Gazetteer of Historical Australian Places
SORT: Placename | State | LGA | Feature_term | Latitude | Longitude | Start Date | End Date |
This map aims only to show the most commonly accepted Indigenous names of cities. There may be many Indigenous names for a place depending on context, place and/or landmark within a city. Some names may be contested by different Indigenous groups. We have tried to provide links for more information about each name and the complexities related to each location.
Two language groups, the Ngunnawal and the Ngambri people claim custodianship of the lands and waterways around Canberra. Ngambri-Guumaal elder, Shane Mortimer believes Canberra was derived from the word Ngambri. Mortimer says that one of Canberra's first settlers, Joshua Moore named his property Kamberri after the local people, because he couldn't get his tongue around the 'ng' sound. In a letter penned by Moore in 1826 he calls his property "Kamberri". However, Canberra is also called Ngunnawal Ngambri because both nations claim traditional custodianship of the ACT. A third group, the Ngarigo people, also have ties to Canberra's far-south suburbs.