered and recorded place names in Victoria. It is used to:

assist naming authorities ensure a proposed name will not be a duplicate;
provide details on the location and extent of features, localities and roads; and
record or find historical information on place names.
VICNAMES holds more than 200,000 road and place names. It includes geographic features such as mountains and rivers, bounded localities such as suburbs, towns, cities and regions and physical infrastructure such as roads, reserves and schools.

VICNAMES User Guide January 2011

The user guide shows how you can use the VICNAMES website to search for and download place names information. It describes how a naming process can proceed according to the Geographic Place Names Act 1998 and the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010.

New features for the January 2011 edition include:

the ability to check for duplicated feature and road names, with a pre-determined radius applied of 5, 15 or 30 kilometres (as per Principle 1(D) of the Guidelines)
Name searches based on similarly spelt and sounding names (previously only able to check on similar spelling)
Updated map display options – with full extents of features and localities now shown where available (previously only centroid coordinates shown on maps)
Up to 20 search results displayed at a time (previously up to 10 were displayed)

VICNAMES user guide January 2011

[PDF File - 2.7 MB]
VICNAMES user guide January 2011- accessible version

[MS Word Document - 9.6 MB]

User Notes January 2011

The user notes below are extracts from the VICNAMES User Guide. They provide an easy reference to the most commonly used features of the VICNAMES website.

	User Note 1- How to do a Place Name Search [PDF File - 386.9 KB] User Note 1- How to do a Place Name Search (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 1.6 MB]
	User Note 2- Searching Without a Name [PDF File - 586.6 KB] User Note 2- Searching Without a Name (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 1.6 MB]
	User Note 3- Searching for Duplicate Feature/Locality Names [PDF File - 965.1 KB] User Note 3- Searching for Duplicate Feature/Locality Names (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 1.9 MB]
	User Note 4- Searching for Duplicate Road Names [PDF File - 377.3 KB] User Note 4- Searching for Duplicate Road Names [MS Word Document - 1.8 MB]
	User Note 5- Searching Historical Information [PDF File - 636.2 KB] User Note 5- Searching Historical Information (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 2.2 MB]
	User Note 6- Contribute Historical Information [PDF File - 1.0 MB] User Note 6- Contribute Historical Information (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 2.2 MB]
	User Note 7- Add an Historical Name to VICNAMES [PDF File - 870.6 KB] User Note 7- Add an Historical Name to VICNAMES (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 1.5 MB]
	User Note 8- Historical Content Administrators [PDF File - 412.4 KB] User Note 8- Historical Content Administrators (accessible version) [MS Word Document - 2.8 MB]

For further information, please contact the Office of Geographic Names by email on geo.names@dse.vic.gov.au or phone on 03 8636 2851.

Find or add historical information

To find information on the origin of a place in Victoria search VICNAMES historical information. For assistance, refer to VICNAMES user notes.

To contribute information on the origin of a place name in Victoria submit to VICNAMES historical information. For assistance, refer to VICNAMES user notes.

The historical information component of VICNAMES was developed to enable public access to and contributions on the origins of Victorian place names. It is part of the Australian National Placenames Survey (ANPS) research project, which aims to prepare a national register of geographical names.

When you submit historical information, the Historical Content Administrator (HCA) in your area will automatically be contacted to verify your historical information. Your contact details (which will remain confidential at all times) are required so that the HCA can contact you regarding further details or amendments before your information becomes publicly available.

There are already many place names research groups and individuals currently involved in projects around Victoria through their association with the Victorian Committee of the ANPS. Contact your local HCA before you begin to check that you are not duplicating the work of another individual or group.

The HCAs also suggest that you discuss and list any problems encountered when collecting information such as referencing sources, uncertainty about credibility of source information and the presence of more than one data entry form for the same source.

Download and print the form below relevant to your information source. For assistance with completing these forms view the instructions:

Completing data entry forms

[PDF File - 85.6 KB]
Place name data form – book

[PDF File - 63.6 KB]
Place name data form – edited book section

[PDF File - 64.2 KB]
Place name data form – journal article

[PDF File - 63.9 KB]
Place name data form – newspaper/magazine

[PDF File - 62.7 KB]
Place name data form – manuscript

[PDF File - 63.2 KB]
Place name data form – map

[PDF File - 63.6 KB]
Place name data form – artefact

[PDF File - 62.0 KB]
Place name data form – oral history

[PDF File - 63.2 KB]
Place name data form – website

[PDF File - 63.6 KB]

Once you have completed your form enter your details into VICNAMES.

Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.