Moreton Bay's newest suburbs officially named
Published 26 April 2023
- Five new suburbs have been created in the Caboolture West area to make way for future growth.
- Caboolture West is one of South East Queensland’s largest greenfield growth areas, expected to be home to about 70,000 residents over the next 40 years.
- The Palaszczuk Government has been working with the Moreton Bay Regional Council to coordinate land supply for future housing needs.
The names of south-east Queensland’s newest suburbs have been revealed after extensive consultation and support from the community.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart announced the new suburbs and boundaries of Waraba, Lilywood, Wagtail Grove, Greenstone and Corymbia at Caboolture West, north-west of Brisbane.
The suburb names celebrate Indigenous language, local wildlife, plants and rocks found in the area.
The suburb of Waraba, which will likely accommodate part of the town centre, is the Kabi Kabi word for ‘burn’ and refers to the traditional land management practices of the Kabi Kabi People.
The Palaszczuk Government has been working with Moreton Bay Regional Council to facilitate the development of the area, projected to be home to about 70,000 residents over the next 40 years.
The five proposed names were put forward after the Moreton Bay Regional Council undertook extensive engagement with the community and stakeholders, as part of the place naming project established in 2021.
Three more suburbs may be needed in the future to accommodate projected growth.
The Palaszczuk Government has committed $25 million to bring forward water and sewer infrastructure for the first stages of development at Caboolture West.
The area will accommodate a variety of affordable and diverse housing options and provide for four State primary schools and two State secondary schools, four neighbourhood hubs, 15 local parks and a range of other key features and infrastructure to create a sustainable and liveable community.
To accommodate the new suburbs, the boundaries of Wamuran, Bellmere, Rocksberg and Upper Caboolture have also been amended.
Quotes attributable to Police Minister and member for Morayfield Mark Ryan:
“It’s great to see the community get involved and come together to come up with these names.
“The name of a place is very important because it becomes the area’s identity and forms a connection with everyone who chooses to live there.
“As a government we worked with the Kabi Kabi Traditional Custodians and the entire community to develop these names.
“Helping develop areas like Caboolture West is important and it’s exciting to see this important step.”
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Resources, Scott Stewart:
“Over the next 40 years, Caboolture West will develop to the size of a regional city similar in size to Rockhampton, accommodating about 30,000 new homes.
“The formation of these suburb names has been empowered by community involvement to promote local connections to Indigenous language, wildlife, plants and rocks, and it’s something they should take great pride in.
“The Moreton Bay Regional Council worked extensively with the community to identify these names and suburb boundaries and the local community confirmed its clear support for them.
“The Queensland Government has been working directly with the Moreton Bay Regional Council to coordinate land supply and service infrastructure to cater for the diverse future needs of the area."
Quotes attributable to the Mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Peter Flannery:
“Council identified the naming of the new Caboolture West suburbs as an important community consultation piece from the outset, so that residents could take ownership and be proud of the region they live in,” he said.
“As a result, we initiated what has become the largest community consultation process in Queensland’s history for a place naming project.
“The aim was to get ahead of the developers by putting the power into the hands of residents, and in return we received an amazing 572 ideas for names from our community.
“It was important to us and the community that the names reflected the unique local environment, heritage, and culture of our Traditional Custodians, which is why we landed on Waraba, the Kabi Kabi word for ‘burn’, which references the land management technique used locally for centuries to rejuvenate the land.
“We’re proud to have worked closely with the Kabi Kabi Traditional Custodians throughout the project to ensure we had their endorsement.
“The names of the other four suburbs - Lilywood, Wagtail Grove, Greenstone and Corymbia - celebrate the local wildlife, plants and rocks found in the area.”
Quotes attributable to Traditional Owners:
- Associate Professor Eve Fesl, Gubbi Gubbi Senior Elder
- Mr Norman Bond (Applicant) and Mr Kerry Jones (Applicant) on behalf of the Kabi Kabi First Nation Traditional Owners Native Title Claim Group
“Place names are a way to recognise the valuable role our culture plays in the history and future the area.
“The name Waraba is significant for us.
“It means ‘burn’ and refers to our traditional land management practices that were carried out all over Country, including the Caboolture West area.
“Many native flora and fauna species rely on cool burning to thrive season after season.
“Extending this to the modern urban context, we hope the communities that come to Caboolture West will also thrive season after season.
“Like the new sprouts that come after a burn, we hope the people will enjoy new opportunities and seek ways to coexist in balance with the land.”
Quotes attributable to local resident Peter Zillman:
Long-time local resident Peter Zillman is a sixth-generation local to the Caboolture West region - with his family having arrived in 1858.
Mr Zillman participated in the Suburb Boundary Focus Groups established by the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
Although he liked the era of the dairy and banana farms and knowing all his neighbours, Mr Zillman claims it’s “to the future we owe allegiance,” he said.
“That’s why I put forward my name for the focus groups the Moreton Bay Regional Council had established to consult with our community.
“It’s reassuring to see real results from that consultation.
“It was even more pleasing to see the name Greenstone, after my wife raised it as a suggestion.
“The Rocksberg greenstone is…a relatively localised geological formation…and the name is a nice association with the future development.”