How places are named
What can be named?
Under the Place Names Act 1994, geographical features or areas of land, whether natural or artificial, can be named.
Some types of places such as roads, buildings, canals, dam walls and national parks are covered by other legislation and authorities, and are not covered by this guide.
A list of these places and their naming authority is given below.
Natural places
| Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Forests (unprotected), scrubs, mountains, hills, ranges, plateaus, peaks, ridges, rocks, pockets, passes, valleys, gorges, cliffs, lookouts, caves, deserts, plains, craters, rockholes, waterholes, springs, watercourses, waterfalls, lakes, reservoirs, pans, soaks, creeks, fords, rivers, wetlands, reaches, inlets, capes, peninsulas, gulfs, isthmuses, spits, points, bays, lagoons, anchorages, channels, sounds, passages, harbours, reefs, cays, shoals, beaches, dunes, sand banks, bars, islands etc | Place Names Act 1994 (Department of Resources) |
| Undersea features located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park | The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Hydrographic Office and the Queensland Department of Resources have an agreed process for naming reefs and other undersea geographic features within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park |
| Hydrographic and undersea features that are located more than 3 nautical miles offshore | Australian Hydrographic Office |
Constructed places
Note: There is no single naming authority for the following places as they can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government as well as private entities. The table below includes examples of who may be responsible for naming places.
Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Roads, bridges, overpasses, rest areas, bikeways, walkways, cattle grids, culverts, fords, railway crossings, car parks, tunnels, or viaducts, cuttings, public transport infrastructure (e.g. busways, busway stations and bus stops, park n ride facilities, light rail stations) |
At a state level, examples include the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 (Department of Transport and Main Roads and toll road operators) for the naming of roads, and Translink for the naming of public transport infrastructure At a local level, Councils have naming power for roads under the Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 |
| Railway infrastructure such as stations, railway stops (excluding public transport light rail stations) | Queensland Rail is responsible for railway infrastructure |
| Vehicles, boats, aircraft and other mobile assets | The Corrective Services Act 2006 (Queensland Corrective Services) for the naming of vehicles, or Maritime Safety Queensland for the naming of its vessels. |
| Buildings and similar structures (including schools and hospitals) | The Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Department of Education) for educational institutions, the Corrective Services Act 2006 (Queensland Corrective Services) for the naming of corrections centres, or the Department of Health Asset Naming Standard (Queensland Health) for the naming of hospitals and health facilities. |
| Dam walls and similar structures | Seqwater and Sunwater have naming power for dams |
| Canals and open drains, except where they connect parts of a predominantly natural watercourse | |
| Sports fields/grounds, courts, racing tracks, raceways and similar | Stadiums Queensland have naming power for major sports facilities |
| Statues, monuments and commemorative plaques | |
| Survey marks, trigonometric stations, telecommunication towers, water towers, electrical infrastructure and similar | |
| Mines, mine fields, oil fields, quarries and similar | |
| Airports, airfields, landing strips, runways, heliports, helipads and similar | |
| Boat ramps, jetties, marinas, pontoons, harbour infrastructure | Department of Transport and Main Roads have naming power for boat ramps and other marine infrastructure |
| Homesteads and houses | |
| Stations and other similar significant properties | |
| Rural properties |
Administrative places
| Type of place | Naming authority |
|---|---|
| Towns and cities | Place Names Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Resources) |
| Addressable localities (bounded localities and suburbs) | Place Names Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Resources) |
| Local Government Areas | Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 (Queensland Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works, and Local Government Change Commission) |
| The State of Queensland | Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (The Australian Government Attorney General’s Department) |
| Electorates (including local and federal government Divisions /Wards) | Electoral Act 1992 (Queensland Redistribution Commission) Local Government Act 2009and City of Brisbane Act 2010 (Queensland Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works / Local Government Change Commission) Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Australian Electoral Commission) |
| National parks, conservation parks, resources reserves, special wildlife reserves, nature refuges, coordinated conservation areas and Indigenous Joint Management Areas | Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation) |
| Marine Parks | Marine Parks Act 2004 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation) |
| World and other Heritage Areas |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government. At a state level, the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts is responsible for cultural heritage areas. Heritage is the responsibility of the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. |
| Timber reserves and state forests | Forestry Act 1959 (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) |
| Municipal parks and reserves | Councils are responsible for parks and reserves under the Local Government Act 2009 and City of Brisbane Act 2010 |
| River Improvement Trust Areas | River Improvement Trust Act 1940 (Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water) |
| Tourism regions, business districts, pastoral districts, agricultural regions, irrigation regions, administrative regions and similar |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government. At a state level some examples include Tourism and Events Queensland for tourism regions, Queensland Health for Health Service Areas and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service for Fire Levy Districts. |
| Industrial estates, residential estates, business parks and similar |
There is no single naming authority for these places, which can be owned and operated by multiple levels of government as well as private entities. Development Queensland is responsible for commercial estates. |
| Ports | Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and various Ports Corporations) |
| Community title schemes | Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, Land Title Act 1994 (Titles Queensland) |
In this guide:
- What can be named?
- Naming processes
- Suggesting a place name or boundary change
- Naming principles
- Defining boundaries and extent
- Indigenous languages and their relevance to place naming