Place Names theme
The Place Names theme consists of the official names of places, such as suburbs, parks, beaches and mountains in NSW.
What is the Place Names theme?
The Place Names theme is part of the NSW Foundation Spatial Data Framework (FSDF). The Geographical Names Board (GNB) assigns place names and geographical features across NSW under the Geographical Names Act 1966.
This includes:
- suburbs
- rivers
- mountains
- parks
- railway stations
- other features.
Find out more about the Geographical Names Board.
The Place Names theme provides a single, authoritative source of truth for official place names in NSW. This helps ensure names are used consistently, accurately and with confidence across all sectors.
Data sourcing
Data for the Place Names theme comes from the Geographical Names Register, maintained by the GNB. Discover more about how places are named.
The Geographical Names Register includes more than 80,000 records. Place name records held in the Geographical Names Register are publicly available and can be accessed using the GNB’s place name search tool.
The GNB also supplies NSW place name information to the national Gazetteer of Australia, ensuring consistency between state and national datasets. The Gazetteer of Australia records all the place names and their spelling across Australia.
Dataset in the theme
What’s in the dataset?
The Geographical Names Register is the official database of place names in NSW. Each record includes a place name, its location, feature type, gazettal status and date. Many records also include historical and cultural background information.
How the dataset is used
The dataset supports:
- emergency response and search and rescue
- mapping, navigation and location services
- planning, land administration and property systems
- cultural heritage, history and tourism.
Accurate place names also support statistics, infrastructure planning and communication across government and industry.
Sourcing and updates
The dataset is maintained by the Geographical Names Board of NSW and updated continuously as names are approved, changed or discontinued.
View the datasets
The NSW Spatial Collaboration Portal (SCP) gives everyone the ability to search and discover spatial datasets.
It also allows local, state, and federal agencies to deliver spatial data, asset management and visualisation services securely.