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Want to know more about the Noongar origins of the name of your street, suburb or town? A new website developed by researchers at The University of Western Australia with colleagues at Curtin University might help.

The website , which is named "Boodjar", meaning "Country", is part of a massive project led by respected Noongar Elder, scholar and Australian Research Council Chief Investigator, Professor Len Collard.

The website has an interactive map of the south-west of WA, where most names are Noongar even today.  The map is divided into the ancient Noongar regions and by clicking on places to find the meanings of place-names in each, you feel as if you are stepping back into the pre-colonial past and getting an insight into the lives of people who lived there for thousands of years.

For example, Cowaramup means "laughing on the way to the district of the clear plains"; Karrinyup is "the place of spiders"; Kojonup is "the location of the axe"; Munglinup is "where young people met their in-laws"; Nannup is where "I stayed to take a breath" and Narembeen is "where the mallee hen dug a hole to find food".

Professor Collard, who took all the photos for the website, said Noongar was one of Australia's biggest Aboriginal language groups and he hoped this project would help its resurgence.

"The website also enables everyone who lives in the south-west to relate more intensely to the place's long-term history," he said.

"It will help them to see that they are part of a special environment that has sustained people over 30,000 years.

"And we hope it will enhance visitor and tourist opportunities."

Media are invited to the website launch on Friday 27 March at The University Club of Western Australia, Hackett Entrance One.  RSVP to Sabrina Swift (+61 8) 6488 7647 or [email protected]

Media references

Professor Len Collard (ARC Chief Investigator, UWA School of Indigenous Studies)  (+61 8) 6488 7422 / (+61 4) 07 981 863
David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716