Dubbo mayor Ben Shields says he doesn't support Bathurst Regional Council's push for the Macquarie River to be given a dual name.
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Bathurst council has given its backing to the river being renamed as Macquarie River - Wambuul to highlight both its Aboriginal and European heritage.
The idea was first proposed by the Bathurst Aboriginal Land Council and has also been supported by the traditional owners in the region.
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But Cr Shields said while there may have been good intentions from the renaming, the river goes all the way from Oberon to the Macquarie Marshes.
"The Macquarie would have gone through numerous different language groups and different clans. I cannot imagine they would have had a single name for the entirety of it. I don't think they would have had genuine consensus on what the Aboriginal name would be," he said.
"The Tubba-Gah people of Dubbo may have a very different name to what the people in Oberon may have had."
Apart from Bathurst council, Cr Shields said no one had ever spoken to him about giving any Dubbo landmarks traditional names.
"We've had proposals in the past to make sure the explanation for Aboriginal-named things are given. For example, if you go and have a look at the Talbragar Street signs and the Wingewarra Street signs we've got explanations for the Aboriginal words," he said.
"But not a single person has raised the issue [of dual names] with me other than Bathurst council."
The proposal for Macquarie River will now go to the Geographic Names Board. The decision is expected to take three to six months.