Woori Yallock. Yarra. Werribee. Traralgon. Mildura are all towns I am sure you would have travelled to or heard about. And, like me you too would have been inquisitive to know what they really mean?
Under the English names, under the colonial grid and under the postcodes and real estate brochures there is an older map.
The one shaped by Woi Wurrung across the Kulin Nation lands.
By Bunwurrung along the coastlines.
By Gunditjmara in the volcanic west.
By Dja Dja Wurrung in central Victoria.
By Gunaikurnai across Gippsland.
Each name carries a story. A seasonal rhythm. A relationship.
Every time you read a road sign, you’re speaking an ancient language without knowing it. Without realising you are carrying forward languages that predate Melbourne’s founding by tens of thousands of years. That’s powerful.
But it’s also a reminder because while these words survived in place names, many First Nations languages were severely disrupted by colonisation. Some were silenced. Others are now being revived through community-led language reclamation projects.
Here’s what those words are actually telling you.
Yarra (Birrarung)
The river that curves through the city comes from the Woi Wurrung word often interpreted as Birrarung which is commonly understood to mean “river of mists” or “ever-flowing.”
When you walk along Southbank or sit beside it in Abbotsford, you are beside Birrarung; a living system named long before skyscrapers framed its banks.
Dandenong Ranges
Dandenong is widely believed to derive from a local Aboriginal word interpreted as something like “high mountains” or “lofty ranges.”
Drive into the Dandenong Ranges on a misty morning and the meaning reveals itself immediately.
Ballarat
Ballarat is understood to come from a local Aboriginal word often translated as “resting place.”
Geelong
Geelong is believed to derive from a Wadawurrung word often interpreted as “land” or “cliffs.”
Near time you visit Geelong, stand at the waterfront and look toward the bluffs.
Woori Yallock
Woori Yallock is thought to mean something along the lines of “running creek” or “plenty of water.” And if you’ve walked there after rain, you understand the logic.
Wangaratta
In the north-east, Wangaratta is often interpreted as meaning something like “nesting place of birds” or “meeting of waters,” reflecting its position near river junctions.
Wodonga
Wodonga is thought to relate to a local Aboriginal word describing water or reeds.
Warrnambool
Warrnambool is believed to derive from a local Aboriginal word, possibly meaning something like “between two rivers.”
Werribee
The name Werribee comes from the Woi Wurrung word Wirribi-yaluk, often interpreted as “backbone” or “spine,” referring to the shape of the river.
Colac
Colac comes from a word interpreted as relating to sand or freshwater lake.
Travel the Great Ocean Road and you’ll notice how often western Victoria’s place names describe terrain, waterways, and seasonal shifts.
Shepparton
Shepparton, though influenced by colonial naming, sits on Yorta Yorta Country, where names like Mooroopna (often interpreted as “deep water”) remain.
Mildura
Mildura is widely understood to derive from a local Aboriginal word often translated as “red earth.”
And if you’ve ever driven through that region, you know how literal that is. The soil glows. Dust rises in copper tones and the land carries colour in its bones.
Echuca
Echuca is widely believed to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning something like “meeting of the waters.”
It sits where the Murray and Campaspe rivers converge.
Traralgon
Traralgon is often interpreted as meaning “little river” in the Gunaikurnai language.
Morwell
Morwell may derive from words referring to woolly possum.
Bairnsdale
Bairnsdale sits on Gunaikurnai Country, where rivers, wetlands and lakes were carefully named and navigated long before highways cut through.
With this new knowledge, I am hoping next time you go on a road trip maybe through Gippsland, along the Murray, or across the Western District, you will slow down at the signposts. Say the name out loud. For new towns, look up its meaning and learn about local legends or its history. Once you know, you are sure to find that the landscape will start to make more sense.
There are hundreds more names across this state carrying stories like these. If there’s a town you’re curious about, please share it. Let’s keep uncovering what’s been hidden in plain sight.
Local Vic acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are live and work. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Aboriginal Elders of other communities who may be here today.
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