Re: ODD DESTINATIONS

[Eddie Oliver <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au>]

"Ron BESDANSKY (formerly Ron BEST)" wrote:

> > I always found Subiaco odd as it is Latin for "I lie down". But I don't
> > know if that's what the original poster meant but Tonsley has me
> > puzzled.
> >
> Why would you call a place "I lie down"??? (in Latin - if it was an
> Aboriginal name, I could understand it.)

I believe Subiaco is a British place name, imported (presumably) direct
from London. It is no more peculiar to give a Perth suburb a British
name than to have given British names to hundreds of other locations
around Australia. The Latin roots may have been more pertinent in
England in the 12th century or whatever.

> For that matter, why would you call
> a place "Last month"?? (Ultimo, Sydney - could be added to the original list
> as there was an Ultimo tram depot, and, of course, Ultimo Street Signal
> Box.) (If anyone doesn't know the origin of "Ultimo" as a place name, and
> wants to, pls tell me.)

And Ultima in Victoria?

Presumably it was not called "ultimo" to mean "last month". "Ultimo" is
just one variant of a Latin word which takes many different forms and
from which the word "ultimate" is also derived. 

Eddie