September, 2004 ������������������������������������������������������� The Micro-toponomy of Mount Arapiles his article follows previous work on squatters, taking up a large sheep run Mount Arapiles, which is located that included Mount Arapiles within in the Wimmera region of Victoria its boundary. Several local histories say Tnear the town of Natimuk. The first that Firebrace named this run Vectis; article, published in the March 2004 this was the ancient Roman name for issue of Placenames Australia, covered the Isle of Wight (England), where the names from Aboriginal Australian he was supposed to have been born. I languages applied to the mountain, have been able to trace this proposed and the names considered by Major origin of the station name back to an Mitchell before he finally settled on entry in Pioneer Station Owners of the Arapiles. In these articles I am trying Wimmera published by Dennys Lascelles to demonstrate how the toponymy of in 1926, which states that, “Major a particular geographic feature can be Firebrace named Vectis after his native much more complex than a short entry place in the Isle of Wight”. However, I in an explorer’s journal. Many names have recently come across a manuscript have been attached to Mount Arapiles written in 1958 by high school principal and its surrounds over time; each tells a I.T. Maddern, entitled The Early Days story that allows us to better understand of Horsham, which states that the the mountain’s cultural significance. Firebrace family came from Duffield in Derbyshire. This of course opens The pastoral frontier reached Mount up the question once again of how the Arapiles in the early 1840s, less than Mount Arapiles. Photo: Chris Richards. Vectis name came to the Wimmera? In a decade after Mitchell had passed Latin, the word “vectis” means “lever”. through the area. Major William Firebrace was amongst the early Reaney, in his book The Origin of English Placenames, suggests ❑ CONTINUED PAGE 10 ��������������������������������������������������������� assumed that Cradle Mountain was a French, Indian, Spanish, Chinese etc. In this issue descriptive name as it resembles a miner’s Tasmanian placenames also refl ect our or baby’s cradle. Weindorfers Tower heritage and many names derive from our The Micro-toponymy of Mount Arapiles .............................................1 (on Cradle Mountain) was of Austrian early European navigators, convict/soldier origin. It is named after Austrian Gustav past, bushranger activity, whaling activity, FeedBACK .......................................2 Weindorfer who was the catalyst for shipwrecks, religious background, mining Chris Richards ..................................3 preserving Cradle Mountain as a National ventures, British heritage, war-time heroes, Park (in 1922). Weindorfer climbed early governors, Greek/Roman mythology German Placenames in Victoria ........4 Cradle Mountain in 1909, and he loved it etc. so much that he decided to settle here. He Photo gallery: Aboriginal Placenames purchased land on the mountain and built Wayne Smith Workshops … ...................................6 his home here. He called his dwelling Lauderdale, Tas Walgett: High Hills, Cracks in Ground ‘Waldheim’ after an Austrian connection. or Meeting of the Water ....................8 He used his extensive home in the wilderness as a guesthouse for visitors I Quote ...........................................11 to the mountain. He died here and was FeedBACK American Name Society Annual buried on the mountain in 1932. Each Meeting … ......................................11 year a memorial service is conducted on any thanks to those who Quiz No.11 Placenames and the mountain at his grave site. Kathleens contacted ANPS regarding a Occupations ...................................12 Pool, a small tarn on Cradle Plateau was question I posed in the June issue named after Weindorfer’s wife Kate Cowle Mof . I had asked, Placenames Australia Mailing List and Volunteer who lived with him at ‘Waldheim’. Dale ‘Where, in Tasmania, are the placenames of Research ..........................................12 incorrectly suggested that Queenstown Aboriginal origin?’ I had kept an eye open was probably named after a place in for likely names during a recent visit but England. It isn’t, it was given this name as noted only Moonah, a Hobart suburb. I the town was sited on the Queen River. was amazed that there were so few. FeedBACK Dale makes a correct assumption that Gowrie Park was connected to a place Wayne Smith, John Cannon and Betty Dear ANPS, in Scotland. It is, but only indirectly, as Murrell all pointed out that Tasmania has the town name was taken from a local many placenames inspired by Aboriginal always avidly read the contents of your property of that name. The property was languages. They cited far too many newsletters as I have been obsessed named after the landowner’s birthplace examples to repeat here, including ‘Hydro’ with placenames since 1990. I am a in Scotland. Mole Creek was not named power stations in the Central Highlands Imonthly guest on ABC talk-back radio after a local animal, it was named by a and settlements on Bruny Island. in Tasmania on nomenclature and the mystifi ed surveyor who found that the segment is immensely popular. I have an creek was running through a limestone This sent me back to the road map I argument with your correspondent Dale area and the river kept disappearing had used on the journey from Hobart Lehner who (in Placenames Australia underground and reappearing elsewhere to Cradle Mountain via the Midlands June 2004) suggested that there are few (like the English mole). Dale also refers Highway and Sheffi eld. Afterwards Aboriginal placenames in Tasmania. to some Biblical names as Tasmania has there was a short trip to Devonport as On the contrary, possibly a quarter to many names of this kind, refl ecting the well. Surely I could not have been so a third of our names are of Aboriginal pious nature of many of the pioneers. For entirely mistaken! A careful study of origin. Some examples are Ringarooma, example there are towns named Goshen the route I followed has revealed only a Warrentinna, Triabunna, Raminea, (land of plenty), Priory, Beulah, Paradise, few possibilities and all, I think, are tiny Corinna, Karoola, Lunawanna, Allonah, Garden of Eden, Walls of Jerusalem, places: Conara, Powranna, Moltema and Natone, Pateena and Premaydena that are Abyssinia, Lake Tiberius, Jordan River, Moina. Pateena and Paloona were nearby all named after the native name for their Bagdad, Jericho and many more. but I couldn’t have seen them. respective areas. In addition, there are a plethora of town names that preserve Despite the above minor criticisms, I With so many Aboriginal inspired Tasmanian Aboriginal words such as heartily agree with the central thrust of placenames in Tasmania, I have wondered Taroona, Nubeena, Liawenee, Tarraleah, the Lehner article that suggests that a why there seemed to be fewer along the Wayatinah, Emita, Errriba, Eugenana, study of placenames reveals the intriguing Midlands Highway. A plausible reason Kamona, Kaoota, Karoola, Kayena, history of an area. Tasmania is blessed can no doubt be found in Tasmania’s early Kellatier, Koonya etc. with a virtual potpourri of placenames history. derived from many languages including In the same article, Dale correctly Aboriginal languages, English, Dutch, Dale Lehner 2 AUSTRALEX 2004 Chris Richards t is with sadness that we report the sudden and unexpected passing away of Christopher Richards. Chris has given his time freely and generously to the ANPS in numerous ways over the past few years. He has been a regular Icontributor to Placenames Australia, providing well-researched articles, based on archival maps and records and field trips to the sites he was writing about. This issue contains a second article by Chris on Mount Arapiles. His articles stimulated discussion amongst ANPS Research Friends and he was often behind the scenes, putting enthusiastic researchers in touch with the ANPS and with each other. For example Chris introduced the ANPS to David Nutting’s research on German Clair Hill & Jan Tent placenames (see article this issue). Chris was also deputy chair of the Victorian State Committee of the ANPS and did much to promote the ANPS in Victoria, FeedBACK n line with this year’s theme of with regular speaking engagements in many local historical societies, genealogical “Lexicon and Culture”, the ANPS societies and other cultural organisations. The photo below was taken on 5 May presented a special session at the 2003 during a field trip to the western end of the Ibiennial AUSTRALEX (Australasian Black-Allan Line [the Victorian-NSW border]. Association for Lexicography) conference. The conference was held on Monday ANPS Directorate, 12 July, hosted by the Department of Macquarie University Linguistics, University of Sydney and the Department of Linguistics and Dictionary Research Centre, Macquarie University. The ANPS session was a panel chaired by David Blair (ANPS, Director) and included presentations by Clair Hill (ANPS, Research Associate), Dr Jan Tent (ANPS, Research Associate) and Flavia Hodges (ANPS, Research Fellow). Clair’s and Jan’s presentations outlined their current research projects and preliminary data, providing case studies of placenames in the indigenous network and names in the introduced system. Clair gave an overview of the ways in which placenames are formed and their range of meanings in two closely related indigenous languages from the east coast of Cape York Peninsula – Umpila and Kuuku Ya’u. Jan provided data and analysis on Dutch and Dutch-related Greg Windsor (Secretary of the Geographical Names Board of NSW), Paul Harcombe names throughout Australia. (Deputy Chair of the GNB NSW), Scott Jukes (Surveyor, Office of the Surveyor Flavia reported on the current program of General Victoria), Chris Richards. workshops, encouraging the investigation of placenames of indigenous origin in t is with much regret that we were informed of the death of the Vice-chair of regional NSW by Aboriginal community the Victorian State Committee of the ANPS, Mr Christopher Richards. Chris members and linguists.