JUNE 2018 Newsletter of the Australian National Placenames Survey an initiative of the Australian Academy of Humanities, supported by the Geographical Names Board of NSW How Mt Evelyn was named Mount Evelyn is 37km east of Melbourne in the local known in his lifetime as the author of a treatise on government area of Yarra Ranges. Variously described forestry, Sylva (1664). Another distinguished family as a ‘locality’, a ‘township’ or ‘a suburb of Melbourne’, it member was William John Evelyn (1822-1908), MP for developed around the highest railway station on the Lilydale Surrey West 1849-1857 and for Deptford 1885-1888. to Warburton line. The station name was changed twice, William Evelyn was a poet, linguist, ‘devoted student of from Olinda Vale, to Evelyn, to Mount Evelyn. To trace the nature’, and ‘a truly honest man such as it does one good most probable explanation of the name, we need to start to see’.2 with the Evelyn family. The County of Evelyn Governor Fitz Roy of New South Wales proclaimed 31 counties in the Port Phillip District, including the County of Evelyn, in January 1849.3 The origins of the county names were not given, but most were the names or titles of British parliamentarians. Saxby states that Evelyn was named after ‘William J. Evelyn, MP for Surrey West 1849-1857’.4 This is a little misleading, as William Evelyn was not elected to Parliament until September 1849, eight Mount Evelyn station (photo: Eddie Tichelaar - shared to months after the county was proclaimed. The Evelyn Mt Evelyn Community Life Facebook page) family, however, had contributed at least seven MPs to The ancient family of Evelyn the British Parliament over two centuries. As William The family of Evelyn is traditionally descended from the John Evelyn was head of the family at the time the French family of Evelin. This family took a prominent part in county was proclaimed, we can reasonably say it was the Crusades, and in fact took its name from Ibelin [Yavne], named after him. a locality in Palestine lying between Joppa and Ascalon. A continued page 3 ‘French Herauld’s Book’ was brought over to England in 1650 by John Evelyn... It relates that a member of the family went to the Holy Land with Robert, Duke of Normandy, and became possessed of Baruth [Beirut], a seaport. It also states that the This is our Evelins intermarried with the royal families of Jerusalem and LAST PRINT ISSUE Cyprus.1 From September, we go digital-only - John Evelyn (1620-1706), referred to above, was the see inside for details! famous diarist and Fellow of the Royal Society, best In this issue: How Mt Evelyn was named – 1 • Berowra – 4 • Revisited: Is it -y or -ey? – 7 • Placenames and compass points – 9 • Ulimaroa revisited – 10 • Kalamunda and Karinya – 11 • Puzzle No. 66 – 11 From the Editor Time passes, and the times of the Board, Michael Van Den Bos, and to those who change. The particular change preceded him, Kevin Richards and Greg Windsor; I have in mind is our move and to Surveyor General Narelle Underwood and her to digital-only publication of predecessors in the chair of the GNB, particularly Placenames Australia. For the last Paul Harcombe. 10 years the Geographical Names We are, of course, continuing our e-publication of Board of NSW has generously Placenames Australia-and those of you who already supported the printing and postage of this quarterly receive it electronically will not notice any difference! I newsletter and, although that cost has now proved to trust you’ll enjoy this June issue and those that follow be prohibitive, we are grateful for that support and it in years to come. collaboration over the last decade. David Blair I’d like to express my thanks to the current Secretary <[email protected]> This is our FINAL PRINT ISSUE From September we’re moving exclusively to e-print distribution. Over 20% of our readers are already on our email distribution list, receiving a digital copy of Placenames Australia Are you one of the 80% to whom we’ve been posting a printed copy? • If you have previously given us your email address, we will automatically switch you to our email list and send you quarterly e-copies from now on • If you believe the contact details that we have do not include your email address, or if you believe that address to be out-of-date, contact the Editor with an update: [email protected] • If you do not have an email address or a computer at home, visit your local library to view Placenames Australia online All current and past issues can be found at www.anps.org.au/news.html This newsletter is published quarterly by Editor: David Blair Placenames Australia Inc ABN 39 652 752 594 PO Box 5160 ISSN: 1836-7968 (print) 1836-7976 (online) SOUTH TURRAMURRA NSW 2074 2 Placenames Australia • June 2018 ...How Mt Evelyn was named ...from page 1 Olinda Creek and Olinda Vale rejected. Councillors visited the Commissioner with The creek now called Olinda was formerly Running further suggestions. LILYDALE SHIRE COUNCIL Cr Rouget reported that Creek. In 1859 Deputy Surveyor-General Clement Cr Wallace and himself had waited upon the Commissioner Hodgkinson ordered surveyor John Hardy to lay out a of Railways for the purpose of ascertaining the objection to township beside the Running Creek. Hodgkinson and the name Wandin South being substituted for Olinda Vale. The Commissioner said one Wandin station was sufficient, his wife visited the survey camp in 1860. Lilydale was but he would be pleased if they [would] suggest another named on this occasion and Running Creek was re- name that might be acceptable to the department. They then named after Hodgkinson’s daughter, Alice Olinda. ‘At mentioned Evelyn as a name appropriate to the district. The Commissioner approved of the suggestion.10 the same time the Running Creek was named Olinda (my step-daughter’s second name, “Oh finest”)’, wrote As no explanation was deemed necessary, ‘a name Mrs Hodgkinson.6 appropriate to the district’ almost certainly referred to the County of Evelyn. Olinda Vale station was renamed By 1888 the name Olinda Vale was in use for the Olinda Evelyn on 2 December 1907. Creek valley 2-5 miles south of Lilydale.7 An often-repeated claim that Evelyn was named after The station and the name change Evelyn Heales,11 daughter of Richard Heales, Premier of When the Lilydale to Warburton Railway opened on 13 Victoria 1860-1861, can be discounted. Premier Heales November 1901, the first station was called Olinda Vale. did not have a daughter named Evelyn.12 The station served not only the immediate area but also the district then called South Wandin (part of the Parish Putting the Mount in Mount Evelyn of Wandin Yallock, now Silvan and the The Evelyn Progress Association south eastern end of Mt Evelyn). formed in 1909. Keen to promote the town’s attractions to visitors, The name Olinda Vale caused the Association campaigned to have annoyance to residents of Olinda on ‘Mount’ added to the name. Mt Dandenong. As the name ‘Evelyn’ does not convey any OLINDA Friday:- The people of of the beauties and natural advantages this township suffer a great deal of of this place as a tourist resort, it was inconvenience through the Railway decided to ask the authorities to alter the department having taken the name of the nomenclature to Mount Evelyn.13 town, with ‘vale’ added to it and having given this name to a railway station. That The Post Office had opened in 1904 railway station is 13 miles away and is on another line than that which supplies under the name Valinda. After the the township of Olinda, distant 6½ miles station became Evelyn, the Post from the railway. Goods from the city Office name also was changed to addressed to Olinda are very often sent to Evelyn, on 10 April 1908. The Post Olindavale.8 Office added the prefix ‘Mount’ to 14 South Wandin residents were equally W. J. Evelyn MP - portrait by Havell the name on 26 September 1913. peeved. (1884) The station was renamed Mount SOUTH WANDIN: Goods consigned to Evelyn in April/May 1919. South Wandin are invariably carried to Wandin, although the train officials know full well that Olinda Vale is the only An indirect namesake station used by the South Wandin residents. Either one of two things could remedy the evil, viz., for this district to take the The County of Evelyn was, almost certainly, named for name of the station, or the station to take the name of the the Evelyn family, represented by William John Evelyn 9 district. (later MP). Evelyn Station was, almost certainly, named Olinda Vale residents wanted ‘Valinda’, their Post Office after the county. It seems reasonable, then, to say that name, as the station name; South Wandin people preferred Mount Evelyn was named indirectly after William John ‘South Wandin’, a name the Railways Commissioner Evelyn. continued next page Placenames Australia • June 2018 3 ...from previous page ...How Mt Evelyn was named Endnotes in the Hodgkinson family. For other explanations for the meaning of ‘Olinda’, see booklet, Karen Phillips 2014, How Mt Evelyn was Named, 1 Helen Evelyn 1915, The History of the Evelyn Family, Everleigh Nash, Mt Evelyn History Group. London, http://archive.org/stream/historyofevelynf00eveluoft #page/ 7 Lilydale Express, 25 February 1888. n7/mode/2up, p.11. 8 The Argus, 10 December 1904. 2 W.S. Blunt, ‘William John Evelyn a Memoir’ in Evelyn, op.cit., pp.266- 9 Healesville & Yarra Glen Guardian, 20 April 1907.