Kuril Drive has been chosen as the new name for a Yamanto street formerly known as Pisasale Drive.
Kuril, pronounced cure-ill, is the Yugara/Yagara word for the Hydromys chrysogaster, which translates to golden-bellied water mouse – a native aquatic mammal endemic to Ipswich’s waterways which is commonly known as Rakali.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said she was delighted a decision had been made to replace the street’s name with a word from the traditional Yugara/Yagara language.
“In a Mayoral Minute motion in December 2021, I successfully proposed the re-naming of two council-owned assets, Paul Pisasale Bridge at Springfield Central and Pisasale Drive at Yamanto, in line with council’s current naming procedure,” Mayor Harding said.
“Council’s naming procedure requires a minimum of 75 per cent support from impacted landowners to change an existing street name, and I was delighted to see that owners along Pisasale Drive endorsed the re-naming.
“The community was invited to suggest new names for these assets through council’s community engagement platform, Shape Your Ipswich, with Indigenous names being a strong theme.”
In July 2022, council authorised the CEO to rename the bridge and drive after consulting with the Yuggera Ugarapul People Native Title Party (YUP). Members of YUP were briefed in person on the naming opportunity and YUP members’ advice was sought on potential names.
“A popular suggestion from the community during consultation was to ‘use a traditional owner name’, with the word Rakali being one of the names put forward,” Mayor Harding said.
“Rakali is the name used by the Ngarrindjeri people of the lower Murray River/Coorong region of South Australia for the golden-bellied water mouse or water rat.
“In seeking to honour our region’s First Nations people, language and heritage, council sought advice from an expert at the State Library of Queensland on the Yugara/Yagara traditional name for Rakali and was advised it was Kuril.
“Following this advice and the correspondence to YUP, a decision was made by the CEO to proceed with re-naming the drive Kuril.
“For now, council has decided to leave the bridge at Springfield Central de-named and will continue to consult with and seek advice from YUP on options for its re-naming.”
Mayor Harding said the re-naming was an important step forward for Ipswich.
“Since this council was elected, we have done a lot to repair the reputation of our city and have established this council as one of the most consultative, open and transparent in Australia,” Mayor Harding said.
“The community wants to move on from the actions of the past and this is an important step in doing just that.”
Key facts about the Hydromys chrysogaster (golden-bellied water mouse):
- Important part of Australia’s ecosystem.
- Has evolved to be able to prey on invasive cane toads.
- Easily identified by their white-tipped tail and large size, weighing up to 1.3kg.
- Body is elongated and streamlined, and it uses its tail as a rudder when swimming.
- Often described as ‘Australia’s otter’.
- Diet includes insects, frogs and fish.
- Found across Australia in wetlands, rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes.
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