Residents impacted by the name change have received a letter outlining that Winter Valley, Winter Rise and Dorney have been short listed as names for the suburb in the western growth zone.

Traditional owner the land Bonnie Chew said the Wathaurung (Wadawurrung) community was disappointed by the decision. 

Ms Chew's brother Sean Fagan initially put forward the name to honour the renowned indigenous elder William Wilson or "King Billy" as he was commonly known.

The controversial council decision to drop the name made headlines across the globe.

Ms Chew said what started out as move to be recognise a respected elder descended into polarised animosity between groups. 

"It turned into a race issue which is what saddened me the most because it took the the focus away from acknowledging a respected historic ancestor and leader of his time," Ms Chew said. 

Ms Chew said Aboriginal culture was the oldest living in the world, yet it was still not given the respect and acknowledgement it was entitled to.

None of the selected names have indigenous ties. 

Her view was shared by Ballarat resident and Aboriginal man Peter Milliken who spearheaded an online petition calling on the council to revoke its decision.

*Results from a poll on thecourier.com.au published Tuesday. Results accurate to 7.30am Wednesday.

Mr Milliken said the indigenous community had been left too hurt to be involved in the decision making process for fear of being "shot down" again. 

"What makes this country we live in unique is the Aboriginal names you see throughout the place," Milliken said.

"That culture and history doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. It's a sad day for Ballarat."

Most objections submitted to the council outlined concerns the proposed name was multi-syllable and difficult to pronounce and spell and could confusion when emergency services were called.

A working group made up of residents and council officers canvassed the names from an extensive list submitted by residents. 

Group spokeswoman Margaret Benoit said the affected community was positive about the names shortlisted.

"The extensive process has not been about personal opinion," Ms Benoit said.

"From the beginning a lot of people had a strong affiliation with the name Winter and its ties to the area," Ms Benoit said. 

Ms Benoit said residents had always wanted to to work alongside the indigenous community to reach an agreement.

She said while the indigenous community had been invited to be a part of the working group, there had been no indigenous members.

"The affected residents have been really hurt by misconceptions that exist.’’

"The indigenous community has always been welcome to have their input and be a part of the meetings held by the group. We have always wanted to reach an outcome that was of benefit for everybody concerned."

The Courier’s online poll had more than 1000 people taking part. Almost 40 per cent of people voted to bring back Mullawallah, around 32 per cent voted in favour of Winter Valley, 17 per cent were favour of Winter Rise and 12 per cent were in favour of Dorney.