Road Naming

Road names are critical in directing emergency services and are necessary for mail delivery and road transport. These names are an important part of the Shire's historic and cultural heritage.

Road naming is a local government responsibility under the Local Government Act 1989, and should be done in accordance with the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, Version 2. Exceptions apply to roads such as state highways which may be named by VicRoads or authorities such as the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.

Local Councils assign road names that may apply over all or part of a road.

Any person or organisation may request that a place be named or renamed. A request must be made in writing to the Governance Support Officer, Mount Alexander Shire Council, PO Box 185, Castlemaine 3450.

A request need not be detailed, but it must include:
• The name and postal address of the person or organisation making the request,
• Enough information to enable the place to be clearly identified including a map, and
• The reasons for the request.

A request need not suggest a name, but if a name is suggested, information supporting the suggestion must be included. See also Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, Version 2 for selection of suitable names.
Council may initiate a naming proposal where this is considered desirable. Note that Council is obliged to act on situations that could result in delays to emergency services.

Any interested individual or organisation may make a submission in support of, or opposing a naming proposal. Submissions must be in writing (faxed or emailed submissions are accepted) and clearly show the name and postal address of the person or organisation making the submission.

Those wishing to initiate a naming proposal should refer to the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, Version 2. The principles for road naming underpin the essential requirements for re/naming a road or place.

To instigate a naming proposal, send your submission to the Governance Support Officer, Mount Alexander Shire Council, PO Box 185, Castlemaine, Vic. 3450.

A late submission can only be accepted if there is just cause for late lodgement and the report deadline has not passed. The deadline for receiving submissions will vary depending on the processing of submissions and the need to obtain or verify information. Your submission should quote the Council Reference shown on the proposal. If desired, you may make your submission on a Naming Proposal Comment Sheet, which is provided as a link, displayed below.

All submissions received by the relevant Officer before the closing date will be taken into account before Council makes a decision. If two or more submissions on the one proposal are received from the same organisation, person or property, they will be treated as one submission unless they contain conflicting viewpoints. If no submissions are received, it will be assumed there are no objections to the proposal. If a submission reveals significant new information, the proposal may be deferred to allow further research and/or readvertised to allow further comment.

All considerations in relation to road naming and boundary change are contained within the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, Version 2.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries launched the revised Guidelines in April 2013.

The updated Guidelines (Version 2) include, but are not limited to:

* updated web links
* expanded information on Principle 1(A) Language
* expanded information on Principle 1(M) Consulting with the public
* practical information on signage
* what not to do when assigning locality boundaries
* guidance for naming new estates and road types
* a number of minor amendments throughout the Guidelines.

Here is the link to the Guidelines for Geographic Names V2

A name should be relevant to the area.
A commemorative name can apply to an event, person or place; in the case of naming after a person, preference is to use surname only. Using names of people who are still alive is discouraged.
The use of traditional Indigenous Australian names is encouraged for features, localities and roads, subject to agreement from the relevant Indigenous communities.
The road type should always be a suffix eg. Patterson Avenue is preferred to Avenue Patterson.
Council is required to consult with the public on any naming proposal. This principle does not apply to new roads within subdivisions.
Any person or organisation can lodge an objection to naming or renaming during the public consultation period.

A road should not be named after a commercial enterprise or living person.
The initials of a given name are not to be used in any instances.
A name should not be derogatory or offensive on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexuality or gender.
The definite article should not be used as a prefix eg. The Avenue.
The apostrophe should not be used in names indicating the possessive case eg. Richardsons Lane. This facilitates consistent matching and retrieval of names in database systems such as those used by emergency services.

Local councils must notify the Registrar of Geographic Names of new or altered road names. This is be done by notifying the Registrar in writing of Council's endorsement of the proposal, with a map or plan on which the subject road has been depicted and can be identified.

The Local Government Act 1989 requires councils to provide such notification to the Registrar of Geographic Names [ref. Sch. 10 cl. 5(2)] to ensure incorporation into Vicmap Digital. This computer mapbase provides the core land and road data sets for emergency service organisations and other communication and dispatch services.

The Council also advises various statutory authorities of new or altered road names after the name has been officially adopted.

General information about the principles and policies of the place naming process can be obtained from the Guidelines for Geographic Names, or contact the Registrar of Geographic Names at:

Further information contact:

The Registrar of Geographic Names
Land Victoria
Department of Sustainability and Environment
Level 17, 570 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 8636 2525
Fax: +61 3 8636 2588
Email: [email protected]