There's no surprise that Coal Prep, Iron Ore and Batteries Roads are in Port Kembla, and clearly Coledale’s Cokeworks Road is closely linked to the region’s coal history.

But did you know there's a whole section of Mount Brown named after wine?

There’s Verdelho Ave, Cabernet Drive, Chardonnay Ave, Shiraz Drive and Semillon and Hermitage Place.

As this little south Dapto enclave is nowhere near any wineries, present or historical, we can only imagine if the streets are named for their residents’ drinking proclivities.

And we wonder if Figtree citizens living in Arkell Drive might prefer to change their street name to Bradbery Boulevard in honour of a rather less controversial Lord Mayor.

As West Dapto continues to expand, with many new roads to be cosntructed under the suburb’s access strategy, Wollongong City Council has called for residents to put forward their own suggestions.

Perhaps in an effort to avoid something akin to the Boaty McBoatface fiasco – where the silly name suggestion won a public vote for the name of a cutting edge new boat – the council has set some strict guidelines for the new street names.

Based on a list from the Geographical Names Board – which seems to defy the tradition of ensuring every town everywhere has a Station, Park, Bank and Market Street – suggestions should not already exist in Wollongong or neighbouring Local Government Areas.

They should also be: not the name of a living person, with first names to be avoided; appropriate to the physical, historical and cultural character of West Dapto; and not be a company or business name.

The Mercury had quite hoped to vouch for Ciggie Butt Brain Drive in recognition of one of Dapto’s excellent recent creative exports, however the council has also advised that suggestions must not be offensive or likely to cause offence.

Additionally names should be easy to read, spell and pronounce, not use hyphens, include an appropriate road type suffix e.g. road, street, avenue and in most cases, only be one word.

Submissions must meet these mandatory requirements and show justification of significance and relevance to the West Dapto Precinct. 

Names will be researched to ensure they meet the requirements of the policy, the council said.

Complying names will be considered for a list which can be used by developers and the council for road naming purposes.