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History of River Names - J


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

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

JAMES RIVER – the James River was named by the explorer Frank Hann in 1898 after Mr James ‘of the Cable Station, Petang’. (Petang is a town in Bali where the overseas telegraph cable from Broome came ashore at that time). The James is a small intermittent watercourse, 6.5km long, a tributary of the Charnley River in the west Kimberley.


JEEAILA RIVER – the Jeeaila River is located in the Gascoyne region, rising near Mt Vernon and meandering for about 45km before dissipating near the Lyons River North. The name is Aboriginal, of unknown source and meaning.


JERDACUTTUP RIVER – the Jerdacuttup River is located on the south coast, rising north of Ravensthorpe and flowing for about 75km into the Jerdacuttup Lakes east of Hopetoun. The name is Aboriginal, having been recorded with various spellings by John Forrest in 1870 and surveyor Price in 1875-76.


JINUNGA RIVER – the Jinunga is a short west Kimberley river, flowing for about 18km into Strickland Bay south of Yampi Sound. It is an Aboriginal name, first recorded by surveyor T Cleve in July 1937 during the survey of a stock route between Yampi Sound and Derby.


JOHNSTON RIVER – the Johnston River is located in the east Kimberley region, beginning on Ruby Plains station and flowing generally northerly for about 46km into the Elvire River at Elvire Gorge, east of Halls Creek. The river was named by surveyor C W Nyulasy in 1887 after surveyor Harry F Johnston (1893-1915) who had surveyed the river in 1884. Johnston later became WA's fourth Surveyor General, succeeding John Forrest in 1896, and held that office until his death in 1915.


JONES RIVER – the Jones River is located in the Pilbara region, flowing in a generally northerly direction for about 56km into the Indian Ocean at Sherlock Bay, east of Roebourne. The name was first recorded by assistant surveyor Charles Wedge in 1867, and it is probably named after Walter Jones, a police constable of Roebourne. Robert Sholl, the Roebourne Resident Magistrate reported in 1867 that Jones had taken part in every exploring expedition sanctioned by Sholl during his term at Roebourne.

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