Kembla Grange will be split in half and renamed under a new Wollongong City Council proposal to create six new suburbs in West Dapto.
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Huntley and Avondale will also need to be split and given new names, as they are growing too large due to the rapid residential expansion in the area.
The council announced on social media on Monday that it was seeking ideas for six new suburb names.
In response, a number of people suggested variations on Suburb McSuburbface (after the infamous Boaty McBoatface incident).
Other joking suggestions included Daptodale, Dapto Reach, South-West Dapto, Kembla Downs and Farmborough Lows (as opposed to Farmborough Heights).
Many others - especially those living in the former suburb of Penrose - pleaded with the council not to change any more Dapto suburb names.
Read more: Penrose name clash row: 'We were here first'
Penrose in Dapto was incorporated into Avondale in 2014, due to a clash with the tiny village of Penrose in the Souther Highlands.
The duplicate name was causing mail havoc for the Southern Highlands town, which was named before the Wollongong suburb.
"I moved into my home 20 years ago and the suburb was Dapto," Vanessa McClelland wrote on Facebook.
"We were then changed to Penrose but that had to change because of the suburb Penrose in the Southern Highlands and we are now Avondale.
"Please don't change it again, just make it bigger."
Likewise, Cameron Webby said "As a resident of Avondale/Penrose/Dapto can't you give us a break. We already have to explain all three suburbs when giving our address, now you want to add a fourth?"
However, the council says it is required to follow the guidelines set out by the Geographical Names Board of NSW for suburbs boundaries and their names.
As for the existing names, the council is "inviting the community to let us know if these names are still relevant to the West Dapto community".
The name Kembla Grange has been in use since at least 1856, as the name of a farm in Dapto.
The name Kembla - part of a number of Wollongong suburbs - has an Aboriginal origin and, according to the council, is said to mean "plenty of fowl" or "wallaby".
The name Avondale is linked to the name of a land grant given during the early European occupation of Wollongong, around 1840.
Huntley is much newer, only officially assigned as the suburb name in 2005, after the coal mine located within its boundaries.
To choose the new names, the council will also follow GNB guidelines, which stipulate that new names should not duplicate an existing place name.
Names should also, where possible, highlight Aboriginal significance, consider female names to correct the historical over emphasis on male names, include characteristics of the suburb, be appropriate to relevant local cultural or historical influences or natural influences in the region.
They should also be easy to read, spell and pronounce, not be offensive or likely to cause offence and not be a company or business name.
Names proposed by the community will collated by a working group made up of Aboriginal, Heritage and Dapto representative to establish a shortlist.
This list will be further assessed by the Geographical Names Board with the recommended names anticipated to be considered by Council in early 2021.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
