Seven years on from the decision to change its name, 'Blackboy Park' in Boorloo/Perth's northern suburbs has a new name: Koolyanga Park.
Seven years ago the City of Joondalup council determined the name of the Mullaloo park was no longer appropriate and needed to change.
This week it was finally made official. The City will now install signs with the park's new name.
The City said on Tuesday that the change followed an "extensive" process of community consultation, engagement with First Nations groups, and formal consideration by Council and Landgate.
Joondalup mayor Daniel Kingston said the new name acknowledged the cultural significance of Aboriginal language in the area and reflected the city's commitment to respectful place-naming practices.
"The former name, which features prominently on park signage, is no longer considered appropriate," Mr Kingston said, Perth Now reports.
"Koolyanga Park represents a respectful and locally meaningful choice, and is a name our community can be proud of."
Community consultation held by the City of Joondalup in 2025 showed 55 per cent of around 1800 submissions supportive of renaming the park. Those in favour of a change said the name was "offensive, outdated, derogatory and racist", and that a new name would make the park feel "more respectful and welcoming".
The Council first raised concerns about the park's old name in 2019, but it wasn't until 2024 that an Aboriginal-led consultancy was engaged and the name Koorlangka Park, meaning "children's park" in Noongar, was selected. Ultimately the name Koolyanga Park was chosen, taking its lead from the name of a nearby street.
Perth Now reports that at a Council meeting in July last year, Cr Russ Fishwick, who initiated the renaming motion in 2019, expressed frustration at how long the process had taken.
"When I first raised this notice of motion some six and a half years ago, I didn't really believe it would take this long, and it still hasn't been resolved," Cr Fishwick said at the time.
The park was given its original name because of the presence of a number of Xanthorrhoea plants - now commonly known as grass trees, but previously known by the racist name 'Blackboys'.
