Suburbs and localities (Australia)

{{Short description|Geographic subdivisions in Australia}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{wiktionary|suburb}}

Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia, used mainly for address purposes. The term locality is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas.{{cite web|url=http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/59627/Glossary_of_Designation_Values_2015.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229024632/http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/59627/Glossary_of_Designation_Values_2015.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 February 2016|title=Glossary of designation values in the Geographical Names Register|publisher=Geographical Names Board of New South Wales|date=15 July 2015|access-date=14 January 2019}} Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs.{{cite web|url=http://www.psma.com.au/datasets/postcode-boundaries|title=Postcode boundaries|work=psma.com.au|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218062625/http://www.psma.com.au/datasets/postcode-boundaries|archive-date=18 February 2008}}

This Australian usage of the term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage of suburb (municipality outside of a big city). The Australian usage is closer to the American or British use of "neighbourhood" or "district", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas.

Localities existed in the past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs.{{cite web|url=http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/land/l111.pdf|title=Place names—localities and suburbs|date=December 2011|publisher=Department of Environment and Resource Management|access-date=12 September 2012}} There has subsequently been a process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} In March 2006, only South Australia and the Northern Territory had not completed this process.{{cite web|url=http://www.nt.gov.au/lands/lis/newsletter/2006/march.shtml|title=Naming of Northern Territory Suburbs and Localities|work=nt.gov.au|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311130949/http://www.nt.gov.au/lands/lis/newsletter/2006/march.shtml|archive-date=11 March 2008}}

The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots.{{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/featurecodes.jsp|title=Feature Codes used by the Gazetteer of Australia|publisher=Geoscience Australia|access-date=4 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228074658/http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/featurecodes.jsp|archive-date=28 February 2009}}

Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities".{{cite web|url=http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/_media/gnb/pdf/P06_18_0009b_Determing_suburbs_and_localities_in_NSW_final.pdf|title=Determining suburbs and localities in NSW|publisher=Geographical Names Board of New South Wales|date=August 2006|access-date=12 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704023226/http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/_media/gnb/pdf/P06_18_0009b_Determing_suburbs_and_localities_in_NSW_final.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2009}}

In the first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council{{cite web|url=https://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/223346/NSW_Address_Policy_and_User_Manual.pdf|title=2.5 Policy|work=NSW Address Policy and User Manual|page=25|date=October 2019|access-date=17 April 2020}} in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are {{NSWcity|Adamstown Heights}}, which is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and {{NSWcity|Woodville}}, which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas, localities are declared by the relevant state authority.