Changing the name of our suburbs

 

Melbourne Punch, 22 April 1869

As you probably know already, Coburg was originally called Pentridge until 1869 when residents successfully lobbied for a change to Coburg as it no longer wished to share the name of what had become Victoria's most feared prison.

You can see here the fun the staff at the Melbourne Punch had putting together a ditty based on two of the choices put forward - Merriville led to the description of its residents as Merri-villians. Coburg led to Co-burglars. 

On that occasion, Coburg was the choice.

Move forward 45 years and Coburg was looking to change its name again. It was the the first month of WW1 and now Coburg was considering divesting itself of its Germanic name. 

Some of the mooted changes will be familiar - Merri (the suggestion of the local branch of the Australian Natives Association - the ANA). Others suggestions were Stanley (probably after the newly arrived Victorian Governor) and Linlithgow (after the Scottish town, perhaps). 

We know that name change did not take place, but in 1920 anti-German sentiment was still evident when the matter of changing Coburg's name cropped up again. This time the mooted change was to 'Moreland', which eventually occurred more than 70 years later.

Moving on to Brunswick...

I discovered recently that the name Merriville occurs also in Brunswick's early history in an area that for a while was called West Northcote, then Brunswick and is now part of North Fitzroy. It was to be a suburb in its own right but this did not happen. 'Merriville Lodge' was the name of the home of the Assistant Protector (later Guardian) of Aborigines William Thomas from the 1860s until his death in December 1867. Its address was variously given as Government Road then Westgarth Street, West Northcote then Brunswick Road, Brunswick and later Holden Street, North Fitzroy.

This map of the proposed Township of West Northcote, on Thomas's land gives a slightly better idea of its location. 

And so we move forward to later 2021 and Moreland Council's decision to change the City's name.

Not long to wait to see what name is chosen.