Queensland’s racist place names wiped from the map

Ten offensive place names in Queensland which symbolise Australia’s appallingly racist past will be wiped from the map.

After concern was raised about N****rs Bounce, south-west of Townsville, the Natural Resources and Mines Department launched a review into location names across the state.  

Nine others – Mount N****r, N****r Head and seven instances of N****r Creek – were found to be ‘similarly offensive’ and will be scrapped and renamed.

They have yet to be given new names and their old ones will still appear on historical maps, plans and records.

The changes come amid debate in Australia over colonial-era statues, with critics calling for greater acknowledgement of the role of Aborigines in the nation’s history.

Indigenous Australian cultures stretch back tens of thousands of years before early European settlers.

While not carrying quite the same weight as in the US, the N-word remains highly offensive and derogatory to indigenous Australians and minorities of African descent.

Concern was raised about N****rs Bounce, south-west of Townsville, before nine others – Mount N****r, N****r Head and seven instances of N****r Creek – were found to be ‘similarly offensive’

‘We welcome the removal of those names since the N-word is an unmistakably racial slur and a potent symbol of slavery, white supremacy and violence,’ Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said.

‘It is rooted in hate, and has often been employed to dehumanise and to perpetuate demeaning stereotypes.’

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga has called for other place names in Queensland to be changed because of their racist origins, including Mount Jim Crow and Mount Wheeler. 

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga has called for other place names in Queensland to be changed because of their racist origins