Boodjar Nyungar Placenames - Western Australia

Nyungar Placenames Introduction (85596 KB)

The South-West of Western Australia covers the general area south of Geraldton and west of Esperance and Nungarin. To the Nyungar people, the area is known as Nyungar Boodjar. Within this area, 50% of the placenames are of Nyungar origin but, to date, little of their meaning has been widely known.

Professor Len Collard led a dedicated project team into a three-year investigation of the history and meanings of Nyungar placenames in the area.

This website shares the results of the team’s extensive research. It provides Nyungar placenames and meanings while offering insight into the research project.

This Boodjar Nyungar Placenames project begins to redress the void in the identification, recording and writing of Australian Indigenous histories.
This research was supported under Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects, Indigenous Researchers Development funding scheme.