Blue Mountains could soon be known with Indigenous title

The Three Sisters in Katoomba, NSW, Australia, with some early morning fog around them.
By James Harrison


As many spots around Australia are recognising Indigenous titles, a section of the Blue Mountains is looking to follow suit.

The NSW Geographical Names Board is this week considering whether a section of the Blue Mountains will have a dual name, with ‘Gulumada’ to be attached to it.

The board will mull the name change proposal and put the consideration to the community for feedback, as is the usual next step in this process. However, it could take a few weeks for this decision to finalise.

The board is also considering dual names changes for two landmarsk in Byron Bay: Cape Byron and Julian Rocks.

Cape Byron would have ‘Walgun’ added to it and Julian Rocks would have ‘Nguthungulli’ added.

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains (Image source: Destination NSW/Filippo Rivetti)

The board has written on its website that it has supported a dual naming policy for cultural sites and geographical features since 2001.

“The Board is committed to the preservation and promotion of Aboriginal languages and acknowledging Aboriginal culture through place naming in NSW,” the website reads.

“The Board does this by preferencing traditional Aboriginal place names or names with Aboriginal origin wherever it can and restoring traditional Aboriginal names to features with introduced names through its dual naming policy and recognising important traditional Aboriginal placenames alongside longstanding introduced names.”

The name change talk comes after the Queensland Government recently renamed Fraser Island to K’gari, its Indigenous name.

The name change follows a range of engagement with local stakeholders since 2011 and a significant public consultation in 2022 which received almost 6,000 submissions. Many businesses and organisations have already proactively changed their names or marketing material to recognise the widespread acceptance of K’gari (pronounced without the ‘k’).

It is not mandatory for tourism businesses to change their name if it includes the words ‘Fraser Island’ (though they can if they like), but all businesses have been encouraged to incorporate K’gari on their promotional material eg. Bob’s Fraser Island Tours operating on K’gari.

Featured Image: The Three Sisters in Katoomba, NSW, Australia, with some early morning fog around them.

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