A contentious move to officially name the city’s newest suburb Winter Valley is in its final stages.
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The state government gazetted the name this week, paving the way for “Winter Vallery” to be officially adopted by the Victorian Register of Geographic Names in the coming months.
The name 'Mullawullah' was first mooted to honour an indigenous elder in 2014.
However, it was rejected by locals who deemed it inappropriate because it was polysyllabic, hard to pronounce and spell and too similar to other place names which would cause confusion for emergency services.
The decision to dump the name made headlines across the globe and sparked allegations of racism.
Winter Valley was selected after a survey of affected residents undertaken by a working group of residents and council officers deemed the name had the majority of support.
Councillor Belinda Coates said she remained disappointed by the decision.
However, she said she felt the process had been a learning curve not just for the Ballarat but for councils across the state.
“It really highlighted the challenges in getting Aboriginal names through the formal naming process because of the stringent guidelines,” Cr Coates said.
“It raised issues with consultation because although Aboriginal people represent such a small percentage of the community there are significant cultural and social benefits in recognising our rich history but they were challenged by getting the majority to support it.”