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History of River Names


The following information is a summary of the origins for river names in Western Australia. Please select the first letter of the river you wish to see.
Please note: The names of all river names are being added progressively to the database.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

ABBA RIVER – the Abba River is short south west stream which is about 24km long and flows from south east to north west into the Vasse Inlet east of Busselton. The name was first recorded by Frederick Ludlow in 1834, and is an Aboriginal word which is most likely a greeting word used by south-west Aborigines. Another explorer records ‘Aba’ as a word used by the Aborigines as a term expressing ‘friend’ or an invitation to approach, and G F Moore records ‘Abba’ as ‘a word of friendly salutation with the natives about Augusta, accompanied by the act of rubbing the breast with the hand, and spitting at the same time’.


ADCOCK RIVER – the Adcock River is a 118 km long tributary of the Fitzroy River, and rises in the Phillips Range in the central Kimberley. It was named in 1898 by the explorer Frank Hann in compliment to Charles and William Adcock of whom Hann wrote “Messrs Adcock Bros of Derby were very kind to me and provided exceedingly reasonable in the important matter of a supply of rations”.


ALEXANDER RIVER – the Alexander River is a short (10 km) river flowing into the Southern Ocean at Alexander Bay, east of Esperance. It was named by surveyor (later Surveyor General and Premier) John Forrest in 1870, most likely after his brother, Alexander Forrest. Alexander Forrest was also a surveyor, and later explorer, financier, Member of Parliament and Mayor of Perth 1892-1895.


ALMA RIVER – this river is a 32 km long tributary of the Lyons River. It was named by the explorer F T Gregory in 1858, but the origin of the name is not known at present.


ANGELO RIVER – the Angelo is a major tributary (about 150 km long) of the Ashburton River, rising in hills west of the Ophthalmia Range. It was named by prospector R C S McPhee in 1887 after Colonel Fox Angelo, the Government Resident in Roebourne at the time. Colonel Angelo of the First Scots Imperial Army in India became Commandant of the WA Volunteer Forces and, later, Superintendent of Rottnest 1890-1898.


ANGOVE RIVER – the Angove River is a short (9 km long) stream which flows into Lake Angove near Two Peoples Bay east of Albany. It was named by surveyor B W Ridley in 1913 after surveyor William Henry Angove who first recorded the position of the stream in 1898.


ARMANDA RIVER – the Armanda rises in the Bob Black Hills north east of Halls Creek, and flows for about 32 km into the Panton River, a tributary of the Ord. Little is known of its origin, but it was possibly named by surveyor C W Nyulasy in 1887.


ARROWSMITH RIVER – the Arrowsmith River commences north west of Three Springs and flows westerly for about 85 km to a swampy area about 5 km east of the coast near Cliff Head. It was named by the explorer George Grey in 1839 after the distinguished English geographer and map producer, John Arrowsmith.


ARTHUR RIVER – the Arthur River commences in the Arthur River Nature Reserve about 30 km north of Wagin and flows about 140 km south westerly to its junction with the Balgarup River. These two rivers combine to form the Blackwood River. The Arthur was named by Governor James Stirling in 1835 after Mr Arthur Trimmer who was a member of the exploring expedition led by the Governor.


ASHBURTON RIVER – the Ashburton is one of the longest rivers in the State, rising south of Newman and flowing for about 690km to the Indian Ocean west of Onslow. It was named by the surveyor/explorer Francis T Gregory in 1861 after William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton (1799-1864) who held the office of President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1860 to 1864. The Ashburton had formerly been named the ‘Curlew River’ at its mouth by Commander Phillip Parker King RN of HMC ‘Mermaid’ in 1818 because pelicans and curlews were very numerous there.


AUGUSTUS RIVER – the Augustus River is a short (10.6 km long) tributary of the Brunswick River in the Darling Range north east of Brunswick Junction. It was possibly named by the surveyor Henry Ommanney in the 1840’s after Ernest Augustus (Hanover), Duke of Brunswick-Luneburgh and King of Hanover, 5th son of King George III.


AVON RIVER – the Avon River commences near Yealering and flows about 290 km NW, then northwards through the towns of Beverley, York, Northam and Toodyay, then westwards, to its confluence with Wooroloo Brook where it becomes the Swan. The total length of the Avon/Swan river system is about 365km. The river was sighted by Ensign Robert Dale of the 63rd Regiment in August 1830 during one of his preliminary explorations eastwards of the Swan River settlement. It was probably named by Governor Stirling, most likely after the Avon River in England.

AVON RIVER SOUTH – this river is the 43km long southern branch of the Avon River, rising near Pingelly and joining the Avon near Mt Kokeby.

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