“Tingalpa” is an Aboriginal term and refers to “place of fat kangaroo”. It was the name given for the local area when it was surveyed in 1859. In the 1860’s, the land was divided into allotments and offered for auction at prices from as little as one pound an acre. The first surveyor of the district named the future township Wynnum – from the Aboriginal word for the fruit of the bread tree – place of the pandannis palm – “winnam”.
In 1862, William White acquired a large tract of land following the subdivision. He built a grand house and named it for his wife’s birthplace, Lota in Cork, Ireland. Lota House gave its name to the surrounding area and a number of nearby streets bear the name of the house’s occupants, including Whites Road.
Manly was the name given to the subdivision of Manly Beach Estate in 1882 and took its name from the bayside suburb in Sydney.
The opening of the railway line from Brisbane to Cleveland coincided with the opening of the Waterloo Bay Hotel, and opened the district up as a popular seaside resort. The bayside area underwent a boom and land was further subdivided into housing estates.
Many of the streets in these new estates are named after the local land developers or land owner and their families, military commanders or Indigenous sources. To add an air of sophistication and grace, the streets in the Rose Bay Estate were given the names of poets and authors, whilst streets leading to the sea on the Manly Beach Estate are named after military personnel.
Source: The Naming of Streets in Wynnum Manly & Districts
Complied by Wynnum Manly Historical Society Inc, 1998
