Popular Darwin drops English cattle baron’s name in favour of local Aboriginal word meaning ‘young girl’

A POPULAR Darwin beach, named after an English cattle baron, will be renamed to reflect the area’s Aboriginal heritage

DARWIN’S popular Vesteys Beach will be renamed to Bundilla Beach, a word in the local Aboriginal dialect meaning “young girl”.

The beach was named after English cattle baron Edmund Vestey — who was famously on the wrong side of the Wave Hill Walk-off in 1966 — and the change follows a request from Larrakia elder Barbara Mills-Raymond and her son Kootji Raymond.

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Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Minister Eva Lawler said the move would provide “a special name and meaning to this place that many Territorians enjoy”.

“The Territory and its people are unique, with a rich and lasting culture that is thousands of years old, with many stories to tell and I thank the Raymond family for bringing this name to the Place Names Committee,” she said.

Vesteys Beach will be renamed Bundilla Beach, a Larrakia word meaning ‘young girl’. Picture: Che Chorley

“Our government will continue listening to the community and working towards acknowledging our Aboriginal heritage through place-naming practices.”

The beach is on Darwin City Council land and Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the council supported the change.

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“We are always looking at new and innovative ways to revitalise our land areas, to make them culturally friendly and appealing,” he said.

Nearby businesses and the local community have been notified and Ms Lawler said there was not expected to be any impact on or added cost to business owners.

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