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History of country town names - E


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

EASTBROOK

Latitude 34° 24' S Longitude 116° 06' E

Eastbrook is a townsite located in heavily timbered country 10km north east of Pemberton. The name was first given to Group Settlement Number 9, taken up in this area in early 1922 by a group of ex-wharfies. It was also on the State Saw Mill's private railway from Jarnadup to Pemberton, and a siding of Eastbrook was established in 1922. The townsite was gazetted in 1932. The name is probably descriptive in origin.


EATON

Latitude 33° 19' S Longitude 115° 42' E

Eaton is a suburban area located on the banks of the Collie River, 6 kilometres from Bunbury. In 1949 the island in the Collie River opposite Eaton was named Eaton Island, because its original name, Alexander Island, was duplicated. Eaton was nominated by the Bunbury Road Board in honour of Mr Foster Eaton, the late fisheries and game inspector for this area. The name was given in recognition of work he had done in the area. When urban development was commenced in the area in 1951, it was at first referred to as the Collie River Estate, but was soon changed to Eaton due to its proximity to Eaton Island.


EJANDING

Latitude 31° 01' S Longitude 117° 06' E

Ejanding is a townsite in the central wheatbelt, located about 20 km north north east of Dowerin. It was originally a siding on the Ejanding Northward railway, a line built between the town now known as Amery, and Kalannie, around 1927. Amery was originally named Ejanding in 1910, but was changed to Amery in 1928. Ejanding was gazetted as a townsite in 1930, and is Aboriginal in origin. It derives its name from "Hejanding Well", a name first recorded by the surveyor/explorer Augustus Gregory in 1846.


ELABBIN

Latitude 31° 13' S Longitude 118° 08' E

An Aboriginal name of unknown meaning, Elabbin is a townsite located in the central wheatbelt about 7 km south east of Nungarin. It was first established as a railway siding on the Dowerin-Merredin line in 1912. The growth of the farming area in the vicinity created a demand for land, and the townsite was gazetted in 1913.


ELLEKER

Latitude 35° 00' S Longitude 117° 43' E

The townsite of Elleker is situated near the south coast, about 15 km west of Albany. The W A Land Company, who built the Great Southern Railway in the period 1886-1889, planned to establish a town named Lakeside here in 1889. (named because it is close to Lake Grassmere – now Lake Powell). A comprehensive plan of development was prepared, but only a few lots were sold and there was little development. The Government purchased the railway in 1896, and redesigned the townsite. It was gazetted as Lakeside in 1899, but in 1908 was changed to Torbay Junction to prevent confusion with another Lakeside near Kalgoorlie, and because the railway station was known as Torbay Junction.

Torbay Junction is derived from there being a railway junction here, the line from Torbay meeting the Great Southern Railway. The railway from Torbay was built in 1889 to transport timber from sawmills in the Torbay area, and the railway station was known as Torbay Junction when the line opened. In 1921 the Western Australian Government Railways requested the place be renamed "Ualungup", but this name met with objections because of the similarity to Yallingup. The alternative names of Elleker and Lockyer were proposed, and the name was changed to Elleker in 1921. The name was apparently suggested by Mr J Mowforth, a member of the Albany Road Board from 1896 to 1912. Mowforth was a Yorkshireman, and he proposed the name after Ellerker in south Yorkshire. The reason for the omission of the first 'r' is not known.


EMU HILL

Latitude 32° 06' S Longitude 118° 21' E

A townsite in the eastern wheatbelt south of Narembeen, Emu Hill derives its name from a nearby hill of the same name. The hill was named by John Septimus Roe during an exploring trip through the area in 1836. Roe disturbed a family of Emu's whilst ascending the hill. The townsite was gazetted in 1918.


ENEABBA

Latitude 29° 49' S Longitude 115° 16' E

The townsite of Eneabba is located 278 km NNW of Perth and about 30 km from the west coast. The area around Eneabba was opened up for farming in the late 1950's, and the development created the need for a town. The farm development was known as the "Eneabba Project", and the name was adopted for the townsite that was gazetted in 1961.
Eneabba is the Aboriginal name of nearby springs. The meaning is said to be "small water", from ena meaning water, and abba meaning small. The spring was known as "Pocket Knife Spring"by the early settlers who told stories of the magical power of a pocket knife dropped in the spring.


ERADU

Latitude 28° 41' S Longitude 115° 02' E

Eradu is a townsite in the northern wheatbelt, 34 km west north west of Geraldton. It was gazetted a townsite in 1920, and is named after the railway station situated there. After the Narngulu-Mullewa line was opened in 1894, the station here was known as Greenough River until 1903 when it was renamed Eradu. Eradu was a railway refreshment centre with a station master from 1915 to 1921, after which it was a siding until it was closed in 1973. Eradu (originally recorded as "Earadoo") is the Aboriginal name of a pool in the nearby Greenough River.


ERIKIN

Latitude 31° 56' S Longitude 117° 53' E

A townsite in the central wheatbelt about 25 km west of Bruce Rock, Erikin derives its name from the railway siding of the same name. The siding was established in 1913 following the opening of the Quairading-Bruce Rock railway line. Demand for land resulted in a townsite being declared in 1921. Erikin is named after Eric Harvey, the son of an early settler and the first white child born in the district. Inn was added to the name as meaning "camping place" by the child's mother who proposed the name in 1913.


ESPERANCE

Latitude 33° 52' S Longitude 121° 53' E

The townsite of Esperance, located on the central south coast of the state, derives its name from the bay on which it is located. Esperance Bay was given this name by Admiral Bruny D'Entrecasteaux, commander of the French expedition which explored this coast in 1792. The name honours the ship "L'Esperance" commanded by Captain Huon de Kermadec, which anchored here on 9 December 1792. The bay provided safe anchorage while repairs were made to the "L'Esperance". The name of the other ship in D'Entrecasteaux's expedition, "L'Recherche", is preserved by the naming of the adjacent islands as the Archipelago of the Recherche.
The area of the Esperance townsite was first settled by the Dempster family in the 1870's, and in 1876 a telegraph station was opened here. The formal gazettal of the townsite did not occur until 1893.


EUCLA

Latitude 31° 43' S Longitude 128° 53' E

Eucla is the easternmost settlement in Western Australia. It is situated close to the Western Australian/South Australian border on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, and north of the Great Australian Bight. The area of Eucla was first explored by Edward John Eyre in 1841, whilst exploring from Fowler Bay in South Australia to Albany in Western Australia. Eyre did not record any name for the area. In 1867, Mr B Douglas, President of the Marine Board of South Australia reported on the discovery of a port at Eucla, but the name is reported as though already known at that time.

The survey of the Eucla (Interstate) telegraph line from Albany to Adelaide in 1873/4 identified the need for a town at Eucla. Land was set aside in 1873, although the townsite was not gazetted until 1885. The telegraph line opened in 1877, and the Eucla telegraph station was one of the most important on the line. The original settlement was abandoned through the encroachment of the sand dunes for which the area is known. Eucla is assumed to be a form of an Aboriginal name for the area, "Yinculyer", which one source gives as referring to the rising of the planet Venus. Another local Aboriginal name for the area is "Chinialla".


EUJINYN

Latitude 31° 54' S Longitude 118° 02' E

Located about 11 km west of Bruce Rock in the central agricultural area, Eujinyn was first created as a siding on the railway from Quairading to Bruce Rock. Demand for land in the area resulted in a townsite being gazetted in 1915. The name is Aboriginal, and is first recorded around 1910 as the name for a nearby well.


EULAMINNA

Latitude 28° 58' S Longitude 121° 46' E

Eulaminna is an abandoned eastern goldfields townsite about 45 km east south east of Leonora. In 1900 lots were surveyed here for a residence and business area to serve the Anaconda Copper Mine. The Anaconda is a large South American python and this name was taken from a world-famed copper mine in the U.S.A. The Western Australian mine did not progress immediately due to an initial lack of capital for large scale operations and "Anaconda" townsite was not gazetted until 1904. In May 1907 a request was received from the W.A. Copper Co. to change the name of the town because of confusion on the London market involving copper shipments from Anaconda, U.S.A. and Anaconda, W.A. The company proposed utilising the Aboriginal name of the area "Eulaminna" and the name was amended to this in 1907.


EURO

Latitude 28° 43' S Longitude 122° 23' E

Euro is another abandoned eastern goldfields townsite, located near Laverton. It is named after a nearby mine developed by North Star Gold Mines Ltd. Land was first surveyed at Euro in 1900, and the townsite was gazetted in 1902. The Euro is a species of kangaroo.


EXMOUTH

Latitude 21° 56' S Longitude 114° 07' E

Exmouth is a townsite on the north west coast, 1260 km north of Perth. It was gazetted a townsite in 1963, and was founded as a support town to the Harold E. Holt Communications Station run by the U.S. Navy.
Exmouth is situated on the western side of Exmouth Gulf from which it takes its name. The feature was named by Commander Phillip Parker King RN of HMS "Mermaid" during hydrographic surveys in the area in 1818. The name honours the Viscount Exmouth, Edward Pellew. Edward Pellew was born in Dover, England in 1757 and died in 1833. He had a very distinguished career in the navy, and was regarded as British naval hero. Pellew entered the Royal Navy at 13 years of age, was appointed Lieutenant in 1778 and received his commision as post Captain in 1780. In 1793 he received a knighthood for his heroic conduct in capturing the "Cleopatra", a French frigate. Three years later he was created a Baronet for his heroic services in saving the troops and crew of the British transport "Dutton". In 1804, he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. In 1814, having risen to the rank of Admiral of the Blue, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Exmouth of Canonteign, County Devon; and, finally, was advanced to a Viscountcy in 1816 for his gallantry in bombarding and totally destroying the fleet and arsenal of Algiers in that year.

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