Council has drafted a Place and Road Naming Policy and Guidelines for community feedback. Visit Participate Melbourne to have your say before 20 December 2023.
New road names
New road names should relate to the historical and cultural connections of the locality and comply with the state's current Guidelines for Geographic Names that are established under the
Geographic Place Names Act 1998. Copies of the guidelines are available from
VicNames.
The guidelines state that any proposed name shouldn’t cause confusion or errors, and be easy to pronounce. Road names must not be duplicated or similar-sounding within a close proximity, or named after a business or living person.
The process involves advertising to the abutting owners, occupiers and in the local paper. The name is referred to VicNames, Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), Australia Post and other relevant authorities. This process can take three or more months and any objections can delay the process while these are resolved.
City of Melbourne encourages and supports names that act as a reminder of local history, culture and citizens with an emphasis on the following themes:
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Aboriginal Naming: City of Melbourne encourages opportunities to recognise and preserve the valuable contribution made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through the use of Aboriginal languages for names in accordance with the Naming Rules. Should you wish to consider the use of the Aboriginal language for naming, it is highly recommended that a Cultural Heritage Management Plan be undertaken for the relevant locality. For further information, please contact our
Aboriginal Melbourne Team on 9658 9658.
- Women in history: City of Melbourne teamed up with the
Victorian Women’s Trust to feature more Victorian women when naming places and lanes, providing an opportunity to celebrate women who have influenced and inspired our community. The result of this research was a short booklet ‘Women in the Life of the City’ with a curated list of women, each deserving of wider recognition. It is by no means exhaustive but it goes some way to highlight the influence women have had throughout the decades.
Learn more about Council’s current naming process and provide feedback on proposed place and road names via
Participate Melbourne.Changes to road names
Changing road names is very difficult and is not preferred because each road name comes with its own history, and a change of name can have significant effects on property owners, occupiers and businesses.
A proposal will only be considered when the long-term benefits to the community can be shown to outweigh any short-term effects. Therefore this will only be done in extraordinary circumstances.