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The Discovery of Australia: Naming Australia's Coastline
Point Lonsdale to Batemans Bay
Port Phillip Bay
Named Governor King's Bay by William Grant, 8.12.1800. Named port king in honour of governor, Gidley king by Fliners, 18.2.1802. Renamed Port Phillip in honour of Arthur Phillip, 1st Governor of NSW, by Gov. Gidley King. Named Baie Talleyrand by Peron of the Baudin expedition of 1802 after French statesman Prince Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord.
 Bellarine Peninsula (right)
Aboriginal word derived from 'bella' - resting on one's elbow.
Shortlands Bluff
1837. Named after Lieutenant Thomas Symonds. Peter Frederick Shortland was master gunner of HMS Rattlesnake which carried out the survey of Port Phillip in 1836-37. Born 1815, he was the son of Thomas George Shortland, also an officer of the Royal Navy. In 1838 he obtained leave to study at Cambridge University, graduating with honours in 1842. He rejoined the Navy and wrote books on naval surveying etc., and had risen to the rank of Commander before his death in 1888.
Swan Isld / Swan Bay
15.2.1802. Murray. Swans and pelicans seen there. Swan Bay was named Swan Pond by Lieutenant Murray on the Lady Nelson in February 1802, and shown as such on Matthew Flinders' Plan of Port Phillip Bay.
Indented Head
Named from is appearance by Matthew Flinders on 27 April 1802, when he saw it across the bay from Arthurs Seat.
Point George
Ppossibly named after the revenue cutter, Prince George, in 1837, or the Royal George, which arrived with convicts from England in November 1844.
Pt Palmer
15.2.1802. Murray. Named after Commissioner Palmer, owner of the vessel, George.
Edwards Pt
Named after the ship Edward(s) which carried sheep from Tasmania to Melbourne after 1836, and was eventually wrecked in Corio Bay in 1881.
Pt Richards
1837. William Hobson. Named after Lieut. Charles Richards, HMS Rattlesnake, 1837. He died in England in 1855 by which time he had reached the rank of Captain.
Clifton Springs
Discovered by Thomas Bales in 1870 and named after his property, known as Clifton. There may be a link with Clifton, the spa town near Bristol in England.
Point Henry
A low promontory named by Captain Edwin Whiting in 1836 after his ketch Henry, which he anchored here during his survey of Geelong Harbour. The ship carried colonists and livestock from Launceston to Melbourne. Local lore states it honours Hastings R. Henry, 2nd Lieutenant of the survey vessel, HMS Rattlesnake, 1837. In 1855 H.R. Henry had risen to command the HMs Arrogant. other sourses say it was named after Hastings R. Henry of HMS Rattlesnake which surveyed this part of Port phillip Bay in 1837.
Hopetoun Channel
Named after Lord Hopetoun, Governor of Victoria in 1888 when it was dredged to allow ships through a sand bar to the port of Geelong. Previously ships had anchored off Point Henry.
Stingaree Bay
Probably from stingray, abundant here.
Limeburners Point
Four lime kilns were operating here in 1866, using limestone that outcrops in the cliff.
Corio Bay
Known to the Aborigines as Jillong, from whence the name of the City of Geelong originated. the word Corio, also Aboriginal, rmeans 'sandy cliffs' (of the bay).
Pt Abeona
Pt Lillias
Named after the schooner Lillias, captained by James Stachan, a pioneer woolbroker in Geelong. The schooner was named after his wife.
Pt Wilson
1837. William Hobson. Named after John Wilson, midshipman, HMS Rattlesnake, 1837.
Kirk Point
Named after a squatter in this area in 1839. It had been the landing place for Matthew Flinders when he walked to the You Yang Ranges and named their highest summit Station Peak on 1 May 1802: this later became known as Flinders Peak.
Beacon Pt
Beacon located here in 1837.
Werribee River
Named Weriby (probably of aboriginal derivation) in 1837 by Daniel King, surgeon on the surveying ship HMS Rattlesnake. It had previously been called the Peel, the Arndell, the Tweed and the Exe.
Campbell Cove
Named after Captain Alexander Campbell, who was Harbourmaster in Port Phillip in 1836.
Pt Cook
1837. William Hobson. Named after John M Cook, mate, HMS Rattlesnake, when the vessel was used in a survey of Port Phillip Bay in 1837.
Altona Bay
Named after the homestead of Alfred Langhorne who leased pastoral land on Altona Bay. The named originated from the seaport near Hamburg, Germany.
Gellibrand Point
Joseph Tice Gellibrand, a lawyer, was a member of the Port Phillip Association which crossed from Tasmania to Victoria and took possession of the land around Melbourne and Geelong under a treaty with the native chiefs. Gellibrand prepared the treaty documents. With G. B. L. Hesse, a fellow solicitor. He disappeared in 1837 on an exploratory expedition around the Colac area on a journey from Geelong to Melbourne via the Barwon Ri ver. Williamstown was originalkly known as Port Gellibrand.
Hobson Bay
Named after Capt. William Hobson, HMS Rattlesnake, who commanded a survey of Port Phillip Bay in 1837. In July 1839 he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand where he died on September 10, 1842, aged 49 years.
Yarra River
Named by John Helder Wedge, a surveyor from Tasmania, in 1835 when he asked a native boy the name and was told "Yarra Yarra", which is said to mean "always-flowing water".
Port Melbourne
Previously Sandridge, and before that Liardet's Beach, named after an early settler.
Liardet's Beach
Early name for the Port Melbourne/Melbourne City area. W.F.F. Liardet was an early settler.
Elwood Beach
Named after a little known 17th century English poet, Thomas Ellwood, a friend of John Milton.
Brighton Beach
Named after the seaside resort in Sussex, England.
Hampton Beach
Named after D. B. Hampton, a pioneer settler who came here in 1842.
Sandringham Beach
Named in 1865 after the Prince of Wales' Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; the village was previously Gipsy Village, founded and named by Josiah Morris Holloway in.
Black Rock
Named after Black Rock House, the name of which came from Black Rock near Dublin.
Ricketts Point
Named after Captain Thomas Ricketts, an early settler who had a house nearby. Some 19th century maps show it as Rickards Point, but it is unclear whether this was a variation in the spelling of Ricketts, or whether there was an association with the Rickards family.
Watkins Bay
Named after John Watkins (1832-1911), a fisherman who had a shack on Ricketts Point in the 1860s.
Table Rock Point
Descriptive of its shape.
Beaumaris Bay
The name stems from James Moysey and his wife Susanna's 32 ha pastoral property Beaumaris Park. Although a Devon man, Moysey took the name from the Welsh coastal resort where Edward the First built Beau Maurais Castle. Beaumaris Bay was formerly known as Moyes Bay, which is a mis-spelling of Moysey's name.
Pt Ormond
Named after Capt. Ormond, master of Glen Huntley, which landed typhus infected people there in 1841.
Mentone Beach
Named after the seaside resort of Menton, near Nice in France, spelling modified.
Mordialloc Beach
Name taken from the Aboriginal moordy yallock, meaning little sea (lagoon).
Aspendale Beach
Named after the successful racing mare Aspen in 1882.
Carrum Beach
Named after the ancient English settlement mentioned in Arthurian legends, but the station was called Garem Gam, Aboriginal for boomerang.
Seaford Beach
Named after the seaside resort in Sussex, England, or possibly Sleaford, Lincolnshire, birthplace of a local councillor.
Frankston Beach
Some say that it took its name from the hotel run by Frank Stone beside Kananook Creek in the 1880s; others that it was named after Charles Franks, who was killed by aborigines in 1856.
Olivers Hill
Named after James Oliver, a fisherman, who used it as a lookout for fish shoals.
Woolley's (Wooley's) Reef
Named after William Woolley, an early settler in Frankston and member of the Mount Eliza District Road Board, who bought land near Olivers Hill in the 1850s.
Daveys Point / Bay
Named after early settler, William Davey, who moved into the area in 1854. He held the Mount Eliza pre-emptive right in 1851.
Pelican Pt
Possibly because pelicans were common here.
Mount Eliza
Named by Captain William Hobson of HMS Rattlesnake in 1836 after the wife of John Batman.
Canadian Bay
Named after three Canadians who operated a sawmill here.
Half Moon Beach
Its shape.
Red Bluff
Named for the colour of the rocks there.
Schnapper Pt
Alexander Balcombe, who settled on the adjacent land, is said to have named the township after the harvest from the sea readily obtainable here. However the geographical feature was named by Matthew Flinders on 29 April 1802 from its resemblance to the head of a fish.
Marina Cove
Used by the early settlers as a mooring place for boats.
Mornington Peninsula
1864. Named after Marquis Wellesley, 2nd earl of Mornington, Gov.General of British India.
Linley Point
Named after Frederick M. Linley, President of the Progress Association in 1914 and a Shire on Mornington Councillor in the 1920s. Previously Fishermans Point.
Balcombe Bay
Named in 1846 after Alexander Balcome, owner of Chechingurk (The Briars) station. It was between Balcombe Road and the Bay, west of Warrigal Road, where central Mentone is now situated.
Martha Pt
Believed to honour the wife of Captain (later Lieutenant-Governor) Lonsdale, the first police magistrate in Melbourne. Captain Hobson named Mount Martha in 1836.
Dromana Bay
Dromana is believed to have Irish origins in its name, presumably Dromina in County Cork. Dromana was the site of one of the Special Surveys proclaimed in the state Jamieson's Survey.
Arthurs Seat
15.2.1802. Murray. "from its resemblance to a mountain of that name a few miles from Edinburgh".
Capel Sound
Camerons Bight
Named after H. G. Cameron, land licensee 1840-57.
The Sisters
Named in 1844 after Niel Black's station near Noorat in Western Victoria.
Sullivan Bay
Named after John Sullivan, the British Undersecretary For War and the Colonies. It was the site of the first settlement in the Port Phillip district. By coincidence there was Patrick Sullivan, a lime burner, living in this area some years later.
Collins Bay
Named after Lieut-Colonel David Collins who headed an expeditionary party in two ships along with 19 settlers, 26 settlers' wives and children, 50 marines, civil officers, 299 male convicts and 29 convicts' wives and children despatched from England on 27 April 1803. On board were. The convicts were aged between 9 and 57 years. They established the bay's first white settlement at Sullivan Bay in October 1803. It was short-lived. Water was scarce, the narrow bay entrance was treacherous, timber was in short supply and they were vulnerable to attack. By May 1804, Collins had received permission to abandon the camp and move it to Van Diemen's Land and establish Hobart, which was where Baudin's crew had indicated they were considering starting a settlement.
Sorrento Beach
Named by Sir Charles Duffy, parliamentarian, after the Italian coastal town near Naples.
Point King
Named in 1837 after Daniel King, surgeon on the surveying ship HMS Rattlesnake.
Point McArthur
Nnamed after John McArthur of the NSW Corps.
Point Franklin
Named after Sir John Franklin, Governor of Tasmania in 1841.
Weeroona Bay
Named after the cutter P.S. "Weeroona" which operated in Port Phillip Bay from 1910-1942. Owned originally by Huddart Parker Ltd., it served as a hospital ship in World War II and was dismantled at Berry's Bay, N.S.W. in 1951.
Ticonderoga Bay
Recalls a sailing ship, Ticonderoga, which arrived from England with two thirds of those on board infected by Yellow Fever. The people were dumped on the shores of the bay by the authorities. It was this incident which led to the construction of the Quarantine Station on Cape Nepean.
Observatory Point
Named in 1837 from the surveying ship HMS Rattlesnake.
Pt Nepean / Nepean Bay
7.3.1803. Flinders. Named after Evan Nepean (1751-1822), 1st Lord of the Admiralty.
Pt Hunter
7.3.1803. Flinders. Named after John Hunter, Capt. HMS Sirius, and later Governor of NSW.
Cheviot Beach
Named after the ship Cheviot, wrecked here on 19 October 1897. On 17 December 1967 Australian prime minister Harold Holt disappeared into the sea here.
Jubilee Point
Named in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Diamond Point, Diamond Bay
Also named to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Boag Rocks
Origin uncertain: James Robertson Boag had a dairy and probably a guest house in Dromana in the 1870s, but there is no evidence of a link between him or his family and this rocky headland beside Gunnamatta Beach.
Gunnamatta Beach
From the Aboriginal named for the sandhills here.
Rowley Rocks / Cove
Named after Robert Rowley, pioneer settler in 1839.
 Cape Schanck (right)
5.12.1800. Grant. Named after Capt. John Schanck, who designed the centreboard keel of Lady Nelson. In 1802, Nicholas Baudin name it Cape Richelieu.
Pulpit Rock
Its shape.
Bushrangers Bay
Named after the Irish outlaws Henry Bradley and Patrick O'Connor who landed here after hijacking the schooner Sophia in Van Diemens Land and forcing the captain to take them across Bass Strait and land them here (Sorrento Historical Society).
Cairns Bay
Nnamed after David Cairns from Boneo, who took up land near here in 1888.
Picnic Pt
Simmons Bay
West Head
Descriptive of its location.
Cruiser Pt
Kennon Cove
Named after William Kennon, an early settler, who used to load cattle at Flinders.
Point Leo
Possibly named after Leo Hemingway, who ran his tobacco van between Hastings and Flinders in the 1930s, but the link between him and the fishermen who had galvanised iron huts on the point at this time has not been established. Alternatively, some consider that the headland has the shape of a lion's face. The Aboriginal name was Bobbanarring.
Pt Summer
Coolart Pt
Sandy Pt
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Merricks Beach
Named after Alfred Meyricks, holder of Boniyong Station, who lived at Coolart between 1840 and 1845. It was known as Cole or Coles Beach after local settlers who arrived in 1874, and this name was still in use until the 1960s.
Palmer Bluff
Named after J. Palmer, a local resident, who had a house on the headland in 1879. (
Balnarring Beach
Based on the name of a local Aboriginal tribe, the Boonwurrung, applied first to the creek, now known as Merricks Creek. An alternative origin is that it is from the Irish Ballymerang, but the link is obscure. Previously Tulum Beach, Tulum being an Aboriginal word for wild duck.
Westernport
5.1.1798. Bass. Its situation to other known harbours in the region. Named Port Du Debut (Port of Departure) by Peron's of the expedition of Nicolas Baudin of 1802. Named King George's Sound by Grant, 10.12.1800. This was changed to avoid confusion with King George Sound at Albany, WA. Also known as Western Port Bay.
Hanns Inlet
Named after J and R Hann who settled nearby in 1853.
Stony Pt
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Crib Pt
Named after a hut built here by J and R Hann.
Woodleys Beach
Named after Bill Woodley, who kept a cool room here to store fish in the early 1900s.
Denham Beach
A beach (no longer accessible because of the Lysaght Industrial Site) at the eastern end of Denham Road, named after a local orchardist. Clarkes Beach, a little to the north and also now inaccessible, was named after another orchardist.
Golden Pt
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive of its shape.
Sandstone Isld
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Long Island / Long Island Pt
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Watson Inlet
Named by hydrographer Henry Cox after James H. Watson, who wrote about Quail Island.
Warneet
Aboriginal term for river.
Chinamans Island
Presumably a Chinaman lived on it.
Sawtells Inlet
Named in 1840 after Melbourne merchant Edwin Sawtell.
Tooradin
Aboriginal term for swamp monster (cf. Bunyip) that lived in Sawtells Inlet.
Bourchier Channel
A tidal channel in Western Port Bay south of Tooradin, named after the Master of the ship that took hydrographer Henry Cox on surveying cruises.
Boulton Channel
A tidal channel in Western Port Bay south of the Bourchier Channel, named after Acting 2nd Master J. G. Boulton, who served with Captain Bourchier on the ship that took hydrographer Henry Cox on surveying cruises.
Koo-wee-rup Swamp
Aboriginal term for blackfish.
Lang Lang
Possibly named after Mr Lang, a local pioneer, but it may be derived from an Aboriginal term for a group of trees.
Grantville Bay
Grantville was probably named by surveyor Edmund Colbert in 1870 after James McPherson Grant, MLA, a lawyer who was a Member of Parliament from 1855 to 1885. It was not named after Lieutenant James Grant, who had sailed the Lady Nelson into Western Port Bay in 1801.
Quail Island
Blind Bight
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Tenby Point
Named after Tenby in Wales by an early settler James Cuthbert in 1840.
Cobb Bluff
Shown as Watsons Bluff on an 1850 map. However, it appeared on Stokes' 1843 chart of Western Port - it was not mentioned in his Discoveries, and there is no indication that anyone of this name was in his team.
Coronet Bay
Named by developer David Wise in 1959 when an estate subdivision was initiated.
Bass River
Named in 1798 by George Bass, discoverer of Western Port Bay.
French Island
Named in 1802 as Ile des Français by the French explorer Brévedent, with Milis and Faure from Jacques Hamelin's ship the Naturaliste (Blake 1977). They then called Phillip Island Ile des Anglais.
Chilcott Rocks
A rock outcrop on the west coast of French Island, 3 km north of Tankerton Pier, named after a family from the nearby Callanan Settlement in 1895.
Barrallier Island
An islet off the NW coast of French Island, surveyed and named by Ensign Francis Barrallier during Lieutenant James Grant's expedition to Western Port on the Lady Nelson in 1801. There was confusion because barilla was produced in this area by the burning of mangroves to form soda ash for soap making (Bird 1975b), and the island was shown as Brilla on Henry Cox's chart in 1865, and subsequently as Barriliar.
Palmer Point
Named after a local settler on the north coast of French Island.
Scrub Pt
5.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Tortoise Hd
5.12.1800. Grant. Tortoises found there.
Peak Pt
3.12.1800. Grant. Desrcriptive.
Long Pt
28.2.1788. Ball. Decriptive.
Eastern Passage
28.2.1788. Ball. Descriptive of its location.
Ball Bay
28.2.1788. Ball. Named after expedition leader Lieut. H. Lidgbird Ball, HMS Supply.
Corner Isld
5.1.1798. Bass. Its location.
Freeman Point
Named after Edward Freeman of Lang Lang.
Peck Point
A headland on the south coast of French Island named after a local settler in the 1890s.
Elizabeth Island
Named in April 1801 by Lieutenant James Grant after the daughter of Governor Phillip King. He initially called it Margaret Island (after Governor King's wife).
Phillip Island
28.2.1788. Ball. Named after Arthur Phillip, 1st Governor of NSW. Named Ile des Anglais by Baudin, 1801 though this name was never used; named Snapper Island by Murray, 21.3.1801 because of the quantities of fish caught there. This name was also never officially used.
Forrest Caves
Nnamed after James Forrest, who lived in a nearby homestead.
Sunderland Bluff
Named after the James Sunderland, who lived nearby, and became a Shire Councillor.
Barry Beach
Named after W. Baragwanath, a director of the Geological Survey.
Helens Head
Probably named after Helen Clyne, daughter of George Clyne, who owned a property overlooking Helen's Head in 1872.
Watt Point
Named after William Watt of Cowes, who became a federal Member of Parliament, Cabinet minister and Acting Prime Minister of Australia in 1917. The Speke was wrecked here on 22 February 1906.
Kitty Miller Bay
Named after the daughter of a Phillip Island settler.
Kennon Head
Probably named after Stanley Kennon, a Cowes seafarer and son of William Kennon (see Kennon Cove) who collected oil from seals on Seal Rocks in the 1890s, but some think that it commemorates his son, Captain James Kennon, who became a member of the first Phillip Island Shire Council in 1928.
Phelan Bluff
Named after Pat Phelan, an Irishman who settled locally and worked for the McHaffies.
The Nobbies
Named by J. D. McHaffie, nobby meaning native.
Point Grant
Named by Matthew Flinders in 1802 after Lieutenant James Grant, captain of the Lady Nelson.
Point Sambell
Named after A. K. T. Sambell, a civil engineer who founded the Phillip Island Shire Council in 1926.
Cat Bay
Named by George Bass in January 1798 because he lost his cat here.
Grossard Point
Named for the burial place of Captain William Grossard, accidentally shot while visiting Phillip Island in December 1868.
McHaffie Reef
Named after John McHaffie, the first landholder on Phillip Island in 1842,
Elizabeth Cove
Named in April 1801 by Lieutenant James Grant after the daughter of Governor Phillip King.
Cowes
Named by Commander Henry Cox in 1865 on his chart of Western Port, from its geographical similarity to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Previously called Mussel Rocks by J. D. McHaffie.
Erehwon Point
Formerly Smith Point, then named after a local guesthouse: It is derived from 'Nowhere' spelt backwards.
Rhyll Inlet
Named after Rhyll, a seaside resort on the coast of north Wales. Called Crique des Mangliers (Mangrove Creek) by Dumont D'Urville when he anchored his ship Astrolabe here in November 1826.
Lady Nelson Point
Named by Lieutenant James Grant in March 1801 when the Lady Nelson anchored near the bluff south of Rhyll.
Denne Bight
Named after an early settler.
Chambers Point
Named after early settlers.
Cleeland Bight
Named after local settler John Cleeland who lived in Wollamai House on Homestead Point in 1869.
Fishermans Pt
Observation Pt
Penguin Rock
5.12.1800. Grant. Fairy penguin colony seen there.
Pt Grant
5.12.1800. Grant. Expedition leader, Lieut. James Grant.
 Barrys Beach
Cape Woolamai (right)
7.1.1798. Bass. Aboriginal word for the snapper fish. Named because the cape is shaped like a snapper's head.
Woody Pt
6.12.1800. Grant. descriptive.
Churchill Isld
21.3.1801. Murray. Named after John Churchill of Dawlish, Devonshire, who provided who supplied fruit and vegetable seeds to the expedition. The seeds sown on the island by William Grant in December 1800.
Swan Corner
Davis Pt
Settlement Pt
Davis Point
Probably named after Richard Davis, a local settler who discovered coal at Cape Paterson in 1852. This may have been the sandy point called Pointe des Philédons (Honeyeater Point) by D'Urville in 1826.
Griffiths Point
Named after the Van Diemens Land merchant John Griffiths who sent wattlebark strippers here in 1835.
Powlett River
Named after Frederick Powlett, Commissioner of the Western Port District in 1840.
Harmers Haven
Named after the Harmers Haven Estate, a 1959 subdivision.
Cape Paterson
20.3.1801. Murray. Named after Col William Paterson of NSW Corps. and later Lieut. Governor of NSW.
Wreck Beach
Named from the wreck of the Artisan here in 1901.
Venus Bay
Named Baie de La Vénus by Baudin on the Géographe on 29 March 1802, after the evening star.
Andersons Inlet
Named after the explorer Samuel Anderson, who settled in this area in 1837.
Tarwin River
Named from an Aboriginal term, darwhin.
Point Smythe
Named after Surveyor George D. Smythe. Previously Cormorant Point.
Morgan Beach
Probably named after a local landowner.
Cape Liptrap
9.12.1800. Grant. Named after John Liptrap, a friend of Grant who lived in London.
Grinder Point
Named by Lieutenant H. J. Stanley during his coastal survey of South Gippsland in 1868 from the noise of waves breaking on large boulders here.
Maitland Beach
The S.S. Maitland was stranded briefly on the Glennie Islands in August 1890.
Bell Point
Named after Captain William Bell, captain of the ship Waratah.
Waratah Bay
Named after Captain William Bell's ship Waratah, which anchored here in 1854.
 Sandy Pt (right)
20.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive.
Shallow Inlet
20.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive.
Wilsons Promontory
9.3.1803. Flinders. Named by Governor Hunter on the recommendation of George Bass and Matthew Flinders, after London merchant Thomas Wilson, a friend of Matthew Flinders. There was sometimes confusion with South Cape, which was the name for the southern point, not the mountainous peninsula.
Tongue Pt
20.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive of its shape.
Squeaky Beach
20.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive of the noise made when walking on the sand. The sand consists of well-rounded quartz grains that squeak when walked upon.
Whisky Bay
Named after Whisky Creek, where two bullock drovers broached a case of whisky and camped overnight.
Leonard Point, Leonard Bay
origin unknown.
Norman Point / Bay / Island
Named after Captain William Norman, who brought Sir Charles Hotham to Melbourne in his ship Queen of the South in 1854. Another suggestion is that Captain Norman's ship was the Victoria, which sailed in these waters in the 1860s.
Oberon Point / Bay / Mt Oberon
Named by Lieutanant H. J. Stanley during his 1868 survey, after the S.S. Oberon, which was owned by the Port Albert Steam Navigations Company and sailed in coastal waters in the 1850s and 1860s.
Glennie Group
10.12.1800. Grant. Named after George Glennie, a London friend of Captain Schanck.
Anser Islands Group
Probably named after the Cape Barren Geese (Family Anserinae) that frequent this island by Lieutenant H. J. Stanley, who surveyed the islands west and south of Wilsons Promontory in 1868.
Cleft Isld
Also known as Skull Rock, it is thus named because this granite outcrop has a cave dug out of it on one side by the wind and waves, which is shaped like a skull.
South West Point
21.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive of its location in relation to the promontory.
Wattle Isld
21.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive of the vegetation found there.
 Carpentaria Rock
Named after the S.S. Carpentaria which struck this rock (then uncharted) and sank in 1878.
Rodondo Island (right)
A steep-sided rock with a large cavern, named by Lieutenant James Grant on the Lady Nelson in December 1800 from its resemblance to the volcanic island of Redonda, north of Montserrat in the Leeward Islands, West Indies.
East / West Moncoeur Islds
South East Pt
21.3.1801. Murray. Desrcriptive of its location in relation to the promontory.
Sir Roger Curtis Island
Named by Lieutenant James Grant on the Lady Nelson in December 1800, after Sir Roger Curtis, who was Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.
Fenwick Bight
Named after Frederick Fenwick, an early settler.
Waterloo Bay
18.6.1842. Stokes. The Beagle arrived here on the anniversary of the the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1812 by the Duke of Wellington.
Seal Islds
18.6.1842. Stokes. A seal colony found there.
Cape Wellington
18.6.1842. Stokes. The Beagle arrived here on the anniversary of the the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1812 by the Duke of Wellington.
Brown Head
18.6.1842. Stokes. Descriptive.
Horny Pt
18.6.1842. Stokes. Projection has two hummocks resembling horns.
Refuge Cove
Named by Captain John Lort Stokes in 1841 when he sheltered HMS Beagle in this bay.
Hobbs Head
Possibly named by Lieutenant H. J. Stanley during his coastal survey in 1868 after James Hobbs, who had circumnavigated Tasmania in a whaleboat in 1824.
Sealers Cove
Named by George Bass in January 1798 because it was used by sealers.
Seal Island
Named by Lieutenant James Grant on the Lady Nelson in March 1801, when he caught seals here.
Miranda Bay
Named after a Tasmanian schooner that traded livestock from Port Albert and was wrecked here in 1852.
Rabbit Island
Named in 1842 by Captain John Lort Stokes because of the numerous rabbits, descendants of those left here by Captain Wishart from the Wallaby in 1836 to provide a food supply for sailors. There were plenty of rabbits when it was visited by the Gippsland Company's ship Singapore in 1841.
Johnnie Sussie Pt
Recalls a Chinese fish curing operator here in the early 1860s. Also spelt Johnny Souey or Suey.
Hunter Point
Named by George Bass in 1798 after Governor Hunter of New South Wales (Bass 1798).
Corner Inlet
Named by Matthew Flinders in 1798, after George Bass had described Wilson's Promontory as "the corner-stone of New Holland". Shown as Corner Basin on John Lort Stokes' chart of 1842.
Mount Singapore
At the northern end of Wilsons Promontory, named after the Gippsland Company's ship Singapore, which arrived in Corner Inlet on 13 February 1841.
Chinaman Beach
Probably one of several places where illegal immigrants from China landed and stayed prospecting and fishing.
Franklin Channel
26.10.1842. Stokes. Named after John Franklin (1786-1847), midshipman on Investigator, English Rear-Admiral and explorer. Franklin, who has more Australian coastal features named after him than anyone else, was born at Spilsby, Lincolnshire in a line of free-holders or "franklins" from whom they had derived their surname long before. As fifth and youngest son of nine children, he was destined for the church. However, he desired at an early age to be a sailor and overcame his father's resistance. At the age of 15, he took part in the battle of Copenhagen on board the Polyphemus. Two months later, he joined the Investigator and became Flinders' most adept student. After the end of the war with France, he turned to science and exploration on land and at sea. Between 1836 and the end of 1843, he was Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania. His final task was the North-West Passage to the Pacific. The expedition embarked on Erebus and Terror on 19.05.1845 with 129 officers and men. It disappeared soon afterwards in the arctic waters and the search for it became one of the most taxing tasks of arctic exploration during the Ninteenth Century.
Granite Isld
26.10.1842. Stokes. Descriptive.
Barry (Barrie) Point
Named after a Director of the Geological Survey, W. Baragwanath, whose family (including John Baragwanath) had land here.
Agnes River
Named by Governor La Trobe in 1845 after his daughter.
Port Welshpool
Named from the town in Wales.
Bennison Isld
Duck Pt
26.10.1842. Stokes. Many ducks found here.
Snake Isld
26.10.1842. Probably named from its shape on the chart. It was shown as Latrobe Island on John Lort Stokes' chart of 1842, but was Snake Island on an 1845 map.
Little Snake Isld
26.10.1842. Stokes. Thus named as it was a small island near Snake Island.
Townsend Point
Probably named by George Smythe after Surveyor Townsend.
Sunday Isld
27.10.1842. Stokes. Explored on a Sunday.
Clonmel Islds
The Brig, Clonmel, was wrecked here 2.1.1841.
St Margaret Isld
There is said to be a link with St Margaret's Bay west of Halifax in Nova Scotia, but this is obscure. It was known by this name in the 1850s when the W.E. and A.S.Laing held it as a sheep run.
Seal Islands
Many seals caught or seen here.
White Rock
Descriptive.
Notch Rag
Kate Kearney Entrance
Named after the first ship (or one of the first) to sail in through this entrance to Port Albert.
Port Albert
Named in 1841 by the Gippsland Company after Prince Albert.
Tarra River
Named after Charley Tarra, Aboriginal guide with the Gippsland Company in 1841.
Robertson Beach
Named after a local settler.
Manns Beach
Named after a local settler.
McLaughlins Beach
Named after a local settler and landowner.
The Ninety Mile Beach
Descriptive. It was originally called Long Beach by George Bass in 1798, but the name Ninety Mile Beach was in use by 1841, when the Clonmel was wrecked near its south-western end.
McLoughlins Beach
Named after John McLoughlin, a fisherman from Shallow Inlet, in the 1920s.
Jack Smith Lake
Named after a local landowner.
McGaurans Beach
Named after one of the five McGauran brothers who had freehold land near here in 1900.
Lake Denison
Named after Sir William Denison, Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania (1847-55).
Merriman Creek
Sccording to a report in the Gippsland Mercury of 13 February 1874 this creek was named after a bullock called Merriman which drowned here in the 1840s.
Lake Reeve
Named after John Reeve of Tarraville in 1842.
Jemmys Point
Possibly named after Jemmy Gibber, an Aboriginal who accompanied Angus McMillan on his journey down from Monaro in 1839, but there is no evidence that McMillan then visited this point. An alternative story is that it was originally Jembuck Point, because a sheep escaped there from John Reeve's party in 1841.
Lake King
Named by Count Paul Strzelecki in April 1840 after Governor Philip King. It was the eastern part of Lake Victoria, previously named by Angus McMillan.
Tambo River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1839. The name is believed to be of Aboriginal origin.
Lake Victoria
Named by Angus McMillan on arriving there on 28,12.1839; the eastern part of this lake was later renamed Lake King. possibly named after Queen Victoria who became Queen in 1837.
Nicholson River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1839 after Dr Sir Charles Nicholson, who represented the Port Phillip District on the NSW Legislative Council and was later Colonial Secretary.
Clifton Morass
Named after Angus McMillan's horse Clifton, who was bogged here in December 1839.
Jones Bay
Named after Frederick Jones of Lucknow station.
Mitchell River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1839 after Sir Thomas Mitchell, explorer and Surveyor General of New South Wales.
Raymond Island
Named after William O'Dell Raymond, pioneer settler in Stratford in 1842; he took up the run at Strathfieldsaye near Lake Wellington.
McLennan Strait
Originally McLellan Strait, named after the superintendent of The Heart Station, Latrobe Rive.
Holland Landing
Named after Stephen Holland, a local settler.
Lake Wellington
Seen by Angus McMillan in 1840, when he assumed it was the western part of Lake Victoria. Strzelecki may have seen it when he travelled from the Mitchell River to the Avon River in May 1840, but he too may have thought it part of Lake Victoria. It was visited and named "after the Iron Duke" by W.A Brodribb in 1841.
Avon River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1840.
Perry River
Named after Captain Perry of the NSW Survey Department by Count Strzelecki in 1840.
Macalister River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1840 after his employer.
Thomson River
Named by Angus McMillan in 1840 after Sir Edward Thomson, Colonial Secretary at Sydney.
Latrobe River
Named by W. A. Brodribb in 1841 after C. J. Latrobe, Lieutenant Governor of the Port Phillip District. It had been called the Glengarry by Angus McMillan in 1840, but this name was displaced. Some say that Count Paul Strzelecki named it the Latrobe later in 1840.
Bunga Arm
The name is of Aboriginal origin.
Lake Tyers
Brodribb River
Named after W. A. Brodribb, pioneer.
French Narrows
Named after a Melbourne dentist, Dr French, who in the 19th century made annual journeys from Melbourne with a horse-drawn caravan, treating dental patients en route.
Motts Beach
Locally believed to originate from MOTS, an acronym for Mouth of the Snowy.
Point Ricardo
Possibly named by John Lort Stokes in 1843 after the famous English economist, David Ricardo.
 Cape Conran (right)
Named by George Smythe in 1850 after Captain Lewis Conran of the 11th Regiment.
Dock Inlet
Origin uncertain - there was never a dock here, it may have originally been Duck.
Pearl Point
Thought to be either a corruption of an Aboriginal name, Py'yort, or to be named after the colonial schooner Pearl, which surveyed these shores in the 1860s.
Sydenham Inlet
Named after Sir George Sydenham Clarke, Governor of Victoria 1901-03.
Tamboon Inlet
Named from the Aboriginal term tambo, meaning fish.
Clinton Rocks
Possibly derived from the name of a ship, but no details are available.
Pt Hicks (Cape Everard)
19.4.1770. Cook. Named after 2nd Lieut. Zachary Hicks, who first sighted land. The name Cape Everard honoured William Everard, Victorian Commissioner for Crown Lands.
Ram Head
19.4.1770. Cook. Similar in shape to Ram (now known as Rame) Head, west of Plymouth Sound, England.
Sandy Patch Pt
19.4.1770. Cook. Descriptive.
Wingan Inlet
Named from an Aboriginal term, wangan, meaning reed bed.
 Little Ram Head
19.4.1770. Cook. Smaller version of Ram Head.
Devlins (Develings) Inlet
Named after an early settler who came to Mallacoota from South Africa in the 1840s and selected 50 acres of coastal land which became known as Devlins Paddock, adjacent to this Inlet.
Mallacoota Inlet (right)
From the Aboriginal word, meaning 'meeting place'.
Wau Waila Isld
Aboriginal word, meaning unknown.
Genoa River
Based on an Aboriginal name meaning urine, perhaps on the same principle that a stream in Dorset, England, is called the River Piddle.
Gabo Isld
Named from an Aboriginal word, either meaning "island", or "we don't understand". It was seen but not named by Captain Cook in April 1770; probably Surveyor George Smythe gave it this name.
Cape Howe
20.4.1770. Cook. Named after Earl Richard Howe, Treasurer of the Royal Navy of the Admiralty.
Disaster Bay
Green Cape
4.2.1798. Its appearance.
Nowwarry Pt
A name of Aboriginal origin.
Red Pt
Descriptive.
 Twofold Bay (right)
19.12.1797. Bass. A double bay.
Worange Pt
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Toalio Pt
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Merimbula Pt
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Bournda Isld
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Wallagool Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Tathra Head
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Tanja Lagoon
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Wapengo Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Goalen Head
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Murah Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Cuttagee Isld
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Wallago Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Cape Dromedary
20.4.1770. Cook. Its shape.
Corunna Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
 Montague Isld (right)
April 1770. Cook. Named after George Montagu Dunk, Earl of Halifax (1716 - 1771). Became earl on his father's death in 1739. Educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was married in 1741 to Anne Richards, a lady who had inherited a great fortune from Sir Thomas Dunk, whose name was taken by Halifax. In 1748 he became president of the Board of Trade. While filling this position he helped to found Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, which was named after him, and in several ways he rendered good service to trade, especially with North America. In March 1761 Halifax was appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland, 1763 - 65, First Lord of the Admiralty.
Lake Mummuga
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Lake Birroul
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Mark Pt
Turros Heads
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Coila Lake
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Moruya Heads
The Moruya townsite was surveyed and Surveyor Sir Thomas Mitchell, a supporter of Aboriginal place names, who selected the name 'Mherroyah', a local Aboriginal word for 'resting place of black swans' which were very common in the district. Thus 'Moruya', or 'Mherroyah' was adopted when the town was gazetted in 1851
Mossy Pt
Burrewarra Pt
A name of Aboriginal origin, perhaps the Aboriginal name for this locality.
Batemans Bay
22.4.1770. Cook. Named after Capt. Nathaniel Bateman, Cook's superior on the Northumberland while engaged in a survey of the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
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