Talk of the Town: What's in a name?

Often it's pretty straightforward - boys' names and girls' names crosshatching the town plan - but other times I'm left searching for the town's history books to find out what might have gone through the minds of the people giving those early settlements their unique character.

Here in western Queensland, one of the tourism talking points is that Longreach streets are named after birds, Barcaldine's namers chose trees, while in Blackall, it was flora that captured their imagination.

But not just any flowers - our three main streets running parallel to each other are Shamrock, Thistle and Rose.

Does that ring a bell?

They're the 'plant badges' for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland - the Tudor rose, shamrock and thistle are all examples of royal heraldic symbols.

What patriotism from our founding fathers!

But what about Wales, I hear those who know the political makeup of Great Britain cry.

Never fear, we have a Leek Street at the western end of town, ironically the street one drives up to access one of Blackall's artesian bores.

While the leek isn't a royal heraldic symbol, the emblem has been a symbol of Wales for centuries.

Sadly, our modern street namers lacked such lofty ambitions, labelling the driveway to the cemetery Memorial Drive, and the access to the pool Aquatic Lane. What about Lily Drive and Water Lily Lane?

With such an inquisitive nose for a name, it can't come as a surprise that I get a little frisson of excitement every time I drive through the Central Highlands and all its stellar references.

I have no doubt that my love of astronomy was started by my Dad, standing out in front of our homestead on clear moonless nights on weekends when I was home from the hostel, a twinkling world beckoning above us.

As well as our telescope we had a revolving cardboard star map that we'd consult with a torch as we focused on worlds millions of miles away.

A girl who lived in the worlds that books offered, the names of the celestial bodies all around were entrancing - my favourite was Betelgeuse, the big red giant in the constellation Orion.

Of course it conjured up visions of beetle juice, and the hilarity of that was often relived.

Now that I'm grown up, I love that the Arabic translation is 'armpit of the giant'.

With a background fascination like this, it's no wonder that I smile every time I do the north-south drive through the Central Highlands.

We're all familiar with the town of Comet, and the properties Meteor Downs and Planet Downs, and the signs for Orion 10 Chain Road, but I wonder how many of us know that Canopus and Aldebaran Creeks also have astronomical associations.

It's the same with Arcturus and Sirius Roads, each named after giant stars in the heavens, and you might detour along Eclipse Street in Springsure, but not many will be aware that Capella is the brightest star near the celestial North Pole.

Each time I greet these familiar friends, now in the landscape, I say thanks to explorer Ludwig Leichhardt who started the tradition after observing a meteor shower in the area way back in 1844.

- Sally Gall, North Queensland Register senior journalist

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