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History of country town names - F


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

FEYSVILLE

Latitude 30° 57' S Longitude 121° 36' E

Feysville is an abandoned eastern goldfields townsite, about 25 km south east of Kalgoorlie. The Feysville mine was established here around 1896, and in 1897 the local Progress Committee sought the declaration of a townsite. The townsite was gazetted in 1898, and is said to honour Henry Fey who prospected here in 1895.


FINUCANE

Latitude 20° 18' S Longitude 118° 34' E

Finucane is located on the west side of the entrance to Port Hedland harbour, separated from the town by West Creek. It was gazetted a townsite in 1972, and is named after the island on which it is located. Finucane Island is believed to be named after Paterson Finucane who arrived in 1884 from London and went to Cossack the same year. He was acting first class police constable at Roebourne in 1886, a teamster at Millstream 1887-88 and is listed in 1895 as the Bailiff at Marble Bar. He was later at Port Hedland.


FITZGERALD

Latitude 33° 45' S Longitude 119° 27' E

Located in the Great Southern agricultural area between Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe, the townsite of Fitzgerald was gazetted in 1967. It was created to service the surrounding agricultural area which was opened up for farming from the late 1950's. Other names considered for the town were Dwertup, Coompertup, Woogenup & Hamerlsey The name Fitzgerald is taken from the nearby river and surrounding Land District. The river was named in 1848 by the Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, whilst undertaking an exploration of the area. He named it in honour of the then Governor of Western Australia, Charles Fitzgerald. The naming of the streets within the town was made a competition in the local school and was won by Peter Rae in September 1968.


FITZROY CROSSING

Latitude 18° 11' S Longitude 125° 35' E

The townsite of Fitzroy Crossing located in the southern Kimberley district 2256 km north north west of Perth, was gazetted a townsite in 1975. The town however was settled around the turn of the century, being first shown on maps in 1903. The name is descriptive, as it is located at a crossing on the Fitzroy River.
The Fitzroy River, was discovered and named by Captain John Lort Stokes of the "Beagle" in 1838. He named it after Capt. Robert FitzRoy, who was captain of the "Beagle" from 1831 to 1836 during its voyage around the world. Stokes was mate and assistant surveyor on the "Beagle" under FitzRoy, with Charles Darwin the naturalist. In naming the FitzRoy River Stokes stated in his journal "I determined, with Captain Wickham's permission, to call this river after his name, thus perpetuating by the most durable of monuments, the services and the career of one, in whom, with rare and enviable prodigality, are mingled the daring of the seaman, the accomplishments of the student, and the graces of the Christian – of whose calm fortitude in the hour of impending danger, or whose habitual carefulness for the interests of all under his command, if I forbear to speak, I am silent because, while I recognise their existence, and perceive how much they exalt the character they adorn, I feel, too, that they have elevated it above, either the need, or the reach of any eulogy within my power to offer". This river, with its tributary the Hann, is the longest system in the Kimberley at 733 km. It was first traversed by Alexander Forrest in 1879. The Fitzroy rises in the King Leopold Range and empties into King Sound south of Derby.


FRANKLAND

Latitude 34° 22' S Longitude 117° 05' E

Frankland is a townsite in the Great Southern region about 45 km west of Cranbrook. Land for the townsite was set aside in 1909, but the only developments in the area for some years were a hall and school. The declaration of the townsite took place in 1947. Frankland townsite derives its name from its location just to the east of the Frankland River. The river in turn derives its name from Mount Frankland, which was named in 1829 by Dr J B Wilson RN, after the Surveyor General of Tasmania, George Frankland.
On his exploration trip in December 1829 to the north and west of Albany, Wilson named and climbed Mt.Lindesay. From the top of this hill Wilson noted how conspicuous the hills in the region were and stated that they would be grand points in a trigonometrical survey of the country, and named them after the Surveyors General in Australia. i.e Roe - W.A.; Mitchell - N.S.W; Frankland – Tasmania.


FURNISSDALE

Latitude 32° 34' S Longitude 115° 46' E

The townsite of Furnissdale is located about 5 km south east of Mandurah. It was gazetted in 1970, and is named after William John Furniss who purchased land in the area in 1929-30. Furniss's land was subdivided in the 1940's, and the area has been locally known as Furnissdale since that time.

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