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A clash of toponymies:
Phillip Island, Norfolk Island Archipelago
Names matter. Placenames matter too when turning West End Valley. Phillip Island placenames designate clear
space into place through naming. Naming hierarchies boundaries in the history of the language on the Norfolk
often value one set of toponyms over another. Priorities, Archipelago: Norf k names only exist as names bestowed
cultural values and different ethnic backgrounds may after the Pitcairners arrived in 1856. These locally-known
favour incompatible sets of names. The placenaming unofficial names and their authenticity clash with and
and community consultation which took place during are questioned in the presence of English names.
the rabbit eradication program and the proclamation
of Phillip Island as a part of the
Norfolk Island National Park during
the late 1980s starkly depicts how
several toponymic ideas have been
at odds with each other and how
their coming together or clash
has resulted in different placename
maps.
In this issue: Clash of toponymies: Phillip Island 1 From the Editor 2 Writing toponym histories 3
Signs of confusion and encouragement 5 Reports from the trenches: Brunswick 8 A musical diversion 10
From the Editor
Joshua Nash, as many of our further contributions (see page 5). Were also happy
readers will know by now, is a to report that Bland Shire has made progress in its
specialist in the placenames of tourism links with Dull in Perthshire and Boring in
island communities. On page 8 Oregon: the Shires community ambassador has now
we give details of Joshs new returned from a Scottish holiday greatly enthused
book; and our main article in about her welcome there! In the meantime, our
this issue is his report on Phillip correspondent Anne Croft has drawn our attention to
Island. Beginning on page 3, Damboring in WA. This seems to offer the potential
Arne Blling (University of Heidelberg) reports on a of an Extremely Uninteresting Tourist Trail; but
sample of Sydney suburb names, and shows that before we take it any further we will need to establish
although most of the names are taken directly from whether anyone actually lives in Damboring. (At
nearby features, when you dig into history a little, the this stage, we only know it has a railway station, an
picture is not so simple. intermittent lake and some rocks. We promise to
investigate further.)
Our report on strange road sign combinations
David Blair
(September issue) sparked some interest and some editor@anps.org.au
In my current PhD research, I have been examining Let us look at the five names of Abbotsbury, Annandale,
the history of the suburb names in Sydney, Melbourne Camperdown, Kirkham, and Lakemba. According to the
and Canberra. In a central part of the thesis, I use the first-step motivation, Abbotsbury is a feature shift since
typology of the Australian National Placename Survey1 the suburb derives its name from William Brownes
to categorise the processes involved in classifying Abbotsbury Estate, established in 1816 (Gapps 2010:
placenames; this typology is based on the motivation2 of 118). The earlier step of the names etymology reveals
the namer and applies typology tags to interpretations that Browne named his grant after Canadian-born
of a single phase of a features naming (Tent and Blair Major Edward Abbott (who arrived in NSW in 1790),
2011). from whom he had bought it in 1810 (Gapps 2010:
117). Major Abbott was present during the pioneering
After collecting documentation data on as many
days of Abbotsbury, and is the reason for assigning the
Australian placenames as possible to build a nation-
eponymous tag to that earlier stage of Abbotsburys
wide toponym database, the first objective of ANPS is to
naming history.
establish the immediate reason for naming a place and
to label it according to the typology. In many cases, the Second, the first phase of Annandale is also a feature
feature will have been named because of its relationship shift. It took its name from Annandale House, built by
to an adjacent or historically preceding feature; Major George Johnston, the colonys hero of the 1804
the Surveys history-based approach incorporates Castle Hill rebellion (McClymont 2003: 26). Johnston
documentation for those related features in its database. named his house after his Scottish birthplace of Annan,
The final product resulting from this series of analyses Dumfriesshire. Said to be the first man ashore at Port
is a narrative, or toponymic etymology, which in the Jackson5 in 1788, he soon held positions of responsibility,
ideal case enables us to trace back all etymological steps serving as Governor Phillips adjutant and Hunters aide-
relevant to the Australian part of a toponyms history. de-camp, before he received his brevet rank as major.
Linking the name to its antecedents is thus the ultimate He also quarreled with both King and Bligh, and in
aim of ANPS3, and it represents a part of my thesis I 1808 led the revolt which became known as the Rum
want to look at more closely in this article. Rebellion, culminating in Johnston deposing Governor
Bligh. His motivation for naming his Australian home
Having tested Tent and Blairs typology for the two
is revealing, since it serves as a perpetual reminder of
metropolitan areas of Melbourne and Sydney as well
the Scottish background that pertains to this person of
as for the capital city of Canberra4, I conclude that the
(military) importance. Annandale is a representative of
typology is practical for the urban Australian context.
the high number of suburb names transferred from the
We have to bear in mind that each phase of a names
settlers much-loved home places in Great Britain
etymology has one interpretation established, and
which is accounted for perfectly well by including this
one associated typology tag, i.e. a placename with
second step of Annandales etymological history, and by
a rather complex toponymic etymology can have a
applying the transfer tag.
number of different typology tags, depending on which
etymological step is considered for classification. In my Third, the naming process of Camperdown demonstrates
analysis, the phase of a names history generating its yet another two-step chain of motivations: classifying
typology tag is the one that is pivotal to implanting the the suburb name as a feature shift represents its first
continued on page 7
Placenames Australia December 2013 3
...from page 1 Clash of toponymies...
that the community believe the original names given are considered indigenous, distinct from the level of
by Norfolk Islanders are the authentic names, although English names which is regarded as less valid culturally).
there are several extant names on Phillip which predate
It is important to remember that the Pitcairners were
1856. I believe this other set of namesentirely
English namesforms as reliable and accurate a set of
toponymic descriptors as any Norf k names on Phillip. White Rock
High Red Rock
This contention questions the almost essentialist idea The Stool
that Norf k names are the only set of authentic names Cow Bay
Moo-oo Beach Niggers Hoof
lle co
Horseshoe
Missing Va
ANPWS
Va ac
y
y
le Bay
De eek
Ro
l
b
Wh Valle
Hut
Va
To
Cr
n
must always play second fiddle to Norf k names.
ep
yo
ad
Red alley
g
ite y
n n
Lo Ca
V
wo
x
Bo
od
lle
Mauve Valley
y
Although the placenames currently in regular use by Rocky Valley
Navy Bay
Lonely Bay
Service 1989: 8), the former names on Coynes Map1 Coynes Cove
Razorback
Island Draft Management Plan (Australian National Parks
! Hard Balli Stone & Wildlife Service 1989), the following submissions
White Stone Outside Dar Stool
Dar Side Fer Murrays
Red Stone Blue Nanwi Stone
concerning the spelling of Phillip Island were received:
! Dar Side !
Riggers Fer Gels
Dar Stool
West End
Halfway Round
Cow Bay
! !
!
!
!
Moo-oo Sail Rock
Bay !
Niggers Hoof
!
Niggers Hoof Reef High Side The traditional spelling of Philip Island should be
Pool Moo-oo ! Jimmy
retained. Although it was recognised that historically
!
Rabbits Home East
oBeach!
! Bills
West End ! ! -o ! ! ! ! End
rs Top
Firs oo
Third We
of
! tW tM y t !
Navy Bay
as
Ho
Sh Va Va t E ley
the spelling is incorrect it was felt that over one
Nig lley O
! !
West End ! o r al
co
Powders
E
es
g !
Sh d V!
ge
Mauve
!
nd lley
!
t En
Valley
n
! !
En
st End Va
Lo
Dar Side ! !
Va
De reek
ANPWS ! Lindsays
We
a
Fer Hut
st
Rock
yV
all
!
!
Lindsay Bay be grounds enough to retain this spelling. (Graham
!
!
ey Hibiscus
Cave !
Cotton
!
Monument !
Dykes ! !
Juvenile Point Jurds submission (#9), NINP [Norfolk Island
Terrace !
!Spin Bay
Dar Tomato / !!
Coynes Cove
Red ! Garnet
Landing
National Park file]/029)
Knoll ! ! Lonely Bay
!
! Razorback
Owens Ledge
Jacky Jacky
We would prefer the spelling of Philip to remain
!
I am not alone in the objection of changing the There seems to be some discrepancies between some
spelling of Philip Island to include another l. of the names given on page 8 - figure 2.1 [Map 2
The old spelling is a legal spelling and a spelling in in this paper] and the local names and even amongst
common usage throughout the Third Settlement the local names. I would suggest that considerable
[after the arrival of the Pitcairners]. I can not [sic] thought be given to this small matter. If interest is
see the necessity for changing the name back to taken to changing some of the names to locally
the historical spelling after more than 130 years of known ones then this would satisfy a lot of people;
accepted usage. Spelling reform or a change of name if no interest is shown then the draft [sic] plan could
is usually required where there is risk of confusion or well alienate the locals who would consider the plan
some practical reason for doing so. In fact the change as a fait-accompli and show no further interest.
will blur the distinction that exists between the more The most important reason for adopting established
continued on page 6
Some time ago a collection of stories from the groups The article notes the commemorative plaque which can
regular newsletter, Fusion, was published in CD and book be seen on the front of 356 Sydney Road (below).
form to mark its 25th anniversary. One of those stories,
by Gillian Sansom, connects the naming of Brunswick to
the sad story of George IVs wife:
The marriage was a disaster from the beginning. One Photo: Wikimedia Commons
child, Princess Charlotte Augusta, was born exactly nine
months after the wedding, but when she was three months
In the interests of historical transparency, we should
old George deserted his wife.
point out that the article ends by noting that this is only
Caroline was denied access to her child and any rights as one explanation of the naming. In fact, we are aware of
wife of the future King. In 1813, she left England and at least one other etymology: that the development was
travelled in Italy and other European countries for the named after Captain George Brunswick Smyth, who was
following seven years. When George the Third died in charge of mounted (military) police in Port Phillip in
Caroline entered London in 1820 to popular support 1839. We romantics at ANPS, of course, would much
but Caroline was denied a palace and forcibly excluded prefer to believe that Brunswick commemorates the 19th
from her husbands coronation at Westminster Abbey. centurys forerunner of Diana, Princess of Walesbut
history is seldom simple, it seems.
Caroline of Brunswick died broken-hearted in 1821, and
was buried in Brunswick, Germany
The Brunswick Community History Group can be
To make the connection between the unhappy Caroline contacted, and its publications ordered, through the
and the new land on the other side of the world, we website http://home.vicnet.au/~bwkhistg/
Address:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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