New traditional place names for two Northern Territory communities

Dechlan Brennan Published July 31, 2024 at 10.30am (AWST)

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Bagala Traditional Owner Esther Bulumbara and Charlane Bulumbara, with Trephina Bush from the Board of Bagala Aboriginal Corporation and Wugularr residents. (Image: supplied)

The Northern Territory government has announced the renaming of two communities to represent their Indigenous place names, with Beswick and Pigeon Hole formally changing to Wugularr and Nitjpurru.

The name changes come after requests to the NT Place Names Committee from the communities Traditional Owners, and the requests were supported through consultation with community members, local government, and the Northern Land Council.

The community formerly known as Beswick will officially be named Wugularr.

Located on the traditional lands of the Bagala Clan of the Jawoyn Nation on the banks of the Waterhouse River approximately 116 km south-east of Katherine, Wugularr is home to 600 people.

Despite the English name being adopted in the 1870s from the former pastoral lease known as Beswick Station and the Beswick Creek, and named after James Beswick, the community has always been known locally by its Jawoyn name.

The community formerly known as Pigeon Hole will officially be named Nitjpurru.

Nitjpurru Traditional Owners Raymond Hector and Elmore Anzac with Member for Gwoja Chansey Paech. (Image: supplied)

A former outstation on the Victoria River Downs pastoral lease, located south-west of Katherine, Traditional Owners call the community by its Bilinarra name —the traditional name for the nearby billabong.

Member for Arnhem, Selena Uibo, said names hold significance, and the acknowledgment of Wugularr is of "great importance to the community and the Big Rivers region".

"As the local member, I advocate for the community of Wugularr and I'm glad to see this change finally happen. I know Traditional Owners of Wugularr will be happy to see the official name change," she said.

Member for Gwoja, Chansey Paech, said the people from Nitjpurru have long lobbied for their community to have a Bilinarra name.

"This is an important milestone for the community, and I acknowledge the advocacy of traditional owners and the Victoria Daly Regional Council in driving this change," Mr Paech said.

The government has said road signs will be changed in the coming weeks to reflect the new names and they have already been updated on the place names register.