List of Australian place names changed from German names


During World War I, many German or German-sounding place names in Australia were changed due to anti-German sentiment. The presence of German-derived place names was seen as an affront to the war effort at the time.
The names were often changed by being anglicised, or by being given new names of Aboriginal origin or in commemoration of notable soldiers or World War I battlefields.

South Australia

The South Australian Nomenclature Act 1917 authorised the compilation and gazetting of a list of place-names contained in a report of the previous October prepared by a parliamentary "nomenclature committee", and authorised the Governor of South Australia, by proclamation, to "alter any place-name which he deems to be of enemy origin to some other name specified in the proclamation". The table below includes the 69 changes gazetted on 10 January 1918.
The Nomenclature Act 1935 restored the former names of the towns of Hahndorf and Lobethal, and the Adelaide suburb of Klemzig. About 20 other names were reverted in the 1970s and 1980s; some of them were assigned to larger localities rather than reverting to the original place name, as also shown in the table.
Old nameNew nameDate of name changeNotes
Bartsch's CreekYedlakoo Creek10 January 1918Reverted to Bartsch Creek 1986
Berlin RockPanpandie Rock10 January 1918
BethanienBethany10 January 1918
BismarckWeeroopa10 January 1918
BlumbergBirdwood10 January 1918
BlumenthalLakkari10 January 1918
BuchfeldeLoos10 January 1918Reverted to Buchfelde
Cape BauerCape Wondoma10 January 1918Reverted to Cape Bauer in 1948
CarlsruheKunden10 January 1918
EhrenbreisteinMount Yerila10 January 1918
Ferdinand CreekErnabella Creek10 January 1918
Mount FerdinandMount Warrabillinna10 January 1918
FriedrichstadtTangari10 January 1918
FriedrichswaldeTarnma10 January 1918
Gebhardt's HillsPolygon Ridge10 January 1918Reverted to Gebhardt Hills in 1986
German CreekBenara Creek10 January 1918Reverted in 1986
German PassTappa Pass10 January 1918-
Germantown HillVimy Ridge10 January 1918Became part of Bridgewater; road name reverted to Germantown Hill Road
Gottlieb's WellParnggi Well10 January 1918
GrunbergKaralta10 January 1918Reverted to Gruenberg in 1975
GrunthalVerdun10 January 1918
HahndorfAmbleside10 January 1918Reverted to Hahndorf in 1935
Hasse's MoundLarelar Mound10 January 1918
HeidelbergKobandilla10 January 1918
Hergott SpringsMarree10 January 1918
HildesheimPunthari10 January 1918
HoffnungsthalKarawirra10 January 1918Reverted to Hoffnungsthal in 1975
Hundred of BasedowHundred of French10 January 1918-
Hundred of HomburgHundred of Haig10 January 1918
Hundred of KrichauffHundred of Beatty10 January 1918
Hundred of PaechHundred of Cannawigara10 January 1918
Hundred of PflaumHundred of Geegeela10 January 1918
Hundred of Rhine Hundred of Jellicoe10 January 1918
Hundred of Rhine Hundred of Jutland10 January 1918
Hundred of ScherkHundred of Sturdee10 January 1918
Hundred of SchomburgkHundred of Maude10 January 1918
Hundred of Von DoussaHundred of Allenby10 January 1918
JaenschtownKerkanya10 January 1918
KaiserstuhlMount Kitchener10 January 1918Renamed Kaiser's Seat in 1975; subsequently changed to Kaiserstuhl
KlaebesKilto10 January 1918
KlemzigGaza10 January 1918Reverted to Klemzig in 1935; football club retained the name Gaza
Krause RockMarti Rock10 January 1918
KrichauffBeatty10 January 1918Changed to Mount Mary 1940
KronsdorfKabminye10 January 1918Changed to Krondorf in 1975
LangdorfKaldukee10 January 1918Incorporated in the bounded locality of Tanunda
LangmeilBilyara 10 January 1918Reverted to Langmeil in 1975
LobethalTweedvale10 January 1918Reverted to Lobethal in 1935
Mount MeyerMount Kauto10 January 1918
Muller's HillYandina Hill10 January 1918
NeudorfMamburdi10 January 1918Reverted 1986, became part of Lobethal
NeukirchDimchurch10 January 1918Reverted to Neukirch in 1975
New HamburgWillyaroo10 January 1918
New MecklenburgGomersal10 January 1918
OliventhalOlivedale10 January 1918Became part of Birdwood
PetersburgPeterborough10 January 1918The Petersburg Times protested against the change until 1919.
Rhine ParkKongolia10 January 1918
Rhine HillMons Hill10 January 1918
Rhine River NorthThe Somme10 January 1918Changed to Somme Creek 1971
Rhine River SouthThe Marne10 January 1918Changed to Marne River 1971
Rhine VillaCambrai10 January 1918
RosenthalRosedale10 January 1918
SchoenthalBoongala10 January 1918Reverted 1986; incorporated in the bounded locality of Charleston
SeppeltsDorrien10 January 1918Incorporated into the bounded locality of Nuriootpa
SchreiberhauWarre10 January 1918Reverted 1975
SiegersdorfBultawilta10 January 1918Reverted in 1975; incorporated into the bounded locality of Tanunda
SteinfeldStonefield10 January 1918Reverted 1986
SummerfeldtSummerfield10 January 1918Incorporated into the bounded locality of Palmer
Vogelsang's CornerTeerkoore10 January 1918Reverted to Vogelsang Corner 1986; incorporated into the bounded locality of Geranium Plains
Wusser's NobKarun Nob10 January 1918Changed to Wusser Nob in 1983

Victoria

Old nameNew nameDate of name changeNotes
GermantownGrovedale1 March 1916
HochkirchTarrington1 March 1918
Mount BismarckMount Kitchener
Reinholtz's POReynold's PO5 November 1920
WaldkirchFreshwater Creek
Weinberg Road, HawthornWattle Road
West Prussia Road, WantirnaWantirna Road
GrünwaldArkona
Bismarck Avenue, Surrey HillsWarwick AvenueDecember 1918
Bismarck Street, DoncasterVictoria Streetcirca 1914