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New Suburb Naming Survey

Thank you for your input. This survey is now closed.

Consultation

Following the guidelines of the NSW Geographic Names Board (GNB), initial consultation has been undertaken with local interest groups, including the Nowra Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC), Council’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee, and the Shoalhaven Historical Society.

A broad range of local history and Aboriginal (Dharawal) language resources were consulted to arrive at a shortlist of eleven (11) potential names in line with the NSW GNB’s Place Naming Policy. The shortlist also included some names that were put forward by local interest groups. This shortlist was refined following feedback from the Nowra LALC and NSW GNB to remove words that were deemed unsuitable or that did not pass the GNB’s initial ‘duplication’ test.

Two naming options have now been selected in consultation with members of the Nowra LALC, in line with the criteria set by the NSW GNB.

Potential Names and Suburb Boundaries

The two proposed naming options for the new suburb are traditional Aboriginal words in the Dharawal language group. These words are understood to have connections to the culture of traditional owners and to the local landscape.

Option 1

Badagarang means Eastern Grey Kangaroo, which is a totem for the Dharawal people.

(It is noted that there may be some overlap between the Dharawal and Dharug language groups with the use of “Badagarang”)

Option 2

Gumbeengang (pronounced “Goombee-nyang”) is the traditional name for the Cambewarra Mountain.

Click on the suburb names to hear how they are pronounced.

A map showing the indicative new suburb boundary is provided on the project page. 

The final boundaries of the new suburb will be determined by the GNB. There may be some adjustments to the proposed boundary to account for:

  • Hard boundaries, such as existing and future roads
  • Geographical boundaries, such as creek lines, ridgelines, and the like
  • Existing property boundaries
  • Legal and practical access to properties
  • Logical connections to existing suburb boundaries

As such, there may be a need to refine the precise suburb boundary prior to the gazettal of the new name to reflect the matters noted above, for example, the possibility of extending the boundary to the west to meet Good Dog Creek. It should be noted that any modification or extension of the suburb boundary will not be reflected as an extension of the future urban boundary.

Following Council's submission of the nominated name to the GNB for consideration, the GNB will run a separate, independently administered exhibition of the selected name. This process will also consider any further community feedback on both the nominated name and final boundary arrangements.