The suffix originated in a dialect of Noongar, an Australian Aboriginal language, in which "-up" means "place of". The suffix "-in" or "-ing" has a similar meaning in a related dialect of Noongar.[1] Places tended to be named after their distinctive features, whereby the place names could be used to create a "mental map" allowing Indigenous Australians to determine where water, food and other raw materials could be found. These sites were often located near sources of fresh water, leading to the common misconception that "up" and "in" mean "near water".[1]
The meanings and the pronunciations of many of these names has been lost over time.[1]
A number of these places were at one stage named with a suffix "-upp". This was as a result of the Western Australian Lands and Surveys Department adopting a system of spelling Indigenous Australian names devised by the Royal Geographical Society. In simple terms, the system set the pronunciation of consonants as in English and vowels as in Italian. Using this system meant that "up" would be pronounced /uːp/oop, whereas the names were meant to be pronounced /ʌp/up.[2] The solution was deemed to be that doubling the following consonant would shorten the preceding vowel, thus "upp". This spelling convention was rescinded for towns in south west Western Australia in 1915 as the Australian pronunciation of "u" was almost always short.[2]
The usage of some terms are for the name of Noongar groups as well as places Pinjarup is one of a number of names for one group – and it has been utilised and changed to the place name of Pinjarra.
List of places
The following is a list of locations in Western Australia which end in "-up".
The townsite of Tambellup is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 317 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway where it crosses the Gordon River. It is 23 km south of Broomehill.
The townsite of Wonnerup is located 219 kilometres (136 mi) south of Perth and 10 kilometres (6 mi) east of Busselton. It was gazetted a townsite in 1856, deriving its name from the nearby Wonnerup Inlet.
Kojonup is a town 256 kilometres (159 mi) south-east of Perth, Western Australia along Albany Highway in the Great Southern region. The name Kojonup refers to the "Kodja" or stone axe made by Aboriginal Australians, from the local stone.
Neerabup is a rural locality in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, within the local government area of the City of Wanneroo.
Mullalyup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, situated between Kirup and Balingup on the South Western Highway, 231 kilometres (144 mi) south of Perth. The town is in the shire of Donnybrook-Balingup, known for its scenic Blackwood River Valley and agricultural industries.
Gnowangerup is a town located 61 kilometres (38 mi) south-east of Katanning in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Coodanup is a south-eastern suburb of Mandurah, Western Australia. Its local government area is the City of Mandurah.
Myalup is a town located on the coast in the South West region of Western Australia between Mandurah and Bunbury. At the 2006 census, Myalup had a population of 144.
Kweda is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of the town of Brookton.
Dwarda is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 11 kilometres (7 mi) south of the town of Wandering on the Hotham River.
Popanyinning is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, along Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Narrogin. At the date of the 2016 census, Popanyinning had a population of 180.
Yornaning is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, on Great Southern Highway, between Pingelly and Narrogin.
Koorda is a town in the north eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 236 kilometres (147 mi) east of Perth and 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Wyalkatchem at the northeastern end of the Cowcowing Lakes. It is the main town in the Shire of Koorda. At the 2016 census Koorda had a population of 414. The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.
Karrakup is a locality southeast of Perth, Western Australia, within the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale. The name derives from the Noongar name for the red-tailed black cockatoo and was adopted as a suburb name in 1997.
Munglinup is a small town located in the Shire of Ravensthorpe in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia.
Pingrup is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Dalyup is a small town in Western Australia located about 680 kilometres (423 mi) south east of Perth between Munglinup and Esperance on the South Coast Highway in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Whitby is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located near the South Western Highway in the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale.
Gabbadah is a locality within the Shire of Gingin, located around 30 km north of Perth metropolitan area's northern limit.
Gwindinup is a small town and locality of the Shire of Capel in the South West region of Western Australia, located along the South Western Highway and the Preston River.
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