10 favourite Melbourne station names

I do not really have much planned now that this particular series is over, with the exception of possibly more level crossing lists, so here is a generic top ten list about train station names!

Stations are ranked based on their origin stories and how fun they are to say.

This was a rather difficult list to make, I am not all that confident with this list even as of posting, so expect an updated list sometime in the future.

Before we begin the list, here are a few honourable mentions:

Honourable Mentions

Middle Gorge

Middle Gorge did not feel right on the list because the place it is named after is over two kilometres away from it, but a relatively cool name and a controversy that saw people compare its name to the Lord of the Rings forces me to put it on here in some form. 

Croydon

Croydon does not make the list because its name is not anything interesting. What is interesting is the name that the station prior to landing on its current one. Its original name appears to have been Warrandyte, which a bit odd considering that Warrandyte is about ten kilometres away from Croydon! That is definitely enough for at least a mention here.

The Main List

#10 - Carrum

Beginning our list is Carrum, a station with a cool sounding name. The word is an aboriginal term for 'boomerang' and boomerangs are pretty, so I think that justifies its position in the list. It is also named after the Carrum Carrum swamp. Not much else to say, let us just move on.

#9 - Coolaroo

Here in the number nine spot we have Coolaroo, a very cool word to say and a popular choice among a group of people I talked to about this. Coolaroo is an aboriginal word for brown snake, and is also a slang term that I did not know about until literally writing this post. The more you know. This was actually going to be in the number ten spot, but learning about this new term makes it cool enough to rise up by one spot.

#8 - Aircraft 

Aircraft was another common choice, and honestly? Who could blame them. A station named after planes is cool, with the station acquiring its name due to its catchment including a Royal Australian Air Forece base. I do like how the station is not named directly after the air base. This was also quite a popular name from judging from other people as well. Overall, solid name, it does not have the most amazing backstory or name (hence only the number eight position) but still cool regardless.

#7 - South Morang

South Morang is very intriguing. One thing you will immediately notice on a map is that there is a South Morang... but no Morang! The truth is, Morang did exist, it was the original name for Mernda, but no one bothered to change the name for South Morang for some reason. The name itself is an Aboriginal word meaning either 'cloudy' or 'sky'. Nothing much else to South Morang, except that it is actually in South Morang, not Mill Park which some people (understandably) believe. Overall, pretty decent name, not a top five contender, but a top ten contender for sure.

#6 - Bittern

Bittern is a station named after a bird, it is not the only station named after one, but unlike Jacana, Bittern is actually located in the suburb of the same name. Birds are cool (except for the Myna bird who is a complete jerk) and this particular one is no exception,  with its various camouflage tactics making it a speices that is rarely recorded. Not much else to say about this entry, it belongs in the position it is in, much like how the Australasian Bittern belongs in its wetlands habitat.

#5 - Batman

Batman was a station that was always going to be on this list, and in a high position at that. Its top five position is justified by having the coolest name of any Melbourne station. Besides that though, there is not much else about that is particularly interesting, being named after an avenue in Coburg. Putting this any higher would be a disrespect to stations that are not named after action heroes, so number five it is.

#4 - Morradoo

Numerous stations have had naming competitions in the past, including Keilor Plains, Seaholme and  Westona. I had to mention one of these on the list, and, although Westona definitely makes a case for itself, I will have to go for Morradoo on this one. Morradoo was given to the station in the 1990s in a naming competition, with the word being an Aboriginal term for 'powder and shot' as well as being the former name of Crib Point (the suburb the station is located in). The names connection to the area, combined with the way it was picked grants it the number four spot on this list.

#3 - Carnegie

Carnegie is a name that comes from the American Carnegie Foundation, who were asked to provide money to build a library in the area. Although they did not get the funding, it is still really interesting to me to hear stories of towns basically being renamed in the name of progress. The backstory, combined with the fun name, are what makes Carnegie break the top three for me.

#2 - Balaclava

Old mate Balaclava tends to be a laughing stock because of its name being linked with a mask that is commonly associated with criminals, but I think that fact is more of an interesting tidbit than anything. The station is named after a battleground in the Crimean war of the 19th Century, which is also where the name of the mask came from! That fact, combined with the fact that the name is just fun to say, ranks it as the runner-up position in my personal, potentially stupid, list.

#1 - Ginifer

Coming in at the top spot, we have Ginifer, a name both fun to say, and has a nice little backstory to it as well. The station was originally going to be named 'Furlong', because of its proximity to Furlong Road, but the MP that advocated for the station, Jack Ginifer, sadly passed away mere months before he could see the station operational. Tom Rigg (stationmaster at St Albans stations) wrote a letter to the government asking for the name change, which was approved. It was a tough decision, but I feel that Ginifer definitely is entitled to the number one position on the list. 

Conclusion

So, what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree (probably)? Did you like this series of blog posts? Reckon there should be more of them? How do you think I should improve my posts? Let me know in the comments, or yell at me on Twitter while I complain about the public transport system!

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