{"id":9044,"date":"2019-06-04T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T23:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paradisec.org.au\/blog\/?p=9044"},"modified":"2025-07-17T12:36:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T02:36:25","slug":"loma-langi-loma-larnee-heaven-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paradisec.org.au\/blog\/2019\/06\/loma-langi-loma-larnee-heaven-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Loma Langi<\/em>, Loma Larnee<\/em>: imported heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"

Owners have commonly bestowed a name on their property, whether it be a residence in town, a homestead, a boat. Since at least the late 19th century in Australia, a popular source for these names has been some of the vocabulary of Australian languages and other languages of the region. The demand has been met in the last century by various popular booklets of ‘Aboriginal names’ (referenced in previous posts on Orana<\/a> and on Akuna<\/a>). Before those booklets began to be published, newspapers and magazines published suggestions, sometimes drawn from the Collectors of Words<\/a> notably the books of Brough Smyth (1878) and Curr (1886\/7).<\/p>\n

Particularly in the southeast of Australia, an influential source was the contribution of Alexander Cameron Macdonald (1828\u20131917)<\/a>, ‘accountant, surveyor and geographer’:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mr. Macdonald, who was in his 89th year, had made the language and lore of the Australian black his hobby; he had studied his ways, knew his language, and understood, him as few men have. He had a vocabulary of many thousands of native names and their English equivalents. He loved his subject, and by papers and pamphlets read before the Royal Geographical Society and the Historical Society served to disseminate his knowledge. It was, however, as a contributor to “The Australasian” and by the answers he supplied in its columns to questions requiring familiarity, with aboriginal languages and dialects that he became so widely known. For the last 30 years it was rare for a week to pass without his name appearing in the “Notes and Answers” column. It was all a labour of love with him. (Obituary, Australasian<\/em> (Melbourne)<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This post takes a look at just two of Macdonald’s suggestions, Loma Langi<\/em> and Loma Larnee.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Loma<\/a>
Loma Langi Lane, near Old Junee, NSW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

writes Mr. A.C. Macdonald. \u2026 “Loma Langi,” in the Fijian language, means “Heaven,” or “home of love.” NOTES & ANSWERS. The Australasian<\/em> (Melbourne) 9 November 1907:37<\/a><\/p>\n

“Bungalow.”\u2014Mr. A.C. Macdonald advises that any of the following aboriginal names would be suitable for a bungalow at the seaside:\u2014”Loma Larnee,” signifying “Heaven, or the home of love;” “Carinyah,” “a happy, peaceful home, where no quarrels are allowed to come; “Mie Gunyah,” “my home;” “Kooyong,” a beautiful locality;” “Wahroonga,” “our home.”
\nNOTES & ANSWERS. The Australasian<\/em> (Melbourne) 21 April 1917:23<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The newspaper evidence in Trove shows that Loma Langi<\/em> has been quite popular and widespread<\/a>. The earliest occurrence is in Brisbane in 1907, a few months before Macdonald’s note, so it wouldn’t’ve been the only source.<\/p>\n

In contrast, there are only a few Loma Larnee<\/em> to be found, the earliest contemporary with Macdonald’s published suggestion:<\/p>\n