Have you ever wondered where the name of your street came from? Here at the PMI Library, we specialise in Victorian history, which began well before the area was known as Victoria or established as a state. This means that we not only have items in our collections that are set in Victoria or cover well-known historical events, but we also have a sizeable focus on local history, organised by suburb or locality – including, as it turns out, 43 books on street names.
In Street Names of Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale and Strathmore, editor Lenore Frost notes that the sources of inspiration for street names in these suburbs fall into distinct categories: settlers’ names, civic fathers, state politicians, Scots influence, royal ardour, Federation, the air industry, the First World War, the Second World War, religious influences, Aboriginal names, large residences, the racing industry, Indian names in Travencore commemorating Indian horse-trading, geographic names, ships, literary tributes, real estate agents, explorers, Victorian governors and a plethora of British politicians (after all, Melbourne itself was named after a British prime minister). And that’s only those suburbs!
Across Melbourne, you may have also noticed that neighbourhoods sometimes have a specific theme, such as sportspeople, historical events or even ballet. While leafing through some of the PMI Library’s books on street names, I discovered that while there is no shortage of common street names that are either ordinary or self-explanatory – Station, First, New, Railway, North, Church, Chapel, Main, High – there are still many that have unusual or unexpected origins. Read on for a selection!
Milfay Avenue, Moonee Ponds: Said to be named after Mildred and Fay, daughters of Robert Shaw, who built houses in that street. (Street Names of Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale and Strathmore)
Akeroa Avenue, Brunswick East: This street was originally part of a settlement for soldiers returning from World War I and was named after a town in New Zealand. The name is Māori for ‘long bay’. (The Street Names of Brunswick)
Trinity Street, Brunswick: This name seems to have a religious reason, right? Nope! It was named after Francis Manallack, who had just been married for the third time when the land was marked out. (The Street Names of Brunswick)
Cocoa Jackson Lane, Brunswick: Named after Caribbean-Australian boxer Fred James, known as Cocoa Jackson, who lived in Brunswick from 1930-1979 and was the featherweight boxing champion of Australia at age 21. He was also a respected boxing trainer and local identity. (The Streets of Brunswick)
Janda Court, Box Hill North: This unusual name was created by architect Robert Marsh when he subdivided his land in 1957 and combined the names of his two eldest children, Janice and Daryl. (Street Wise)
Napoleon Street, Collingwood: This street appears on an 1855 map of Collingwood and was named after that Napoleon, who was Emperor of France from 1804-14 and again in 1815. Amusingly, it is a small street that branches off from the much larger and more significant Wellington Street – and of course Wellington is known for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo! (Streets of Collingwood)
Lileura Avenue, Beaumaris: Another name formed by creating a portmanteau, Lileura Avenue was likely named after Lilian and Leura, two of the daughters of Dr Robert Ray who lived in nearby Cromer Road for many years in the late 1800s. (The Street Where You Live)
Locinda Street, Highett: While it looks like an unusual spelling for Lucinda, this street name has a more unexpected origin. Albert David Nicol, known as Bert, was a member of the Nicols family, who were market gardeners in the area in the early 1900s. Locinda is the reverse spelling of A. D. Nicol – Albert David’s initials and surname. (The Street Where You Live)
Willmette Court and Winnetka Drive, Lilydale: These two streets, which lie side by side, take their names from adjoining villages north of Chicago in the United States. When the land in Lilydale was subdivided, the landowner’s American wife named Willmette Court after her birthplace (which today is spelt Wilmette) and Winnetka Drive after her hometown. (What’s Behind the Name?)
Wantirna Road, Wantirna: Formerly known as Bayswater West, the name of this suburb was chosen by a 1913 poll, in which Wantirna, an Aboriginal word for ‘running stream’, won by 13 votes over alternative names Appleford and Woodbridge. As for the road, it was originally known as West Prussia Road, but was renamed in 1915 due to widespread public disapproval. (City of Knox Historical Street and Road Names)
Bogong Avenue, Glen Waverley: Nowadays, Bogong Avenue is known for connecting Kingsway, the bustling dining precinct off Springvale Road in the heart of Glen Waverley, to Waverley Road. Its short course includes a staggered intersection with the curved Myrtle Avenue, and this owes its history to the fact that the Waverley Road end of Bogong Avenue was originally named Home Street. However, when the local council announced that it intended to rename the Kingsway end of Bogong Avenue so that both ends would be called Home Street, residents wrote letters requesting that Home Street be changed to Bogong Avenue instead – Bogong being a more unique and typically Australian name than the uninspiring Home – and their request was granted. Bogong likely refers to the native bogong moth. (A Novel Life: Hidden Treasures of Monash)
Quality Street, Frankston: Doesn’t this name bring to mind a box of chocolates? In fact, it predates the confectionery – though not the J. M. Barrie play the confectionery was named after – by eight years. Frankston’s Quality Street was named by a Mornington schoolgirl, Margaret Pitchford, who won a 1928 competition to name the street where the newly built Frankston High School stood. Almost a hundred years later, the school has long since moved to a bigger location, and Quality Street now has a carpark on one side and both the Chisholm Institute and the Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre on the other – but the name remains. (Naming Frankston Streets)
How much do you know about the origins of the street where you live? One way to learn more about the history of your area is to find your local Historical Society, and there is a list of these on the Royal Historical Society of Victoria website. But if you’re interested in local history in general, or are intrigued by any of the tidbits above, come visit us at the PMI Library.
Written by library volunteer Susannah Cosham.