-up


-up is a suffix commonly found in place names in south western Western Australia.
The suffix originated in a dialect of Noongar, an Indigenous Australian language, in which "-up" means "place of". The suffix "-in" or "-ing" has a similar meaning in a related dialect of Noongar. Places tended to be named after their distinctive features, whereby the place names could be used to create a "mental map" allowing Indigenous Australians to determine where water, food and other raw materials could be found. These sites were often located near sources of fresh water, leading to the common misconception that "up" and "in" mean "near water".
The meanings and the pronunciations of many of these names has been lost over time.
A number of these places were at one stage named with a suffix "-upp". This was as a result of the Western Australian Lands and Surveys Department adopting a system of spelling Indigenous Australian names devised by the Royal Geographical Society. In simple terms, the system set the pronunciation of consonants as in English and vowels as in Italian. Using this system meant that "up" would be pronounced , whereas the names were meant to be pronounced . The solution was deemed to be that doubling the following consonant would shorten the preceding vowel, thus "upp". This spelling convention was rescinded for towns in south west Western Australia in 1915 as the Australian pronunciation of "u" was almost always short.
The usage of some terms are for the name of Noongar groups as well as places Pinjarup is one of a number of names for one group - and it has been utilised and changed to the place name of Pinjarra.

List of places

The following is a list of locations in Australia which end in "-up".
NameLocationPlace name meaning
Amelup
Badgebup"place of wild rushes"
BailupAboriginal unknown origin.
Balgarup"place of the black boy trees".
BalingupDerived from the name of an Aboriginal warrior, Balingan.
BanjupNamed for Banjupp Lake.
BarragupNot known.
BeenupA corruption of the Aboriginal name of nearby Beenyup Brook. Now known as Byford.
BinningupApparently an Aboriginal name, but not necessarily traditional.
Boranup-
Boyanup"a place of quartz"
Boyup Brook"place of smoke"
BurekupThe Aboriginal name of a wildflower that grows profusely in the locality.
Carbunup River" Variously "place of a kindly stream", "place of cormorants", and "place of the stinkwood thicket.
Cardup"place of the racehorse goanna".
Chinocupan Aboriginal word of unknown meaning.
Condingupan Aboriginal word of unknown meaning.
CoodanupUnknown.
Cookernup"the place of the swamp hen".
CoolbellupThe Aboriginal name of a lake in the area.
Cooloongup"place of children".
Coolup"place of the wild turkey".
Coomalbidgup"Possum scratches up a tree & there is water there".
Cowaramupbelieved to be derived from cowara, the Aboriginal name for the purple-crowned lorikeet.
Culeenup
Dalyellup
DalyupPossibly the Noongar word for the king parrot or Hookbill.
DandalupNot known.
DardanupBelieved to be a variation of the Aboriginal word "Dudingup" the meaning of which is not known.
DinninupAn Aboriginal name of unknown meaning.
Dwellingup"place of nearby water".
Gelorup
Gidgegannup"place where spears are made". "Gidgie" is the word for spear.
Gnowangerup"place where the mallee hen nests".
Gwelup"the lake that shifted position", derived from "Gwelgannow" which means to "shift the position" and "step aside".
GwindinupMay be a local spelling of the nearby Gynudup Brook.
Jacup
Jandabup"place of little eagle".
JerdacuttupNamed for the Jerdacuttup River.
Jerramungup"place of upstanding yate trees".
JingalupA contraction of nearby Kodjingalup Well.
Joondalup"place of whiteness or glistening".
Joweelingup
KarnupA local Aboriginal name, the meaning of the name is not known.
KarrakupFrom "Karrak", the Nyoongar word for the red-tailed black cockatoo which is prevalent in the area.
KarrinyupOriginally Careniup, of unknown meaning.
KebaringupA local Aboriginal name, the meaning of the name is not known.
KendenupOf Aboriginal origin, of unknown meaning.
Kirup"the place of summer flies".
Kojonup"place of the stone axe".
KudardupNamed for Coodardup Mill.
KulikupNot known.
KundipNot known.
Kuringup"place of wattle gum".
Kwobrup"good place".
MandogalupAn Aboriginal name, the meaning of which is unknown.
ManjimupAn Aboriginal name said to be derived from "Manjin", a broad leafed marsh flag with an edible root.
MarbelupNot known.
Marrinup
Mariginiup"to pull out flag leaved flax".
MayanupNo meaning or source for the name given.
Metricup
MoodiarrupNot known.
Morangup
Mullalyup"the place where the young men had their noses pierced".
Mumballup
MungalupNot known.
MunglinupA local Aboriginal word.
MuradupAn Aboriginal name.
MyalupAn Aboriginal name derived from a nearby swamp.
Nambeelup
Nannup"stopping place" or "place of parrots".
Narrikup"place of abundance"
NeedilupNot known.
NeerabupPossibly "swampy place" or "small basin or lake".
NoggerupNot known.
Nornalup"place of black snake".
Nowergup"place of sweet water".
Ongerup"place of the male kangaroo".
Palgarup
PeringillupNot known.
PingrupBelieved to mean "grassy place".
Pootenup"place of the native hybrid mallee tree".
Porongurup
QualeupThe Aboriginal name of a nearby lake.
QuigupNot known.
Quindalup"place of quendas".
Tambelluppossibly "place of thunder".
WadjemupNoongar name for Rottnest Island, meaning "place across the water".
Wagerup"Place of emus".
Wannanup-
Warawarrup-
WattleupNamed for Wattleup Road.
WokalupNot known. Humorously said to mean "the confusion experienced by nocturnal animals during an eclipse".
Wonnerup"place of the Aboriginal woman's digging or fighting stick".
YallingupPlace of caves
Yalup Brook
YangebupDerived from the Aboriginal word "yanget", the name of a native flax or bullrush.
Yornup
YunderupDerived from "Yoondooroop", the original spelling of one of the islands in the Murray River delta.