Albany council backs plan to dual name City’s natural landmarks in historic project

Twenty-eight natural landmarks across the City of Albany will be submitted to Landgate for official dual-naming after a historic push to preserve the region’s Menang Noongar roots secured council approval this week.

Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to make an application to Landgate to dual-name 16 naturally occurring landmarks across Albany and officially name 12 “reserves, geographic features, waterways and vegetation” for the first time with the locations’ traditional Menang Noongar names.

The final submission was a result of extensive consultation with the Menang Noongar and wider community.

Historians scoured hundreds of pages of historical records to rediscover the traditional names of 200 locations across the region, of which 66 were agreed on and put out for public comment.

The remaining 38 places are on private property or land managed by the State Government.

Councillors voted to work with stakeholders to push for those places to be dual-named in the future.

Cr Chris Thomson moved the motion at Tuesday’s meeting and said it paved the way for reconciliation ahead of Albany’s bicentenary.

“It is one of, if not the most, ambitious place-naming projects and co-naming projects with Indigenous people throughout the whole of Australia and possibly the world,” he said. The names are expected to be approved by Landgate before the end of the year.

Proposed dual-names:

Eungedup/Lake Saide

Kalyenup/Major Lockyer Park

Takenorup/Parker Brook

Walchecup/Mount Elphinstone

Yakkan Toort/Dog Rock

Kep Mardjit/Vancouver Spring

Yerringurrup/Willyung Creek

Yoorlarup/Napier Creek

Miaritch/Oyster Harbour

Mutenup/Foundation Park

Binalup/Middleton Beach

Naaranyirrup/Lake Vancouver

Watterup/Oyster Harbour Fish Traps

Willyungup/Willyung Hill

Tjuitgellong/Lake Seppings

Moodrenup/Sandpatch

Eleven unnamed reserves, geographic features, waterways and vegetation could be officially named for the first time using a Menang Noongar name.

Point Possession will be renamed Uredale Point.