Park names policy

The NPWS policy on the naming of national parks and reserves includes the following:

• parks, except historic sites and Aboriginal areas, are usually named after a prominent natural (geographic) feature in the landscape. The local Aboriginal name of the prominent natural feature is preferred
• historic sites are named after the place, event, person or persons they commemorate
• Aboriginal areas are given Aboriginal names after consultation with, and the consent of, appropriate Aboriginal people
• proposals for new park names and re-naming parks will be referred to the Geographical Names Board
• the decision to rename a park is based on several considerations e.g. where the current name is not in accordance with the policy, spelling of the name is incorrect, a wrong or inappropriate Aboriginal name has been used, etc. A complete list of these renaming criteria is given in the full policy
• the NPWS will consider a dual name for a park (eg Kamay-Botany Bay National Park) under certain circumstances
• the NPWS will undertake a review of non-Aboriginal names for existing parks, excluding historic sites, to identify candidate parks for possible renaming (new Aboriginal names or dual naming).

This page only gives a summary of the policy. For detailed information please download the full policy below, together with related documents. The policy includes contacts and a list of relevant legislation.

Documents to download

• Park Names Policy (PDF - 132KB)
  

Page last updated: 23 January 2012