An official place name may be given to any geographic feature or area of land in Queensland which is deemed by the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy to require a name (e.g. suburbs, mountains and watercourses).

Streets, roads, canals in waterfront developments, highways or freeways, national parks and state forests are generally named by local governments or other state government agencies.

The department has produced a Place names fact sheet (PDF, 232 kB)* and a Place names—localities and suburbs fact sheet (PDF, 223 kB)* that describes the processes and considerations in the naming of geographic features and places, as provided for in the Place Names Act 1994.

Any person may begin the process of naming a geographic feature or area of land in Queensland by lodging a Place name application (PDF, 94 kB)* with any departmental business centre.

• Proposed name change for Brisbane’s CBD
• Search for a Queensland place name
• Official record of place names
• Educational resources

Proposed name change for Brisbane’s CBD

The former Department of Natural Resources and Water sought public comment on the renaming of Brisbane’s central business district (CBD) and the adjoining suburb of Petrie Terrace.

The official name ‘Brisbane’ is proposed to replace the current name ‘City’.

Submissions closed Friday 13 March 2009

Background

Since 1975, the area stretching from the Botanic Gardens to the eastern side of Suncorp Stadium and through the CBD to Boundary Street has been officially known as ‘City’.

The proposed name change aims to avoid confusion and potential postage and emergency service problems.

The proposal is also accompanied by a proposed amendment to the suburb’s boundary to align them with rear property boundaries, or the centrelines of roads and natural features such as the Brisbane River.

Further information

For more information, contact the Department of Environment and Resource Management on (07) 3406 2546 or email Senior Spatial Information Officer.

Search for a Queensland place name

Up to the first 300 matches for a name entered will be returned. If necessary, refine your search and resubmit. Further details will be displayed when you select a returned name.

Search for a Queensland place name

Search for place names Australia wide on the Geoscience Australia web site.

Official record of place names

NRW maintains the Digital Place Names Gazetteer for Queensland. This is a comprehensive and accurate record of approved place names as required under the Place Names Act 1994.

The Gazetteer contains the name, latitude, longitude and map number for each place.

Further information about the Place Names Gazetteer which is available in electronic format including costs, and how they can be obtained, is available from the Resource centre.

Educational resources

The Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) , which coordinates Australian place-naming activities, has developed an online Teacher's Lesson Pack to promote the significance of geographical place names within the community.

For further information please contact:

Geographic Information

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