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History of country town names - D


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

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

DALAROO

Latitude 30° 35' S Longitude 116° 01' E

Located just to the north of Moora, the townsite of Dalaroo derives its name from nearby Lake Dalaroo. The name is believed to be Aboriginal, of unknown meaning, and was first recorded by a surveyor in 1848. It has been shown incorrectly as "Dalara Lake" at times. The townsite was gazetted in 1914.


DALWALLINU

Latitude 30° 17' S Longitude 116° 40' E

The townsite of Dalwallinu is located 251 kilometres NNE of Perth in the northern wheatbelt. It was gazetted in 1914, although the name was in use as a railway station on the "Wongan Hills - Mullewa Line" in 1913. The meaning of this Aboriginal word is given as "a place to wait a while", although this meaning is disputed by some early residents of the district. Another source suggests the meaning is "good lands", referring to the open grass lands closer to Pithara.


DALYUP

Latitude 33° 43' S Longitude 121° 36' E

Dalyup is a townsite on the South Coast Highway east of Esperance, about 700 kilometres from Perth. It was gazetted in 1962, and derives its name from the Dalyup River on which it is located. The name is Aboriginal, and possibly is the Noongar word for the King Parrot or Hookbill, spelt Djalyup" in some word lists
The Dalyup River was discovered by the explorer J S Roe in 1848, and named by him "Gage River". The first surveys in the area were carried out in 1875, and the surveyor, H S Carey recorded the Aboriginal name of the river as Dalyup. This name has taken precedence over Roe's name


DAMPIER

Latitude 20° 40' S Longitude 116° 43' E

A town on the north west coast, west of Roebourne, Dampier was first established as a port for Hamersley Iron in the 1960's. It was also gazetted a townsite in 1972. Dampier is named after the English explorer and onetime buccaneer, William Dampier, who visited the adjacent islands in 1699 in his ship the "Roebuck". The island group through which he sailed was named "Dampier Archipelago" by Captain Louis Freycinet in 1803.
William Dampier (1651-1715) was the first Englishman to set foot on Australian soil. As a young man he took part in various adventures on both coasts of central America, and in 1683 joined a group of buccaneers bound for the Pacific. In 1686 he joined the "Cygnet" under Captain Swan, and in 1688, briefly visited Western Australia near Broome. He returned to Western Australia in 1699 for a longer visit, exploring the coast from north of Houtman Abrolhos to north of Broome. He landed on, and named, Rosemary Island in the Dampier Archipelago on this expedition.


DANDARAGAN

Latitude 30° 41' S Longitude 115° 42' E

A townsite in the Midlands west of Moora, Dandaragan is an Aboriginal word which one source gives as meaning "good kangaroo country". The name was first recorded for a nearby spring and gully by a surveyor in 1850, although the name was sometimes spelt "Dandaraga".
Although a Townsite was gazetted here in 1958, the name has been in use since James Drummond took up a property here in 1850. Dandaragan was an important place on the road north, and a police station was opened here in the 1850's, a school in 1885 and a post office in 1896.


DANGIN

Latitude 32° 02' S Longitude 117° 20' E

Dangin is a townsite 7 km south west of Quairading. It was first approved as a railway siding on the Greenhills to Quairading railway in 1907, the name being derived from Dangin Spring, a nearby Aboriginal name recorded as early as 1860. In 1863 Dangin is recorded as the name of Mr Edward Read Parker's farm, which he settled in the 1850's. It is believed the name is derived from Danjin, an Aboriginal word meaning- "place of the needle bush or hakea" (Djanja). The townsite here was gazetted in 1959.


DARDANUP

Latitude 33° 24' S Longitude 115° 45' E

Situated about 10 km south west of Bunbury, the Dardanup area was first settled by Thomas Little around 1852. Little built a homestead named "Dardanup Park", the name believed to be a variation of the Aboriginal word "Dudingup" the meaning of which is not known. Little gave land to the Catholic Church and attracted other settlers to the area, and a small community soon developed.
Land at Dardanup was privately owned and developed, but in the 1920's the government acquired and subdivided land here for closer settlement. The townsite of Dardanup was gazetted in 1923,


DARKAN

Latitude 33° 20' S Longitude 116° 45' E

Darkan is a townsite in the south west 30 km west of Arthur River. The townsite was gazetted in 1906, but the area was settled by William John Gibbs and his family in the late 1860's. One of Gibb's properties was named Darkan, but the name is believed to be a local Aboriginal name. The meaning is not known at present.


DATTENING

Latitude 32° 32' S Longitude 116° 53' E

Dattening is a townsite about 20 km west of Pingelly. The name is Aboriginal of unknown meaning and derivation. This general area was known locally as "Taylors Well" after the well sunk here by Mr Norris Taylor in the 1890's. In 1906 the Taylors Well Progress Committee requested the survey of some small blocks for business in the area and a scheme of subdivision was commenced in 1907. "Taylors Well" was rejected as a possible name for the proposed townsite because of duplication in South Australia, so the local progress association and the Mourambine Road Board suggested Dattening, "the native name of a spring in the neighbourhood of the well". Dattening townsite was gazetted in 1908 In 1925 and again in 1929 local agitation to change the name to "Taylors Well" was unsuccessful.


DAVYHURST

Latitude 30° 03' S Longitude 120° 39' E

A goldfields townsite south west of Menzies, Davyhurst was gazetted in 1901. When it was proposed to declare a townsite here in 1900 the place was referred to as "Davyston", better known as "Mace's Find". Warden Owen of Menzies then advised the Department the place was known as "Davyhurst", and this was the name used when the townsite was gazetted. It is believed to be named after a miner


DAY DAWN

Latitude 27° 28 S Longitude 117° 52 E

A townsite in the Murchison Goldfields, just 6.6 km from Cue, Day Dawn was originally gazetted as "Bundawadra" in 1894, but was changed to Day Dawn within three months. Gold was discovered here by Ted Hefferman in 1892, and he named his discovery "Day Dawn", after the time of day that he pegged his claim. The area developed rapidly from 1898 when the famous "Great Fingall" mine was established, and the town of Day Dawn boomed. Flooding and other problems closed the mine around World war II, and Day Dawn soon faded away.


DENHAM

Latitude 25° 56' S Longitude 113° 32' E

Denham is a townsite located in Shark Bay 831 km NNE of Perth. The townsite was gazetted in 1898, and at that time was locally known as "Freshwater Camp". The government surveyor who surveyed the townsite, C M Denny, chose the name Denham for the townsite, deriving the name from the adjacent Denham Sound. The Sound in turn is named after Captain Henry Mangles Denham, a Royal Navy Hydrographer who surveyed a portion of Shark Bay in the HMS Herald in 1858.
The site chosen for this townsite was the only location in Shark Bay providing a good supply of fresh water. The local population at that time was principally engaged in pearling, and many opposed declaring a townsite, because of the process used to obtain the pearls and pearl shell. The pearlers used "shell pits" and "pogey tubs" in which they deposited the dead pearl shell fish, allowing it to come to a state of putrescence before boiling down. This enabled them to collect the pearls that were not visible when the pearl shells were opened on the beach. They believed the smell of their industry would force them to move away from the townsite where health laws would now apply.


DENMARK

Latitude 34° 58' S Longitude 117° 21' E

The townsite of Denmark, located on the south coast 51 km west of Albany, was gazetted a townsite in 1909. It is located on the Denmark River from which it derives its name, the river having been named by the explorer Dr J B Wilson RN in December 1829. Wilson named it the "Denmark" in compliment to his friend Dr. Alexander Denmark R.N. a physician to the fleet. The Aboriginal name "Koorrabup", recorded by Alfred Hillman in 1833, also refers to this area.
Although a townsite was not declared here until 1909, a settlement of this name had existed here for some years previous. A Millars Bros. Timber mill was established on the banks of the river in 1894.


DERBY

Latitude 17° 18' S Longitude 123° 38' E

The townsite of Derby, located on King Sound north of the mouth of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley district was gazetted in 1883. It is named after Edward Henry Stanley, Lord Derby (1826-1893), Secretary of State for Colonies 1882-1885. The town was established to service the growing Kimberley cattle industry, and grew rapidly following the discovery of gold in the Kimberley in 1885.


DESMOND

Latitude 33° 38' S Longitude 120° 09' E

The townsite of Desmond is located near the south coast between Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun. It was created first as a siding on the railway to Hopetoun, and named "Eldverton" after a nearby mine, in turn named after the prospector that discovered it. Eldverton was gazetted a townsite in 1909.
In 1910 another railway siding was opened at the mine, and named Eldverton, and it was necessary to rename the other siding. The name was changed to Desmond, and the townsite name was changed at the same time. It is named after nearby Mount Desmond. Mount Desmond was named by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in December 1848 whilst exploring the south coast area.


DINNINUP

Latitude 33° 49' S Longitude 116° 32' E

The townsite of Dinninup, located in the south west 17 km east of Boyup Brook, derives its name from Dinninup Brook. It is an Aboriginal name of unknown meaning, and was first recorded by a surveyor in 1877. Early settlers in the area, noting that the government was planning to extend the railway from Boyup Brook to Kojonup in 1908, asked for land to be set aside for a townsite. The railway was in place by 1910and a station named Dinninup established , but the townsite was not gazetted until 1915.


DONGARA

Latitude 29° 15' S Longitude 114° 56' E

Dongara is a townsite near the mouth of the Irwin River, 351 km NNW of Perth. The area was first settled in the early 1850's, and government buildings were erected in the townsite area in the late 1860's and early 1870's. There is no actual gazettal date for the townsite, but townsite lots were surveyed in 1873, and government land sales were held here in 1877 and in the 1880's. For some time an alternative spelling of "Dongarra" was used, but Dongara was adopted as the official spelling in 1944. The name is the anglicised version of "Thungarra", an Aboriginal name referring to the mouth of the Irwin River. It is said to mean "place of the fur seal".


DONNYBROOK

Latitude 33° 35' S Longitude 115° 49' E

The townsite of Donnybrook, located 210 km south of Perth in a predominantly fruitgrowing area, was gazetted in 1894. The area was first settled around 1842 when George Nash and others took up land here and named the place "Donnybrook" after the suburb of Dublin, Ireland from where they came. The eastern portion of this townsite was formerly known as Minninup.


DOODLAKINE

Latitude 31° 37' S Longitude 117° 53' E

The townsite of Doodlakine is located 218 km ENE of Perth, in the eastern wheatbelt area. An area of agricultural land was set aside as the Doodlakine Agricultural Area in 1894, and land on the road to the Yilgarn goldfield was gazetted as the Doodlakine townsite the same year. However, the railway to the goldfields was built and opened soon after, and passed 3km south of the townsite. The government decided to subdivide land at the railway, and in 1899 a second part of the Doodlakine townsite was gazetted. The portion on the railway is today the main part of Doodlakine.
Doodlakine is an Aboriginal name for some granite rocks about 5km NNW of the townsite. It was first recorded by explorers in 1864, and the spelling of it has been variously recorded as Dodolakine, Dudulukine, Dodlakine, Doodlekine and Doodlakin.


DOWAK

Latitude 32° 53' S Longitude 121° 36' E

Situated about 119km NNW of Esperance, Dowak was approved as the name of a siding on the railway from Norseman to Salmon Gums in 1926. A townsite was subsequently gazetted here two years later, in 1928. Dowak is a Noongar word for the waddy or throwing stick.


DOWERIN

Latitude 31° 12' S Longitude 117° 02' E

The townsite of Dowerin, like many such towns in the central wheatbelt, owes its location to the railway. In 1906 the government extended the railway from Goomalling to the developing Dowerin Agricultural Area and decided to survey a townsite at the terminus. The Aboriginal name of the site chosen was "Wuguni", but "Dowerin", also an Aboriginal name, was already in local use for the place, and was the name gazetted in 1907. The name is derived from nearby Lake Dowerin, first recorded on maps around 1879. One source suggests Dowerin is the Aboriginal word for the twenty eight parrot (Dow-arn), and another suggests it means "place of the throwing stick"(dower).


DUDININ

Latitude 32° 52' S Longitude 117° 54' E

Dudinin is a townsite in the Great Southern area, 268 km from Perth. It was gazetted a townsite in 1915, taking its name from the railway siding established earlier at this place. The name is of Aboriginal origin, but the meaning is not known at present.


DUGGAN

Latitude 33° 09' S Longitude 118° 09' E

Duggan is a townsite east south east of Perth, between Kukerin and Lake Grace, about 320 km from Perth. It was gazetted in 1916, and took its name from the railway siding which was established here earlier the same year.


DUKIN

Latitude 30° 56' S Longitude 117° 26' E

Dukin, a townsite in the eastern wheatbelt region north of Wyalkatchem, was gazetted a townsite in 1921. It is named after the railway siding there which is first mentioned in 1917. The siding name was probably a contraction of the Aboriginal name of a nearby water supply, Dukin Warrin Soak. This feature was also sometimes spelt Duckin Warrin Soak.


DUMBLEYUNG

Latitude 33° 19' S Longitude 117° 44' E

The townsite of Dumbleyung, located in the Great Southern Region 39 km east of Wagin, was gazetted in 1907. The name is derived from nearby Dumbleyung Lake, the current spelling of which was recorded by surveyors in the 1860's and 70's. The lake appears to have been shown on a map in 1839 with the name "Kondening Lake", but in 1843 the explorers Landor and Lefroy discovered the lake and recorded the name as "Dambeling Lake". One publication on meanings of Aboriginal names records the name as meaning "a place where a game called dumbung was played", although another source says dambeling means "large lake or inland sea".


DUNDAS

Latitude 32° 23' S Longitude 121° 46' E

Dundas is a goldfields townsite about 21 km south of Norseman. It was gazetted in 1895, and derives its name from its situation at the southern end of the Dundas Hills. The hills were named by Surveyor General J S Roe in 1848 after Captain Dundas of the Royal Navy ship H M S Tagus. The Aboriginal name for the area is which the townsite is situated is known as "Nucaniu" or "Neucaniu".


DUNNSVILLE

Latitude 30° 38' S Longitude 120° 52' E

An abandoned goldfields townsite north east of Kalgoorlie, Dunnsville was declared a townsite in 1897. It is named after John Dunne, a prospector who discovered gold in this vicinity in August 1894. Dunne's lease later became the Wealth of Nations Mine.


DUNSBOROUGH

Latitude 33° 36' S Longitude 115° 06' E

The townsite of Dunsborough is located on the coast, 12kms south-east of Cape Naturaliste and approximately 19kms NW of Busselton. It was gazetted as a Townsite in 1879, but land for a townsite was set aside here in the late 1830's, and there is a recorded whale fishery at "Dunsbro" in 1850.
Dunsborough is located adjacent to Dunn Bay from which it derives its name. The bay is believed to have been named by Governor James Stirling , March 1830, whilst on the "Eagle" carrying out a survey of Geographe Bay. It is named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn, under whom Stirling served on the "Hibernia"120 and the "Armide"38 in 1810-1811 (Stirling named a number of features in Western Australia after naval officers under whom he served or was associated with) When Dunsborough first appeared on a map in 1839 it was spelt "Dunnsbro" but the extra n appears to have disappeared by 1850, and the spelling of "bro" was amended to "borough"when the name was gazetted in 1879.


DURANILLIN

Latitude 33° 31' S Longitude 116° 48' E

Duranillin is a townsite in the south west, located on the railway between Collie and Wagin. The townsite, gazetted in 1918, is named after the railway siding located here. The siding is in turn named after the nearby Duranilling Pool. This Aboriginal name was first recorded by a surveyor in 1877, but the meaning of it is not known.


DWARDA

Latitude 32° 46' S Longitude 116° 41' E

Dwarda is a townsite in the south west 11km south of Wandering. The survey of a townsite in this vicinity was first requested by the Wandering Roads Board in 1912, the place being the proposed terminus of an extension to the Hotham Valley Railway. The name "Dampier" was suggested for the siding , and was used for a few months, but was replaced by "Dwarda" in 1913. The name is a contraction of the name of a nearby gully, "Dwardardine Ck". Taking its name from the siding, Dwarda townsite was gazeted in 1914. Dwarda is an Aboriginal word meaning Dingo.


DWELLINGUP

Latitude 32° 43' S Longitude 116° 04' E

Dwellingup is located in a timber and fruitgrowing area in the Darling Range ESE of Pinjarra. Townsite lots were surveyed at this place by Surveyor W.F. Rudall in 1909 after the Lands Department became aware that the site was planned as the terminus of the "Pinjarra-Marrinup Railway". Names suggested for the place by Rudall were "Dwellingerup" or "Marrinup", after nearby brooks, or "McLarty" after a local MLA who had been very active concerning the railway. Surveyor General H.F. Johnston chose "Dwellingupp" after being misinformed regarding the spelling of Dwellingerup Brook. Ignoring a suggestion from the Under Secretary to amend the name to "Dwellingdown", the Minister for Lands approved the name as "Dwellingup" in December 1909. Eventually, the spelling "Dwellingupp" was chosen by order of the Under Secretary for Lands, and the townsite was gazetted as Dwellingupp in February 1910. The spelling was amended to Dwellingup in 1915. Dwellingup is an Aboriginal name said to mean "place of nearby water". The town was burnt out by a bushfire in 1961 but was rebuilt.

The double p spelling in the original gazettal of this name was used because the Lands and Surveys Department had adopted a system for spelling Aboriginal names developed by the Royal Geographical Society. A number of Aboriginal names ending in "up" were for a time spelt with the "upp" ending (including Kirupp, Kulikupp, Manjimupp and Mungalupp). The RGS system had a rule that vowels are pronounced as in Italian and consonants as in English. This would have meant that names ending in "up" should have been pronounced as "oop", because the Italian "u" was a long "u", as in flute. These Aboriginal names were meant to be pronounced as "up", and the Department asked the RGS for a rule to assist in correct pronunciation. The RGS solution was that doubling the following consonant shortened the preceding vowel, and this meant the "upp" ending ensured the "up" pronunciation. However, this particular rule was rescinded in 1915 for SW towns with the suffix "up", as the Australian way of pronouncing the letter "u" was almost always short, and rarely the Italian "oo".

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Western Australian Land Information Authority