The new city coming to the Caboolture West development area now has a name - Waraba!

Endorsed by Traditional Custodians, the Kabi Kabi word Waraba (WA+RA+BA) means ‘burn’ and refers to the traditional land management practices that brought new life and maintained the health of the land and its people. The first of the suburbs surrounding the city centre, Wagtail Grove, Corymbia, Lilywood and Greenstone have taken names that reflect the local environment.

You can read more about the meanings of the suburb names in the 'Name meanings' section below.

The Minister for Resources' decision announced on the 14 April 2023, formally gave names and boundaries to five new suburbs and altered the existing suburb boundaries of Upper Caboolture, Wamuran, Bellmere and Rocksburg.

Information on the Minister's decision is available on the Department of Resources website including a plan that shows the new suburb boundaries.

Outcomes that align with what the community told us

The Minister's decision came after extensive community consultation by first Council and then the State Government. In fact, the Caboolture West Place Naming Project was Queensland’s largest local government-initiated collaborative place naming process. Council would like to thank all our community members who have contributed to the process. Your suggestions, feedback and guidance have helped us to plan new suburb boundaries and select authentic place names for the city.

You can read more about the place naming process and how the community was involved in the 'Project history' section below.

Implementing the changes

The new suburbs are now in effect but it may take several months for all the systems that rely on suburb information to update. Addressing and spatial data layers maintained by the Department of Resources will be the first to be updated. The systems of other Government agencies and third-party providers (such as Google Maps) will be updated after that.

The Department of Resources have written to affected property owners to inform them of the changes. You can check your address on the Queensland address and geocode checker available online. If you have any questions about your address, please email qldplacenames@resources.qld.gov.au

Statement from the Traditional Custodians

Associate Professor Eve Fesl, Gubbi Gubbi Senior Elder, and Mr Norman Bond (Applicant) and Mr Kerry Jones (Applicant) on behalf of the Kabi Kabi First Nation Traditional Owners Native Title Claim Group

We are proud Traditional Owners and our traditional language forms part of our identity. Our language is a fundamental element of our cultural knowledge systems that is passed from generation to generation through our stories and songlines. In these ways, our language connects us to each other and to our Country.

As representatives of our People, we were pleased to be involved in the naming of the new city coming to Caboolture West. For us, place names are markers that describe the place, its people and/or its events. Place names are also a way to recognise the valuable role our culture plays in the history and future the area.

The name Waraba (WA+RA+BA) 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. For thousands of years our people have used traditional fire management practices to rejuvenate the land and bring balance to ecosystems. 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. We also hope that we can share more of our cultural knowledge and that people will take the time to learn.

Statement from a local resident

Mr Peter Zillman, long-term resident and participant in a suburb boundary focus group

My Great Grandfather, Johann Leopold Zillman was one of the original selectors of the areas of Rocksberg and Upper Caboolture. Members of the family have lived at “Flagstone” on the Old North Road since 1858 and now my son Simon and his wife and sons are living there into the sixth generation.

For sure, I liked the area of the dairy and banana farms and knowing all my neighbours, but it is to the future we owe allegiance. That is why I put forward my name for the focus groups the Moreton Bay Regional Council had established to consult with our community. It is re-assuring to see real results from that consultation.

It is pleasing to see the name Waraba coming to the fore.

It was even more pleasing to see the name “Greenstone”. My wife Margaret raised it as a suggestion.

Rocksberg greenstone is part of relatively localised geological formation. It pertains to the area and the name is a nice association with the future development.