Fishermans Bend

• Where is Fishermans Bend?

• Fishermans Bend covers parts of the existing suburbs of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne and consists of five precincts across two municipalities – the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip.

  Fishermans Bend is located within the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) area and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (WWCHAC) RAP area.

• Is there a difference between the National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC) and Employment and Innovation Area (EIA)?

• No, these refer to the same precinct. The Victorian Government’s recently released Plan for Victoria has identified this area as an Employment and Innovation Area (EIA), it has not changed the strategic vision for this precinct.

• Who is responsible for the planning and delivery of Fishermans Bend?

• The planning and development of Fishermans Bend is being led by the Victorian Government. The Department of Transport and Planning works with the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip to manage the planning of Fishermans Bend, along with a range of public, private and community stakeholders. More information on the delivery of Fishermans Bend can be found on the Victorian Government’s Fishermans Bend website.

• What is the plan for Fishermans Bend?

• The transformation of Fishermans Bend is being led by the Victorian Government. The Fishermans Bend Framework, 2018 sets out a high-level plan to guide new development, including the location of proposed new parks, schools, roads, public transport and community facilities and services to ensure liveability as the precinct grows over the next 30 years.

  Precinct Implementation Plans for each of Fishermans Bend’s five precincts will provide further detail to guide development and the delivery of the precincts.

  In the EIA precinct (formerly NEIC precinct), the Victorian Government has committed funding to deliver Stage 1 of the Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct (FBIP). FBIP will be established on the former General Motors Holden (GMH) site in Fishermans Bend. It will undergo a major transformation to put Victoria at the forefront of global innovation in advanced manufacturing, engineering and design. Stage 1, being delivered by Development Victoria, will include the delivery of key roads, a public park and crucial infrastructure to create an investment-ready precinct. Stage 1 works have commenced.

  The University of Melbourne is building a world-class engineering and design campus in FBIP. The first phase of the campus is planned to open in 2026. More information on the Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct can be found on Development Victoria’s website.

Fishermans Bend Place Naming Framework overview

• Why are place names important?

• Place names are more than a tool for navigating the environment. They contribute to a place’s identity and provide an opportunity to learn about a place’s unique story. Place names can be used to identify culturally significant people and acknowledge future aspirations.

• Why is a Naming Framework required?

• Over the coming decades many new roads, parks and public places will be built in the EIA (formerly NEIC) and Lorimer precincts, which will need place names. The Naming Framework will be used to guide the naming of these assets to ensure future place names celebrate the area’s unique history and future aspirations.

• What area does the Naming Framework apply to?

• The Framework applies to the portion of Fishermans Bend within the City of Melbourne:

  • The Employment Innovation Area (EIA), formerly referred to as the National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC)
  • Lorimer precinct.
• What is the purpose and objectives of the Naming Framework?

• The Naming Framework applies a localised approach to the selection and determination of new names for new roads, parks and public places in the EIA (formerly NEIC) and Lorimer precincts.

  The Naming Framework’s objectives are:

  • to provide a robust and informed basis to guide decision making around names for new roads and features in the EIA (formerly NEIC) and Lorimer precincts
  • to ensure future names are meaningful by reflecting and celebrating Fishermans Bend’s rich and diverse history and character
  • to reduce the onus on applicants to research individual naming applications by providing naming themes and additional resources that have been informed by community engagement and research.
• Who will use the Naming Framework?

• The Naming Framework can be used by:

  • Applicants as part of the preparation of naming requests to identify a meaningful name.
  • City of Melbourne (as the naming authority) and Geographic Names Victoria (as the agency responsible for the registration of names across Victoria) to assess and endorse names based on how they link to the local context of Fishermans Bend.
• Who is leading the preparation of the Naming Framework?

• The City of Melbourne is leading the development of the Naming Framework with collaboration and input from the Department of Transport and Planning and Development Victoria.

• Will the Naming Framework be informed by the community?

• Yes, the Naming Framework will be shaped by two phases of community and stakeholder engagement:

  • Phase 1 Engagement (Completed August – October 2023): we heard from community and local stakeholders in late 2023 who identified their local connections and stories relating to Fishermans Bend and how these should be celebrated through future place naming. These stories shaped the draft Fishermans Bend Place Naming Framework to ensure future place names are meaningful to the local community and celebrate the area’s rich history and character. A consultation summary can be found on Participate Melbourne.
    
  • Phase 2 Engagement (July – August 2025): The Draft Fishermans Bend Place Naming Framework will be available for review and feedback by the community.
• How will Traditional Owners be engaged?

• Fishermans Bend is located on both the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) area and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (WWCHAC) RAP area. The City of Melbourne and Victorian Government have engaged with both RAPs throughout the development of the Place Naming Framework and both RAPs will be engaged during Phase 2 Engagement.

• Will existing places be renamed?

• No, existing places will not be renamed as part of this project.

The naming approval process

• Who is responsible for place naming in City of Melbourne?

• The City of Melbourne is the naming authority for roads and places such as parks and community buildings within the municipality. The organisation receives naming requests as part of applications for subdivision or development approval, as well as ad-hoc requests.

• What is City of Melbourne’s current naming process?

• City of Melbourne’s Place and Road Naming Policy 2024 provides high level principles and guidance for the approval of place names. More information about City of Melbourne’s naming process can be found on Participate Melbourne.

• How does the Fishermans Bend Place Naming Framework support the naming process?

• The Place and Road Naming Policy 2024 calls for ‘precinct naming strategies’ to provide additional guidance for selecting and determining place names in the City of Melbourne’s urban renewal precincts, such as Fishermans Bend. This led to the creation of the Fishermans Bend Place Naming Framework.

  The standard naming approval process involves input from the applicant, City of Melbourne (the responsible naming authority) and Geographic Names Victoria (the agency responsible for the registration of names across Victoria).

  The Naming Framework supports this process by providing naming themes, spatial maps identifying significant sites and additional resources to reduce the onus on:

  • applicants to undertake research for individual naming requests, and
    
  • City of Melbourne and the Victorian Government when assessing and approving naming requests.

  The flowchart below is included in the draft Naming Framework and highlights where the Naming Framework supports the naming approval process. View diagram (PNG 103.4 KB).