Moving to Sydney more than five years ago, I’ve had my fair share of geographic culture shock.
As someone moving from Hong Kong, which prides itself in boosting human density in compact dwellings, Sydney’s sprawling geography a luxury to behold. Detached houses and spacious yards in Sydney appears scarce and none of the six accommodations I stayed in almost two decades had one. I am getting used to the low frequency of public transport and acknowledge cars are a necessity in Sydney, and accept that the ubiquitous footpaths are Sydney’s rough equivalent to Hong Kong’s interconnected, pedestrian-friendly pathways of footbridges and escalators.
From the outside looking in, Australia appears predominantly “white” as projected in its political leaders and athletes who represent the country in international competitors, it’s truly a nation of immigrants. I have Chinese neighbors, colleagues from Iran, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Wales, met an Israeli tradie, fellow Catholics from Malaysia, Indonesia, Croatia and Lebanon. However, Australia is also deeply identified with its Aboriginal heritage, and place names in Sydney are a good reminder of their presence.
Back in Hong Kong, there’s a steakhouse called Wooloomooloo, a specialist in premium Australian beef. But if you didn’t notice, it’s spelled differently from Woolloomooloo, the inner-city eastern suburb.
So while you may find it challenging to spell that location, let’s take a deeper exploration of some of the most interesting Sydney locations and how they are named.
Aboriginal names are plentiful
Many places have names derived from Aboriginal origins. The aforementioned Woolloomooloo (“place of plenty”), Parramatta (“place where eels lie down”), and Balgowlah (“north harbour”) are some of them. As I try to uncover the meaning behind these names, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the locality. For instance, I learned that the name of seaside suburb of Cronulla is derived from Aboriginal word kurranulla meaning ‘place of pink seashells’. Kirribilli, a harbourside suburb, means “good fishing spot” in Aboriginal dialect.
In addition to street names and suburbs, Australian places also include the traditional nation names such as Gadigal country which covers the Sydney CBD and Inner West, and Dharug, which spans western Sydney, including Parramatta and Penrith. As a newcomer, it’s enlightening to listen to the acknowledgement of the land read at office town hall meetings and even before church services, paying tribute to the original settlers of the land.
Traces of European influences remain
The city of Sydney was named after Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, the British Home Secretary who established of the Australian penal colony in 1788. Leichhardt was named after Ludwig Leichhardt, a German naturalist who explored northern and central Australia. Vaucluse, the affluent eastern suburb, got its name from Fontaine de Vaucluse, a spring located in the south of France. The name Macquarie, prominently featured in two metro stations, a train station, a shopping mall, and numerous other street names and landmarks throughout Sydney, honours Governor Lachlan Macquarie, one of the city’s most influential early administrators.
Suburbs with uncharacteristic names
I’m not sure if the planners responsible for naming streets, suburbs, or geographical features ran out of ideas, but some places don’t seem to reflect the names they’ve been given. They have intriguing contrasts when it comes to names referencing natural features. For instance, Beverly Hills, Seven Hills, and Baulkham Hills, suggest elevated terrain but are surprisingly flat in parts.
Similarly, suburbs such as Rose Bay and Neutral Bay lack any prominent characteristics of a bay, and leads one to wonder what exactly is “neutral” about Neutral Bay.
However some names reflect their natural origins more accurately. Cherrybrook, once home to cherry orchards, nods to its agricultural past, even if cherries are no longer grown there. Suburbs like Riverwood and Blacktown also hint at their historic landscapes or cultural significance, grounding them more authentically in their environment.
Whether by coincidence or not, Sydney’s suburbs ending in “wood,” such as Chatswood, Eastwood, and Burwood, have become synonymous with thriving Asian communities and vibrant cultural hubs. These areas feature a melding of cultures, cuisines, and businesses, transforming them into modern-day “Little Asia” centres. Chatswood, for instance, is renowned for its bustling generic Asian food hub, while Eastwood has evolved into a hotspot for authentic Korean and Chinese dining.
I don’t know how many streets are there in Sydney, but I imagine there are so many that there are those that share the same name. Such similarity has led to a learning experience two years ago while preparing for the wedding of a friend from the choir. One of the couple’s friends rented an equipment for use at the reception, and was conveniently given the pickup location. She promptly fed “XX Kissing Point Road” into her GPS and drove there. Upon arrival, she phoned the contact she’s ready to pick up the equipment. The provider confirmed he’s standing outside the address, but both were unable to track each other. They soon realized that they were in that exact street number at Kissing Point Road, only that one was in Dundas, and the other in Turramurra.
Getting to know Sydney and its suburbs through their names helps us better understand and appreciate its rich cultural background, from Aboriginal heritage and European influences to the oddities behind them.