western australia

Needilup, Western Australia

@JudyEv (342277)

Rockingham, Australia

January 11, 2018 12:41am CST

Some of you are intrigued by the names of some of our towns in Western Australia. I know Yabberup is one that causes some raised eyebrows even within our own state. There are a number of our towns that end in ‘up’ which we were always taught meant ‘place of water’. As you can imagine, being able to find a water source was very important to the aborigines. When we travelled to visit a town where we lived we passed through Yabberup, Mumballup, Noggerup, Boyup Brook, Kojonup, Gnowangerup, Broomehill, Jerramungup, Needilup, Jacup, West River and finally we came to Ravensthorpe. The little shed at Needilup is about the sum total of the ‘town’. There is also a grain bin where farmers bring their oats and wheat at harvest. Parts and supplies would be left in the shed for the local residents. Google says the meaning of the word in unknown and the area was named after the Needilup River.

29 people like this

31 responses

@LadyDuck (472121)

• Switzerland

11 Jan 18

It's surely hard to know what the name meant for the Aborigines. May be it has also been wrongly written when it was adopted in its English form.

3 people like this

show previous comments

@LadyDuck (472121)

• Switzerland

11 Jan 18

@JudyEv Exactly what happened in many civilizations.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

That happens a lot too. The English settlers would try to write the aboriginal words phonetically. The aborigines don't have a written language.

2 people like this

Show more comments

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44998)

• Preston, England

11 Jan 18

great names - makes me want to visit them

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

England has some incredible names too. We have friends who live near Much Wenlock not far from Little Wenlock.

2 people like this

@xFiacre (13175)

• Ireland

11 Jan 18

@JudyEv My daughter lives next to Chorlton-com-Hardy. I've had to use an O in the middle word because Mr Mylot won't let me use a U as it ought to be.

2 people like this

@Fleura (30541)

• United Kingdom

11 Jan 18

Oh yes plenty of strange names over here @JudyEv I love poring over the map. I keep thinking of writing a story using the place names as characters' names.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@Madshadi (8840)

• Brussels, Belgium

11 Jan 18

They must be old names that no one knows their origin. Looks like their origin will remain a mystery

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

Some of the origins are known but there are also a lot that will remain a mystery.

2 people like this

@xFiacre (13175)

• Ireland

11 Jan 18

@judyev that shed looks more like the town dunny to me.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

@topffer thought that too! I can see the likeness.

1 person likes this

Vicki, #1 Creek Girl

@1creekgirl (41780)

• United States

11 Jan 18

I loved your post. Such unique names. Here in NC we have a lot of Native American names for things.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

Some of our aboriginal names are quite long and very difficult to pronounce. It's all very well using them but it can make it difficult giving directions, etc.

1 person likes this

@Fleura (30541)

• United Kingdom

11 Jan 18

It's the fact that that building is pretty much the sum total of the 'town' that makes me smile! It would be a challenging place to have much of a social life I imagine.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

Yes, not much going on at night.

1 person likes this

@Theresaaiza (10487)

• Australia

12 Jan 18

Very interesting to know. Here, we have Koo Wee Rup but i dunno if that means the same thing. One name I always enjoy saying is Nar Nar Goon here in Victoria. It sounds like the first few babbles of a baby who's just learning how to talk.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Jan 18

Some of the names do sound like a baby babbling for sure.

@Theresaaiza (10487)

• Australia

14 Jan 18

@JudyEv Oh yes, when I first migrated to Australia, I really found the names of places very interesting. That is because I didn't really research well into the history of the country. Only later did I realize that, of course, being a country with Aboriginal people, it makes sense to have these names.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

14 Jan 18

@Theresaaiza How long have you lived in Australia - and do you like it?

@topffer (42156)

• France

11 Jan 18

I see : they had water, so they decided to build these magnificent restrooms to use it. Smart

.

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@topffer (42156)

• France

12 Jan 18

@JudyEv It is a pity, it would have been a brilliant side of our Western civilization offered to amaze the natives. My guess is that "Needilup" means "Ladies" in Aboriginal

.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

I hope it doesn't get used as a toilet. It's actually just a storage shed.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

@topffer Oh, come on now. That's not very nice. It might be true but it's not nice.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61101)

• United States

11 Jan 18

We have a lot of Native American name places both here and in Connecticut. Connecticut means long tidal river.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

At least Connecticut isn't too hard to say. We have a Mandjoogoordap Drive which is a bit of a mouth. Hard to remember and hard to spell correctly if you're trying to put it in a GPS device.

1 person likes this

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61101)

• United States

12 Jan 18

@JudyEv lol yes that is true but do you have a street called "Skunk Misery Road" we do lol

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

@BelleStarr We have one called Postcode Road which isn't particularly funny (not like yours) but does seem a bit strange.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@Letranknight2015 (52090)

• Philippines

11 Jan 18

What's inside of that small cabin over there.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

It would be used for storing products which would have come by road train or by train.

1 person likes this

@RasmaSandra (80884)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

11 Jan 18

Most likely these names go back to the Aboriginies.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

Certainly a lot of them do.

2 people like this

@ilocosboy (45156)

• Philippines

11 Jan 18

Even in my place there are some unique names of places.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

I'm sure there are. I guess every country has a few strange names.

@ilocosboy (45156)

• Philippines

11 Jan 18

Well, I'm so agree with you

1 person likes this

@Hannihar (130213)

• Israel

12 Jan 18

I wonder where they get those names.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Jan 18

There are explanations for many of the place names but not all of them.

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

14 Jan 18

@Hannihar Sometimes it seems every town in Western Australia will have a 'Forrest' something or other are the Forrest family were responsible for many good things when we were a young settlement.

@Hannihar (130213)

• Israel

14 Jan 18

@JudyEv Judy, I find street names very interesting and who they are named after.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@misunderstood_zombie (8142)

• United States

11 Jan 18

@JudyEv People just share their parts and supplies, if so that's really nice? I like all the names of the towns.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 18

They don't necessarily share them but farmers might order tractor parts from the city and they'd be delivered by truck perhaps and be placed in the shed till the farmer could pick them up.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

@misunderstood_zombie I doubt it happens much now. People aren't as honest as they used to be.

1 person likes this

@misunderstood_zombie (8142)

• United States

12 Jan 18

@JudyEv That makes sense, they must trust each other a lot.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@sjvg1976 (41290)

• Delhi, India

12 Jan 18

Sometime it's hard to know the meaning of the names of the towns.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

Some names seem to be quite spontaneous.

@averygirl72 (37845)

• Philippines

12 Jan 18

That's interesting names to know. It's fun to know the name of towns in your place

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Jan 18

I like knowing how a town came to get its name. Do you have some strange place names there?

@sueznewz2 (10409)

• Alicante, Spain

12 Jan 18

that's interesting..

I have often wondered about the place names but figured had something to do with the aboriginal names given... but thanks for sharing ...

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Jan 18

You're welcome. Have a great day.

1 person likes this

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (317315)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

11 Jan 18

I take it the shed is never locked. Those are all interesting names for your towns.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

It probably isn't used a lot now as people are more inclined to 'lift' things that aren't theirs.

1 person likes this

@dgobucks226 (35778)

•

12 Jan 18

Sounds like the aborigines knew what was "UP." Water that is.... P.S. interesting post!

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jan 18

Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, the native people are adept at finding water. At least the authentic ones are - meaning those who have learnt from their elders.

1 person likes this

Prashant Bangale

@PBKING (1523)

• India

13 Jan 18

Very interesting to know.. By the way what is in that cabin in the picture? Is that cabin connected to electricity lines?

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342277)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Jan 18

When goods were brought into the town by truck or the railway they would have been put in the shed until people came to pick them up so it was just a storage shed.