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History of country town names - N

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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

NABAWA

Latitude 28° 30' S Longitude 114° 47' E

The townsite of Nabawa is located in the northern agricultural area, 463 km from Perth and 41 km north east of Geraldton. It is the principal town in the Shire of Chapman Valley. Nabawa derives its name from Nabawar Pool, a pool in the Chapman River first recorded by a surveyor in 1857. This Aboriginal word is said to mean "camp far away".

Although originally spelt Nabawar, the current spelling of Nabawa has been used since 1872. A schoolsite was set aside here in 1897, and the spelling Nabawah was used, but a site for a agricultural hall in the same year used the Nabawa spelling. When the Upper Chapman railway was opened in 1910, a siding was opened near the pool and named Nabawa. The railway closed in 1961, but the Shire of Chapman Valley moved its administrative headquarters to Nabawa in the mid 1960s , and in 1965 a townsite was declared.


NALKAIN

Latitude 31° 03' S Longitude 117° 25' E

The townsite of Nalkain is located in the central agricultural area, 210 km north east of Perth and 19 km north of Wyalkatchem. Like many rural towns in Western Australia Nalkain was first selected as the site for a railway siding on the Wyalkatchem to Mount Marshall railway in 1914. The district surveyor for the area suggested the same year that a townsite should be laid out at the siding, land for the townsite being resumed in 1915. Lots were surveyed in 1916 and the townsite declared in 1917, the year the railway from Wyalkatchem to Mount Marshall was opened. Nalkain is named after the Aboriginal name of a nearby well, Nalcain Well, the c being changed to a k by the Department of Lands & Surveys to conform with spelling rules adopted by the Department. The meaning of the name is unknown.


NALYA

Latitude 32° 23' S Longitude 117° 12' E

The townsite of Nalya is located in the great southern agricultural region, 158 km east south east of Perth and 20 km east of Brookton. The Government began the construction of a railway from Brookton to Kunjinn in 1913, and the settlers from the area known locally as Stoney Crossing requested a townsite be declared where the railway passed through their area. Following the fixing of the site of the railway station land was resumed in 1914, and a survey of lots made later that year. The townsite was gazetted in 1915, the same year as the railway was opened.
Although the local settlers referred to this place as Stoney Crossing, the District Surveyor, Marshall Fox, consistently used the name Nalyarin from 1913. This name is derived from Nalyaring Spring, the Aboriginal name of a nearby water source first recorded in 1848. However, when the name was declared in 1915 it was shortened to Nalya because it was felt the name was too similar to another siding named Malyalling. The meaning of the name is not known.


NANGEENAN

Latitude 31° 31' S Longitude 118° 10' E

Nangeenan townsite is located in the central agricultural region, 245 km east north east of Perth and 15 km west of Merredin. The area was opened up for farming in 1895, and a railway station on the main railway to Southern Cross established here in the late 1890s. In 1899 settlers requested the Department of Lands & Surveys make land available for a townsite, but it was 1904 before a subdivision was designed, and 1905 before lots were surveyed. The declaration of the townsite took place the same year. It is not known why this Aboriginal name was used for the railway station and the townsite, as there are no nearby features with this name. There is a Nangeen Hill, but this is over 50 km away, south of Kellerberrin. The meaning of the name is not known.


NANNINE

Latitude 26° 53' S Longitude 118° 20' E

The townsite of Nannine is located in the Murchison Goldfields region, 735 km north east of Perth and 30 km south south west of Meekatharra. Gold was discovered in the Nannine area in 1890, the area being rich with gold, and by 1891 was the site of feverish activity.

In 1892 John Forrest, the Commissioner for Crown Lands decided to have lots surveyed and a townsite declared, although Forrest referred to the place as "Annean", the name of a nearby pastoral station. When the local miners heard the auction of lots was to be in Perth 85 of them petitioned Forrest to have the auction in Geraldton. The lots were surveyed in 1892, and the townsite named Nannine, as "it is situated 10 miles from Annean Station and 3 miles from Nannine Wells", and was also the name of the proposed electoral district and adjacent gold mining lease. The townsite was gazetted in April 1893. Nannine is an Aboriginal name, "Nannine Wells" being first recorded by a surveyor in 1889. The meaning of the name is not known.


NANNUP

Latitude 33° 59' S Longitude 115° 46' E

The townsite of Nannup is located in the south west agricultural region, 282 km south of Perth and 44 km west of Bridgetown. Nannup is located on the Blackwood River, and in the late 1860s a bridge was built over the river and a police station established here. The area was referred to as Lower Blackwood Bridge. In 1885 Mr George Layman, the Member of Parliament for the district, requested that land be reserved at Lower Blackwood Bridge for a township. Land was set aside for this purpose, but it was 1889 before local settlers asked for blocks to be surveyed there. John Forrest, the Commissioner for Crown Lands promptly had the blocks surveyed, and proposed that the new townsite should be named Nannup, as it was "the only native name near". The name was approved by the Governor, and the townsite gazetted in January 1890.

The name Nannup is derived from Nannup Brook, a stream which flows north westerly into the Blackwood River just south of Nannup. It has been shown on maps since first recorded by surveyors in the 1860s. It is of Aboriginal origin, one source giving the meaning as "stopping place", and another as "place of parrots".

NANSON

Latitude 28° 34' S Longitude 114° 46' E

The townsite of Nanson is located in the Chapman Valley, 455 km north of Perth and 34 km north east of Geraldton. The district was first settled in the 1850s when Michael Morrissey established "Mt. Erin", but it was not until 1909 when the Government planned the Upper Chapman railway that there was a move for a townsite in the area. In 1909 local farmers petitioned the Minister for Lands to lay out a townsite at the "12 1/2 mile siding" on the railway. When the railway was opened in 1910 the siding was named Lauder Siding after a local farmer, but residents in the area petitioned the Minister for Lands to name the proposed townsite "Nansonville", after John Leighton Nanson MLA who was the local Member of Parliament, and also Attorney-General in 1910. The Minister agreed to the townsite being named Nanson, and it was gazetted in October 1910. The siding name was changed by the Railway Department in 1912 to Mount Erin, as this was the name locally used for the place. In 1915 confusion between the siding and townsite names resulted in the siding being renamed Nanson.


NARALING

Latitude 28° 24' S Longitude 114° 51' E

Like Nanson, Naraling is a townsite in the Chapman Valley, located about 470 km north of Perth and 40 km north east of Geraldton. By 1910 construction of the Upper Chapman Railway had reached Naraling, and the Surveyor General decided some 1/4 acre lots should be surveyed at the place. The lots were surveyed in 1911, and in 1912 Naraling was gazetted as a townsite. The name is derived from the Aboriginal name of a nearby spring, first recorded by a surveyor in 1859. The name has at times been spelt Narralling, Naralling, Narraling, Naralying and Gnaralying. The meaning is not known.


NAREMBEEN

Latitude 32° 04' S Longitude 118° 24' E

The townsite of Narembeen is located in the central agricultural region, 282 km east of Perth and 39 km south east of Bruce Rock. The townsite derives its name from the Aboriginal name for Emu Hill.  Emu Hill was discovered and named by John Septimus Roe in 1836, the name being given because Roe's exploration party disturbed a family of emus whilst ascending the hill. In 1860 Charles Smith took up a pastoral lease in the area, and named his property "Narimbeen", which the explorer Henry Maxwell Lefroy records in 1863 is the Aboriginal name for Emu Hill. In 1865 the explorer Charles Cooke Hunt recorded the spelling as "Narembeen", and this is the spelling which became widely accepted for the place. The meaning of the name is not known.

In 1917 the railway was extended from Kondinin to Narembeen, and sidings were established at Emu Hill and Narembeen. A townsite was gazetted at Emu Hill in 1918, but as all the land near the Narembeen siding was privately held, the Government chose not to declare a townsite even when one was requested in 1921. When a hotel was built at Narembeen in 1922, the area quickly developed as a private townsite, and Emu Hill, just 5 km away, declined. A townsite was eventually declared in 1968.


NARKAL

Latitude 30° 48' S Longitude 117° 35' E

Narkal townsite is located in the central agricultural region, 247 km north east of Perth and 11 km east of Koorda. In 1913 the Government was planning a new railway from Wyalkatchem to Mount Marshall, and a siding was proposed for the Narkal area. The district surveyor proposed the siding be named Narkal after the Aboriginal name of a nearby water source, Narkalbuding Soak, and this name was approved in 1913. The name Budin was also suggested, derived from the latter part of Narkalbuding, but was not officially approved. A townsite reserve was surveyed here in 1916, but it was 1927 before there were any requests for lots. Lots were surveyed later that year, and a townsite gazetted in 1928. The meaning of the name is not known.


NARNGULU

Latitude 28° 49' S Longitude 114° 41' E

The townsite of Narngulu is located in the northern agricultural region, 419 km north north west of Perth and 6 km south east of the port city of Geraldton. It is located where the railway line from the Cue goldfields met the line from Geraldton southward, and in the 1890s the place was known as Mullewa Junction (the goldfields line passed through the town of Mullewa). In 1900 land was set aside for a townsite here, as it was thought the place would become important, and in 1903 it was gazetted as the townsite of Mullewa Junction. In 1905 the Commissioner of railways advised that Mullewa Junction was being confused with Mullewa, and sought to have the place renamed. The name Crowther which honours a prominent Geraldton merchant, was selected, and Mullewa Junction was renamed Crowther in 1905. However, the Postmaster General then complained that this name had already been used in New South Wales, and requested it be renamed. The Surveyor General then stated that the only solution was to adopt Aboriginal names, and Narngulu, an Aboriginal word meaning "to remember" was selected from a list of possibilities. Crowther was renamed Narngulu in 1906.


NARRIKUP

Latitude 34° 46' S Longitude 117° 42' E

Narrikup is a townsite in the great southern agricultural region, 377 km south east of Perth and 18 km south east of Mount Barker. It is located on the Great Southern Railway, and when the line opened in 1889 a siding at this place was named Hay River. A reserve for a townsite was set aside here in 1891, and in 1905 the regional surveyor for the area reported that several settlers in the area were interested in acquiring land at the siding. 20 lots were surveyed, and when a townsite was gazetted two years later in 1907 it was named Narrikup, after a nearby brook. The name is Aboriginal, the derivation of which is possibly from "narrik" meaning abundance or plenty - perhaps "place of abundance".


NARROGIN

Latitude 32° 56' S Longitude 117° 11' E

The townsite of Narrogin is located in the great southern agricultural region, 192 km south east of Perth and 32 km east north east of Williams. It is located on the Great Southern Railway, and when this line was opened in 1889, Narrogin was one of the original stopping places. The railway line was a private line, and the Company that built the line declared a private townsite here in 1891. The railway was purchased by the Government in 1896, and in 1897 Narrogin was gazetted as a government townsite.
Narrogin is an Aboriginal name, having been first recorded as "Narroging" for a pool in this area in 1869. The meaning of the name is uncertain, various sources recording it as "bat camp", "plenty of everything" or derived from "gnargagin" which means "place of water".


NEEDILUP

Latitude 33° 57' S Longitude 118° 46' E

Needilup is located in the great southern agricultural region, about 440 km south west of Perth and 32 km east of Ongerup. In 1951 the local Member of Parliament requested the Lands Department to declare a townsite at Needilup, as the growth of settlement in the area had produced a demand for town lots. Following the survey of lots the townsite was gazetted in 1954.

Needilup derives its name from the nearby Needilup River. The name is Aboriginal, and was first recorded by surveyors in the area in 1901. The spelling of the river has been variously Needalup, Needleup Needelup and Needilup, with the latter being officially adopted in 1952. The meaning of the name is not known.


NEENDALING

Latitude 33° 07' S Longitude 118° 21' E

The townsite of Neendaling is located 335 km east south east of Perth and 12 km west of Lake Grace, in the great southern agricultural region. When the Kukerin to Lake Grace railway opened in 1916, a siding was established here and named Jarring, an Aboriginal word meaning "east". Land had been set aside for a townsite here in 1910, and in 1918 was gazetted as the townsite of Jarring. In 1927 the Railways Department complained that Jarring, and a nearby siding, Tarin Rock, were being confused by local residents, and requested Jarring be renamed. Despite Department of Lands & Surveys objections, the Railways persisted with the objections, and the name Neendaling was chosen as an alternative. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown meaning. Jarring was changed to Neendaling in 1928.


NEWDEGATE

Latitude 33° 06' S Longitude 119° 02' E

Newdegate is a townsite in the great southern agricultural region, 399 km south east of Perth and 52 km east of Lake Grace. The area was developed for agriculture in the early 1920s and when it was planned to extend the railway east from Lake Grace in 1922 the local community sought the declaration of a townsite. Doubt about the exact location of the railway resulted in a temporary development until the site was fixed in 1925. The townsite was gazetted in October 1925. Newdegate honours Sir F.A. Newdigate-Newdegate, Governor of WA from April 1920 to April 1922 and from December 1922 to June 1924.


NEWLANDS

Latitude 33° 40' S Longitude 115° 53' E

Newlands is a townsite located in an orchard area of the south west agricultural area, 223 km south of Perth between Donnybrook and Kirup. The government railway line from Donnybrook to Bridgetown was opened in 1898, and Newlands is included in the list of sidings and stations for the line in 1899. The source of the siding name is not known at present, and may have been a persons name or else referred to "new lands" being taken up in the area at that time. In 1900-01 the Imperial Jarrah Co., a sawmilling company, built a peoples hall at Newlands, and the hall was also used for a school. In 1906 the residents of the area requested secure tenure for the land on which their houses were built, and the Government decided to declare a townsite. Newlands townsite was gazetted in 1907.


NEWMAN

Latitude 23° 22' S Longitude 119° 44' E

Newman is a mining company townsite in the Pilbara region, 1184 km north east of Perth. The townsite was gazetted in 1972 after the Mount Newman Mining company developed a large iron ore mine at Mount Whaleback. The townsite is named after the nearby Mount Newman, a 1055 meter high mountain in the Ophthalmia Range.
Mount Newman was named by the surveyor W F Rudall in 1896, "in honour of our late leader". Newman was Aubrey Woodward Newman, the original leader of the survey party carrying out surveys in the neighbourhood of the Ophthalmia Range in 1896. He contracted typhoid fever at Peak Hill and, too ill to continue, was later returned to Cue where he died on May 24th, 1896.


NIAGARA

Latitude 29° 22' S Longitude 121° 26' E

Niagara is an abandoned goldfields townsite, located about 788 km east north east of Perth between Menzies and Leonora. Gold was discovered at Niagara in February 1895 by Northmore and Doolette, and by February 1896 the rapid growth of the area was such that the Niagara Progress Committee wrote to the Government requesting the declaration of a Townsite. The Niagara townsite was gazetted later that year.
Niagara derives its name from Niagara Falls, but not the falls in North America which would be the source of the name. When gold was discovered in this area one of the early prospectors named a waterfall in the area "Niagara Falls", most likely in jest at their size. The falls have a total drop of three metres, but only after heavy rain. In 1897 the Railways Department built a large concrete wall dam here, known as Niagara Dam.


NIPPERING

Latitude 33° 18' S Longitude 117° 39' E

The townsite of Nippering is located in the great southern agricultural region, 257 km south east of Perth and 9 km west of Dumbleyung. In 1906 the Government opened a railway from Wagin to Dumbleyung, and established a siding near Nippering Waterhole. The residents of the area then petitioned the Premier to declare a townsite at the siding, and the survey of lots was carried out in late 1906. The townsite was named Nippering and gazetted in 1907. It derives its name from the Aboriginal name of a nearby waterhole, first recorded by a surveyor in 1887. The meaning of the name is not known.


NOGGERUP

Latitude 33° 35' S Longitude 116° 10' E

The townsite of Noggerup is located in the south west, 231 km from Perth and 30 km from Collie. When the Preston Valley railway was being planned in 1907, a request was made for land to be reserved at the proposed terminus near Sexton & Drysdale's Mill. The position was not fixed until 1908, and a townsite was then designed and surveyed. When asked to suggest a name for the townsite the surveyor suggested "Nogerup" after the name of the gully on which it was situated. The Department of Lands & Surveys amended the spelling to "Noggerupp" in accordance with spelling rules adopted by the Department, and the townsite was gazetted with this spelling in 1909. It was amended to Noggerup in 1915 when the Department decided that the double p ending was not required for Aboriginal names. The meaning of Noggerup is not known.


NOMANS LAKE

Latitude 32° 55' S Longitude 117° 31' E

The townsite of Nomans Lake is located in the great southern agricultural region, 227 km south east of Perth and 34 km east of Narrogin. Land was set aside for a townsite about 5 km south of Nomans Lake in 1907, but was not used for this purpose. When the route of the railway from Yillimining to Kondinin was determined in 1912, a name was sought for the siding at 8 miles 68 chains from Yillimining, and Nomans Lake was selected. The siding name was approved in 1914, and the name was subsequently applied to a townsite, gazetted in 1915. Nomans Lake is named after the lake situated about 8 km south of the townsite. The origin of the name is not known, having been first recorded by a surveyor in 1892. It may be the surname of an early settler, but it could also literally mean "no mans "lake


NOONGAL

Latitude 28° 11' S Longitude 116° 45' E

Noongal is an abandoned goldfields townsite located 510 km north north east of Perth and 12 km north of Yalgoo. Gold was discovered in the area in the mid 1890s, and by 1895 200 men were working the area, then known as "Melville". When it was decided to declare a townsite here in 1896 the name Melville was not available because of duplication, and Noongal, the name of a nearby rockhole was selected. Noongal townsite was gazetted in 1897. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown meaning.


NOONGAR

Latitude 31° 20' S Longitude 118° 58' E

The townsite of Noongar is located in the eastern agricultural area, about 334 km from Perth, midway between the towns of Merredin and Southern Cross. Noongar was originally a siding on the Northam-Yilgarn Railway, and is included in a list of sidings on the line in 1899. When the railway sidings were being located on this line in the late 1890s a list of Aboriginal words from the Southern Cross district was used as a source of names, and Noongar was selected from the list. It is stated to mean "a big tree near a small waterhole"
By 1924 agricultural development in the area resulted in pressure for a townsite to be declared at the siding. Lots were surveyed in April 1825, and the townsite gazetted in September the same year.


NORSEMAN

Latitude 32° 12' S Longitude 121° 47' E

The goldmining town of Norseman is located in the eastern goldfields, 724 km east of Perth and 206 km north of Esperance. Gold was discovered here in July 1894 by Lawrence Sinclair and his horse "Norseman" The gold find was named "Norsemans Find" and most records state that Sinclair named it after his horse, although Sinclair was himself of Norse descent from the Shetland Islands.
By January 1895 there were over 200 miners working the goldfields here, and the Mining Warden, Arthur Hicks, requested declare a townsite. The local progress association soon added pressure for a townsite, and lots were surveyed in April 1895. A number of names were proposed for the townsite, but local usage of Norseman resulted in the Minister for Lands selecting this name. The townsite was gazetted in May 1895. The Aboriginal name of the area is Jimberlana.


NORTH DANDALUP

Latitude 32° 31' S Longitude 115° 58' E

The townsite of North Dandalup is located in the south west, 71 km south of Perth and 16 km north east of Pinjarra. It is located adjacent to the North Dandalup River, from which it derives its name. Dandalup is an Aboriginal name, having been shown on maps of the area since 1835. The meaning of the name is not known.
The townsite is situated on the South Western Railway, and North Dandalup was included as a stopping place in timetables of 1894. Land around the siding was privately owned and subdivided, but a schoolsite was set aside in 1899, and a hall and recreation ground in 1915. In 1932 the North Dandalup Prescribed Area was declared, and then in 1972 the area was gazetted a townsite.


NORTH GREENBUSHES

Latitude 33° 50' S Longitude 116° 03' E

Located about 250 km south of Perth near the South Western Highway, North Greenbushes was originally named Greenbushes. Tin had been discovered near here by Stinton in 1888, and the district soon developed as a tin mining area. It was apparently referred to as Greenbushes because of particularly green bushes which stood out from the grey of the local Eucalypts. A townsite of Greenbushes was gazetted in 1889, but this site, about 3 km south of the present Greenbushes, was cancelled in 1893 because the land was in a mineralised area, and only one block had been sold. When the railway line from Donnybrook to Bridgetown was opened in 1898 a Greenbushes station was opened, and in 1899 a new townsite of Greenbushes surveyed and gazetted at this location. However, the main business and residential area was located about 3 km south along the main road, and later in 1899 this area was gazetted as Greenbushes and the other, at the railway station, renamed North Greenbushes.


NORTHAM

Latitude 31° 39' S Longitude 116° 40' E

Situated 97 km east north east of Perth, the townsite of Northam is located on the Avon River in the central agricultural region. The Avon River was discovered by Ensign Dale in August 1830, and following further exploration of the district by Dale in October 1830, land was made available for agricultural settlement. At the same time land was set aside for three townsites, and as early as December the northernmost of these townsites is referred to as Northam. Boundaries for the townsite were officially adopted in April 1836, but it was 1847 before any lots were surveyed, and 1849/50 before the first lots were sold.

Northam was most likely named by Governor Stirling after Northam, a village in North Devon, England, or another village now part of Southampton. The name may also relate to Northam being the most northern of the three Avon townsites, although this seems unlikely. There is no definitive information on the origin of the name.


NORTHAMPTON

Latitude 28° 21' S Longitude 114° 38' E

Northampton is located in the northern agricultural region, 474 km north north west of Perth and 50 km north of Geraldton. The townsite was gazetted in 1864 to service the surrounding mining area, copper and lead having been discovered in the area in 1848. As more ore deposits were discovered in the district demand for a town increased, resulting in the 1864 gazettal.
Northampton is probably named after the English town of the same name. The choice of name may also be connected with the fact that the townsite is north of Perth and the Governor of WA at the time it was declared was Dr J.S. Hampton.


NORTHCLIFFE

Latitude 34° 38' S Longitude 116° 07' E

The townsite of Northcliffe is located in the south west agricultural region, 366 km south of Perth and 31 km south east of Pemberton. The centre for a large Group Settlement area, it was surveyed in 1923, at the request of the Premier, James Mitchell, and was located at the terminus of the extension of the Bridgetown-Jarnadup railway. The townsite was gazetted in May 1924, the name being selected by the Premier. It honours Alfred C M Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, who had died in 1922. He had been the proprietor and publisher of the London Times and the Daily Mail, and a renowned commentator on world affairs for two decades.


NUGADONG

Latitude 30 °12' S Longitude 116° 39' E

Nugadong townsite is located in the northern agricultural region, 261 km north north east of Perth and 10 km north of Dalwallinu. Nugadong was approved as the name of a proposed siding on the Wongan Hills to Mullewa Railway in 1913, the name having been selected by the District Surveyor. The railway line opened in 1915. Nugadong is an Aboriginal name derived from the name of a nearby rockhole, Nugadong Miamoon Rockhole. The meaning of the name is not known. Nugadong was gazetted a townsite in July 1914.


NUKARNI

Latitude 31° 18' S Longitude 118° 15' E

Nukarni is located 283 km east north east of Perth in the central agricultural region. It is 23 km north of Merredin It is also located on the railway line from Goomalling to Merredin, and when the Kunnoppin to Merredin extension of this line was planned in 1910, a location for a siding at "Newcarnie" was proposed. Land was also set aside for a townsite at the proposed siding, but the spelling was changed to "Nukarni" in accordance with rules for the spelling of Aboriginal names adopted by the Department of Land & Surveys. After survey a townsite was gazetted in 1912. The spelling of the siding was not changed from Newcarnie until 1924. The name is derived from Nukarni Rocks, located about 12km west of the townsite. The meaning of the name is not known.


NULLAGINE

Latitude 21° 53' S Longitude 120° 07' E

The townsite of Nullagine is located in the Pilbara region, 1364 km north north east of Perth and 297 km south east of Port Hedland. Gold was first discovered in the Nullagine area by N W Cooke in 1886, but it was the mid 1890s before there was local community pressure for a townsite to be declared. The survey of lots was made in 1897/8, and the townsite was gazetted in 1899.
The name of the townsite is derived from the Aboriginal name applied to the nearby river. This was first recorded as the Ngullagine River in the 1880s, but popular usage dropped the first "g", the current spelling being used for the goldfields. The meaning of the name is not known.


NUNGARIN

Latitude 31° 11' S Longitude 118° 06' E

The townsite of Nungarin is located in the central agricultural area, 271 km east north east of Perth and 40 km from Merredin. It is located on the railway line from Goomalling to Merredin, and when the Kunnoppin to Merredin extension of this line was planned in 1910, a location for a siding at Nungarin was proposed. Land was also set aside for a townsite at the siding, and following the survey of lots the townsite of Nungarin was gazetted in 1912. The townsite is named after Nungarin Rocks, located 4 km north north east of it. This Aboriginal name was first recorded by surveyors as Noongorin in 1864, and as Nungarin in 1889. Its meaning is not known.


NUNNGARRA

Latitude 28° 05' S Longitude 119° 15' E

Nunngarra is an abandoned goldfields townsite located 645 km north east of Perth and 14 km south of Sandstone. Gold was discovered in this area by a prospector named Howie in 1902, and the area referred to as "Howies Patch". By 1903 the name "Black Range" was used to refer to the find, and a large number of diggers were working the field. There was soon pressure for the declaration of a townsite, and following survey in 1903 a townsite was gazetted. As the name Black Range was already used elsewhere in Australia, Yallawun after a nearby pool, or Denholm after a nearby hill were proposed as alternatives. The goldfields Warden suggested the Aboriginal name for Black Range, Nungarra, be used instead, and this was amended to Nunngarra and gazetted in December 1903. .


NYABING

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

The townsite of Nyabing is located in the great southern agricultural region, 319 km south east of Perth, and 51 km south east of Dumbleyung. When the railway from Katanning to this place was planned in 1911, the siding at the terminus was named Nampup, after the Aboriginal name of a nearby soak. The district surveyor for the region had a few lots surveyed at the siding in 1911, and the townsite of Nampup was gazetted in May 1912.

Even before Nampup was gazetted, the Railways Department was complaining that Nampup was too similar to Nannup, and an alternative name was required for the siding. The names Narrara and Wingar were suggested, before W J Rae, the District Surveyor, suggested "Naiabing", which he advised was "the old native name of Little Nampup Soak". The Department of Lands & Surveys decided that Nyabing was a simpler spelling, and in December 1912 changed the name of the townsite to Nyabing. Although the name has been variously spelt, as Niaibing, Niabing & Nyabing, none of which appear in vocabularies, it appears that the word could have been derived from the Aboriginal word "ne-yameng" which is the name applied to the everlasting flower -"Helipterum manglessii".

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