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History of country town names - G

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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

GABANINTHA

Latitude 26° 55' S Longitude 118° 39' E

A townsite 40 km south east of Meekatharra in the Murchison goldfields, Gabanintha derives its name from the mine located here. Mining leases were taken out here in 1895, and 1895-1910 were the peak years for the Gabanintha Mine. In 1897 the Gabanintha miners petitioned the government to survey a townsite at their place. An area was set aside and the townsite was gazetted in 1898. Lots were surveyed in 1905, and mining continued here until 1944 The townsite is now abandoned. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown meaning.


GABBIN

Latitude 30° 48' S Longitude 117° 41' E

Gabbin is a townsite in the eastern agricultural area about 17 km west of Bencubbin. When the railway line from Wyalkatchem to Mount Marshall was proposed to be constructed through this area in 1913 the need for a station at this place was identified. Gabbin was approved as the name by the Minister for Lands in 1914, and it was derived from "Gabbabin" a place located about 10 km south east of the townsite which was first shown on maps in 1909. The townsite, gazetted in 1918, was named after the railway station. The name is of Aboriginal origin, and probably relates to water, as many similar Nyoongar words refer to water.


GAIRDNER

Latitude 34° 13' S Longitude 118° 56' E

The town of Gairdner, located 31 km south of Jerramungup in the Great Southern Region, derives its name from the nearby Gairdner River. The river, which flows into the Southern Ocean at Doubtful Island Bay, was named by John Septimus Roe in 1848 after Gordon Gairdner of the Colonial Office, London. This area was new land settlement in the 1970s, and as the area developed the Gairdner River Progress Association sought clarification of the name of the place. The Minister for Lands approved it to be Gairdner in 1978.


GALENA

Latitude 27° 50' S Longitude 114° 41' E

The townsite of Galena is located 536 km north north west of Perth, on the banks of the Murchison River close to where the North West Coastal Highway crosses the river. It was originally gazetted as Geraldine in 1920, deriving its name from the "Geraldine" lead mine discovered here by Augustus Gregory in 1848. The lead mine was in turn named after Charles FitzGerald, Governor of Western Australia 1848-1855.

The need for a townsite at this place developed in 1920, when it was proposed to develop a new lead mine named "Surprise Mine". It was thought there would be over 500 men working the mine, so a townsite named Geraldine was gazetted in July 1920. No sooner was the townsite named than the Post Office complained the name was too similar to Geraldton, and requested the name be changed. Locally the name Geraldine was never used at all, the name Galena being given to the Post Office from when the town was developed. The townsite was therefore renamed Galena in 1921, the name being the Latin word for lead. Within a year of the town being renamed the world market for lead was very flat, and very little development took place at Galena. There was an attempted revival of the area in the mid 1950s, but the area is now disused.


GARRATT

Latitude 31° 16' S Longitude 119° 15' E

A railway siding initially named "Doongin", the Aboriginal name of a hill near Tammin, was established at this place in 1924. Land at the siding was set aside for a future townsite to be known as "Doongin", but within 12 months the Commissioner for Railways had requested a name change due to the similarities between "Doongin" and Dangin, a siding in the South-West. Because of this, the siding name was changed to Garratt, which was understood to be "the name of a gentleman who first took up land in the vicinity". The townsite was gazetted in 1931.


GASCOYNE JUNCTION

Latitude 25° 03' S Longitude 115° 12' E

Gascoyne Junction is a townsite in the Gascoyne region, 178 km east of Carnarvon. It is located at the junction of the Gascoyne and Lyons River's, hence the name. The Gascoyne River was named by the explorer George Grey in 1839 after his friend, Captain Gascoyne. Settlers in this area first expressed the desire for a townsite here in 1897, there already being a police station there at that time. The government was slow to declare a townsite, and by 1909 a general store and other buildings had been erected here on private land. When the townsite was gazetted in 1912, it was named Killili, a local Aboriginal word for the bullrush. It was nominated by the local policeman following a request from the Surveyor General for a "euphonious native name".

Little development took place in the townsite, the only building being the Road Board office. In 1938 the Gascoyne Road Board wrote to the Lands Department complaining about the name. Apparently the small settlement there had never been locally known as Killili, and the Post Office, Police Station and Hotel all used Gascoyne Junction as their address, and locally the place was also known as "The Junction". The Roads Board asked the Department to "expunge" the name of Killili and rename it Gascoyne Junction. The change of name was gazetted in 1939.


GERALDTON

Latitude 28° 47' S Longitude 114° 37' E

The largest city in Western Australia north of Perth, Geraldton is located on the coast 424 km north north west of Perth. The city is located on Champion Bay, discovered by Commander D Dring in the colonial schooner "Champion" in January 1840. The bay was named by the Royal Navy hydrographic surveyor, J L Stokes, who surveyed it later in 1840.

The Geraldton area was first explored by George Grey in 1839. In 1848 copper and lead were discovered on the Murchison River, and later that same year the Governor, Charles Fitzgerald, inspected the mineral deposits himself. On this trip he was speared in the leg by local Aborigines. The first exports of ore from the Murchison mines was made from Champion Bay in 1849, and soon after in 1850 surveyor Augustus Gregory was instructed to survey a townsite at this place.
By March 1850 Gregory had surveyed 40 half acre allotments , and on June 3 1851 the townsite of Geraldton was declared. The name was most probably given by Surveyor General J.S. Roe, and honours the colony's Governor at that time, Captain Charles Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was born in Ireland in 1791, and joined the Royal Navy in 1809. He rose to the rank of Captain in 1840 , and was Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855.


GIBSON

Latitude 33° 39' S Longitude 121° 49' E

The townsite of Gibson is located 26 km north of Esperance on the road between Esperance and Norseman. When it was proposed to construct a railway from Norseman to Esperance around 1910, the decision was made to create a townsite at "Gibson Soak". The railway was not built until the mid 1920s, the Esperance – Salmon Gums section opening in 1925. The townsite was gazetted in 1921. Gibson Soak was a reliable permanent water source first recorded by surveyor A.W.Canning in 1896, and named after "Billy Gibson" who came across the soak while searching for stock.


GINDALBIE

Latitude 30° 20' S Longitude 121° 45' E

Gindalbie is an abandoned goldfields townsite located about 55 km north east of Kalgoorlie. In 1898 when it was proposed to establish a town here the name nominated was "Vosperton" This name was to honour a well-known goldfields identity, newspaperman F.C.B. Vosper, editor of the "Coolgardie Miner", and who was elected the MLA for North-East Coolgardie in May 1897. The boundaries and area for the proposed townsite were amended in 1900, and the name changed to Gindalbie, a local Aboriginal name. The townsite was gazetted in 1903


GINGIN

Latitude 31° 21' S Longitude 115° 55' E

Gingin, a townsite 84 km north of Perth is the centre of a rich agricultural district, well suited to raising beef cattle and oranges, and has abundant fresh water. It was gazetted a townsite in 1871, but before this, in 1869, another townsite named Granville was gazetted about 3 5 km to the westward. Granville was never developed.

The Gingin area was first explored by George Fletcher Moore in 1836, and Moore showed the Aboriginal name "Jinjin"on his exploration plan. Later when a property was surveyed here for W L Brockman in 1843 the name was shown as "Gingin Station". The major stream in the area was also recorded as Gingin Brook in 1848. Gingin is an Aboriginal name, the meaning of which is uncertain, but sometimes stated to mean "footprint". Another study states that the word Gingin means the "place of many streams".


GLADSTONE

Latitude 25° 58' S Longitude 114° 15' E

The townsite of Gladstone is located on the eastern shore of Shark Bay, about 750 km north of Geraldton. It was gazetted a townsite in 1891, and is most probably named after W.E.Gladstone, Prime Minister of Britain, 1868-74, 1880-85,1886, and 1892-94. Little development has ever taken place at Gladstone.


GLEDHOW

Latitude 35° 01' S Longitude 117° 50' E

The townsite of Gledhow, located 5 km west of Albany, was originally declared as a private townsite by the W.A. Land Company Ltd. in 1891. The company built the railway from Beverley to Albany, and received land grants in return. In 1896 the WA government brought the railway and land from the company, and Gledhow was then gazetted as a government townsite in 1898. It is probable that the townsite is named after Gledhow in Yorkshire in England.


GNOWANGERUP

Latitude 33° 56' S Longitude 118° 00' E

A townsite in the Great Southern agricultural region, Gnowangerup is situated by road 61 km south east of Katanning. Growth in the area in 1904 resulted in local settlers seeking the declaration of a townsite, and land was set aside for that purpose in 1905. The name of the townsite is Aboriginal, being derived from nearby Gnowangerup Creek and Spring, both names being first recorded in 1878. The name means "place where the mallee hen (Gnow) nests".

When the townsite was first gazetted in 1908 it was spelt "Ngowangerupp", this spelling being determined by the Lands and Surveys Department use of the Royal Geographical Society's "System of Orthography" for spelling native names. Local dissatisfaction with this spelling led to it being altered to Gnowangerup in 1913.


GOLDEN RIDGE

Latitude 30° 51' S Longitude 121° 39' E

Golden Ridge is an abandoned goldfields townsite located about 20km south east of Kalgoorlie. It was originally a Business Area under the Mining Act known as "Waterfall", and when more residential land was requested by the Waterfall Progress Committee in early 1910 the government decided to declare a townsite. The townsite of Waterfall was gazetted in December 1910, but the Commonwealth Government soon objected to the name because it was duplicated in New South Wales. The Waterfall Progress Committee suggested the name "Golden Ridge" as an alternative, this being the name of the local mine at the time, and the town often being referred to as "The Ridge". The name was changed to Golden Ridge by Gazettal in March 1911. About 1913-14 the Commonwealth Railways established a railway station at Golden Ridge on the Trans Australian Railway.


GOLDSWORTHY

Latitude 20° 21' S Longitude 119° 31' E

The townsite of Goldsworthy is located about 100 km east of Port Hedland in the Pilbara district. It was created in the late 1960s to service the iron ore mine at Mount Goldsworthy, after which it is named. The mountain was named by surveyor Alexander Forrest in 1879, after Roger Tuckfield Goldsworthy, the Colonial Secretary at the time. Most of the mountain was mined for iron ore, but the mine is now closed, and the town has been dismantled and removed.


GOOMALLING

Latitude 31° 18' S Longitude 116° 50' E

Goomalling is a townsite in the central agricultural region 45 km north north east of Northam. The name Goomalling was first shown for a spring found by explorers Hillman & Lefroy in 1846. Hillman noted on his plan "rich grassy country" and squatters subsequently moved into the area. George Slater was the first in the Goomalling area, establishing a property around Goomalling Spring in the early 1850s.
When the Northam – Goomalling railway line was opened in 1902 the government decided to establish a townsite at Goomalling. It was gazetted in 1903. Goomalling is an Aboriginal word which means "the place of the silver-grey possum". Goomal is the Nyoongar word for this possum.


GOONGARRIE

Latitude 30° 03' S Longitude 121° 09' E

Goongarrie is an abandoned eastern goldfields townsite, located about 85 km north north west of Kalgoorlie. When it was proposed to establish a townsite here in 1894 the area was known as the 90 Mile Camp on account of its estimated distance from Coolgardie. Being located near Lake Goongarrie, the name Goongarrie was chosen for the townsite when it was gazetted in 1895. The meaning of this Aboriginal word is not known.


GORDON

Latitude 30° 27' S Longitude 121° 35' E

Gordon is an abandoned eastern goldfields townsite about 35 km north north east of Kalgoorlie. Development of gold mines in the area in 1896 created a need for a townsite. The townsite was gazetted in 1897. It is not known who the name commemorates, but it is most likely a local miner.


GRACETOWN

Latitude 33° 52' S Longitude 114° 59' E

The south western townsite of Gracetown is located on the coast at Cowaramup Bay, about 12.5 km northwest of Margaret River. The area was first proposed for development as a caravan park and camping place in 1957, but the government decided it should be developed as a townsite. Planning of the townsite took some time, and the lots at "Cowaramup Bay" were not surveyed until 1961. The sale of land and gazettal of the townsite took place in 1963.

The name of Gracetown was a decision of Stewart Bovell, the Minister for Lands in 1962. It is named in commemoration of Grace Bussell for her bravery in saving passengers from the wrecked steamship "The Georgette" in 1876. The vessel had sprung a leak and was wrecked off the coast near her residence "Wallcliffe". When the condition of the vessel was discovered some of the passengers were placed in lifeboats and safely reached shore. The bulk of the passengers however, were still on board. Seeing the plight of the remaining passengers the 16 year old Grace Bussell and stockman Sam Isaacs rode their horses into the surf and out to the stricken vessel. By allowing the passengers to cling on to their clothes and to their horses manes and tails they managed to transfer them safely to shore. About 50 of the passengers were cared for at "Wallcliffe". Grace Bussell received the silver medal for bravery from the Royal Humane Society to mark her exploit, and Sam Isaacs the bronze medallion.


GRASS PATCH

Latitude 33° 14' S Longitude 121° 43' E

Grass Patch townsite is located on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, 79 km north of Esperance. A townsite here was proposed in 1910, when the government was planning to build a railway from Esperance to Norseman, and land in the area was being opened up. "The Esperance Land and Railway League" particularly pushed for the townsite to be developed, but it was 15 years before the railway was built. The area was well known as "Grass Patch", a nearby farm of this name having been settled around 1896, and renowned for bountiful crops and good grass. However, when the townsite was gazetted in 1923, the local settlers sought a more suitable name, and nominated three names, "Warden" being the one selected as most suitable. Objections were soon received to this name, and later the same year it was changed to Grass Patch.


GRASS VALLEY

Latitude 31° 38' S Longitude 116° 48' E

The townsite of Grass Valley is located in the Avon Valley area, 14 km east of Northam. The name of Grass Valley is derived from an original property name, "Grass Valley" being the name given by William Nairn to the property he was assigned in 1833. The railway line from Northam to Southern was constructed through here in 1893-4, and this section opened for traffic in January 1895. Grass Valley was one of the original stations when the line opened, and the government subdivided land in the area. Land for a townsite was set aside in 1898, and the townsite gazetted later that year.


GREEN HEAD

Latitude 30° 04' S Longitude 114° 58' E

The coastal townsite of Green Head is located 288 km north north west of Perth. It is named after the nearby headland of the same name, the name being descriptive and first used by the Admiralty hydrographic surveyor, W E Archdeacon in 1875. Land was set aside here for a camping reserve in 1946, and the popularity of the place in the early 1950s resulted in a demand for building blocks. Lots were surveyed in the proposed townsite in 1959, and the townsite gazetted in 1966.


GREENBUSHES

Latitude 33° 51' S Longitude 116° 03' E

The townsite of Greenbushes, located in the south west between Balingup and Bridgetown, 251 km from Perth, was gazetted in 1889. Tin had been discovered near here by Stinton in 1888, and the place referred to as Greenbushes apparently because of particularly green bushes which stood out from the grey of the local Eucalypts. A townsite of Greenbushes was gazetted in 1889 was located about three kilometres South of the present townsite, but was abandoned and cancelled in 1893, because the land in the area was mineralised. The railway from Donnybrook to Bridgetown was opened in 1898, and a station of Greenbushes established about six kilometres north of the original townsite. The Surveyor General decided to create a townsite at the railway station, and following the survey of lots, a new Greenbushes townsite was gazetted in May 1899. However, the location of this townsite was around three kilometres North of the main road through the tinfields, where a number of businesses and residences were established, including some government buildings. This area was also known as Greenbushes, and was the cause of some confusion. In October 1899 Greenbushes was renamed North Greenbushes, and later that month a new townsite of Greenbushes gazetted for the business and residence area on the main road.


GREENOUGH

Latitude 28° 55' S Longitude 114° 42' E

The locality of Greenough is located 24 km south east of Geraldton in the northern agricultural region. It derives its name from the Greenough River, the river being named by Captain George Grey in 1839 after George Bellas Greenough, President of Royal Geographical Society. Grey noted that the flats around the Greenough River were very fertile, and in the early 1850s pastoralists moved into the area. In 1857 the area was subdivided into small farms, and the place soon became renowned for its abundant crops. The 1860s were the boom years for Greenough.


GREGORY

Latitude 28° 11' S Longitude 114° 15' E

The townsite of Gregory is located on the coast between Geraldton and Kalbarri. It was gazetted as Pakington townsite in 1853, in honour of the Secretary of State, Sir John Pakington, who was Minister for the Colonies in Great Britain's Derby Ministry of 1852-53. For many years this coastal village was known locally as "Port Gregory", the name of the adjacent harbour which had been named in 1849 after the Gregory brothers, Augustus and Frank. The name of the townsite was changed to Gregory in 1967. Port Gregory was used in the 1850s as the port to ship lead from the Murchison mines.


GREY

Latitude 30° 40' S Longitude 115° 08' E

The townsite of Grey, located on the coast about 160 km north of Perth, is named after Captain (later Sir) George Grey of the 83rd Regiment. Grey explored the country between Sharks Bay and Perth in 1839, passing through the area of this townsite. The local name of the place before the gazettal in 1968 was Green Islets.


GUDARRA

Latitude 30° 29 S Longitude 121° 21 E

Gudarra is an abandoned goldfields townsite, located about 30 km north north west of Kalgoorlie. Gold was discovered here in 1892, the place first being known as the "Sore Foot Rush", a reference to the tired limping diggers who first arrived when the rush began. This was soon changed to Paddington, the reason for this choice of name being unknown. It was gazetted as the townsite of Paddington in 1897.
In 1911 Commonwealth authorities attempted to eliminate all duplicated town names in Australia, and Paddington was one of those suggested for renaming. The Secretary for Mines suggested renaming it to Goodarra, and this was amended to Gudarra by the Surveyor General. Gazettal of the new name occurred in 1912. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown meaning and source.


GUILDERTON

Latitude 31° 21' S Longitude 115° 30' E

The townsite of Guilderton is located on the coast at the mouth of the Moore River, 94 north of Perth. It was gazetted a townsite in 1951, but has been used as a camping and holiday place since around 1905 when residents of Gingin petitioned the Lands Department for the creation of a road to the place and a camping reserve. A reserve for a picnic ground was declared in 1907, and the area soon became popular for camping and picnicking In the 1940s public demand for permanent camping sites led to the government deciding to declare a townsite, and seeking a name for the area, which up until then had been locally referred to as "Moore River".
A number of names were considered, the preferred name of "Guilderton" being suggested by Mrs Henrietta Drake-Brockman. The name links the town with the wreck of the Dutch ship "Gilt Dragon" near here in 1656, and the loss of thousands of Guilders it was carrying. Dutch coins and relics of the wreck have been found near the mouth of the Moore River.


GULLEWA

Latitude 28° 40' S Longitude 116° 19' E

Gullewa is a townsite in the Yalgoo goldfield, about 160 km east of Geraldton. Gold was discovered here in 1894, and the area was mined until the mines closed in 1937. In 1896 Gullewa was an important mining centre, and the Gullewa Progress Committee requested the government to declare a townsite. The townsite was gazetted in 1898, but like many goldfields townsites is now abandoned. It derives its name from nearby from Gullewa Spring, first recorded by John Forrest in 1873. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown meaning.


GUNYIDI

Latitude 30° 09' S Longitude 116° 05' E

Gunyidi is a townsite in the midlands agricultural region, 231 km north of Perth. It is located on the Midland Railway, and a siding known as "Siberia Fettlers Camp" was established here in 1906, but the name was soon changed to Gunnyidi. This name is apparently a contraction of the Aboriginal name for a nearby water source, Mungerdegunyidie Well. The double "n" conformed to the Royal Geographical Society's orthography used for Aboriginal words during the early part of the twentieth century. Gunnyidi was declared a townsite in 1930, and the spelling was changed to Gunyidi in 1973.


GUTHA

Latitude 29° 00' S Longitude 115° 57' E

Gutha is a townsite in the northern agricultural region, about 25 km north of Morawa. In 1913 it was decided to establish a station here on the Wongan Hills – Mullewa railway . The district surveyor suggested the name "Muthingutha", the Aboriginal name of a nearby rockhole. This was shortened to Gutha by the Lands Department, and Gutha siding was established in 1913. It was gazetted a townsite in 1914.


GWAMBYGINE

Latitude 31° 57' S Longitude 116° 48' E

The townsite of Gwambygine is located on the Avon River, 13 km south south east of York. The name is Aboriginal, and said to be the name of a nearby hill, also known as Bald Hill. In 1831 Rev J B Wittenoom was granted land here, and named his property "Gwambygine". In 1901 the government purchased the property and resubdivided it as the "Gwambygine Estate", with some of the land on the Avon River being developed as a townsite. The townsite was gazetted in 1902. A railway siding was established here in 1902 known as "Hicks Siding", after Mr J Hicks who leased Wittenoom's property from around the 1860s. It was renamed Gwambygine in 1910


GWINDINUP

Latitude 33° 31' S Longitude 115° 44' E

Gwindinup, located between Boyanup and Donnybrook in the south west region, was gazetted a townsite in 1909. It is located on the Boyanup-Bridgetown railway which in this area was opened in 1893. A siding named "Runnymeade" was established here when in 1908 the government decided to subdivide land. The name Runnymeade had already been used elsewhere in Australia, so an alternative name was requested from the Preston Roads Board in Donnybrook. The Board nominated Gwindinup, without any explanation of the name. The Lands Department thought it may be a local spelling of the nearby Gynudup Brook, but this cannot be substantiated.

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