Concerns around Guru Nanak Lake, formerly Berwick Springs Lake, have sparked once more, as alternative names for neighbouring facilities are featured on Google Maps.
Although there is no direct timeline, the Berwick Springs Football and Netball Club’s name is also – alternatively – listed as Guru Nanak Lake Junior Football Club on Google Maps.
The same can be observed with the basketball court on Moondarra Drive, which, on Google Maps, is in substitute, also Guru Nanak Lake Basketball Court.
If you were to press on both the names of the club and the court, or zoom into their location on the map, the name changes back to Berwick Springs Lake; the Guru Nanak alternative remains on the left-hand side pop-up.
Google’s practice of naming places follows official government sources, and while it does not automatically rename neighbouring places, its machine-learning models and algorithms might suggest alternative names that are based on textual references.
In the case of Guru Nanak Lake, nearby playgrounds, facilities and or clubs that retained the Berwick Springs name might assume the alternative, considering that the main, or anchor name of Berwick Springs has been replaced by Guru Nanak Lake.
Michael Ball, president of the Berwick Springs Community group that formed in early 2025 in light of the lake’s initial name change, said that “again there has been no consultation”.
He acknowledged that there may not be an official move to rename the neighbouring landmarks, but it is nevertheless a sign of community voice negligence.
“This is the position we find ourselves in, and it’s because the State Government failed to follow the naming legislation, their own legislation,” he said.
“But this is the point that was made during the gathering, that there is no consultation whatsoever with the community,” he said.
Looking back, the official State Government statement on the naming – or renaming – of Guru Nanak Lake was because ‘Berwick Springs Lake’ was not a formally gazetted name recognised by Geographic Names Victoria.
Other landmarks in the lake’s area also have alternative names, where two icons on the main lake itself both hold Berwick Springs and Guru Nanak.
A little bit up north, it reads as Guru Nanak Lake Reserve, but further south, the fishing pier still reads as Berwick Springs, as with the parkrun.
However, other facilities are under the same status as the club and basketball court, where the tennis court and the southern playground are named Guru Nanak, but retain the Berwick Springs alternative when clicked on.
Despite this, however, Ball remains adamant, especially now, that “our local representatives can’t just wipe their hands clear of this issue anymore”.
“Gary Maas is a local member for this community, and the community expects him to step up and get this resolved.
“Ingrid Stitt is the minister, so likewise, the same goes for Sonya Kilkenny for the planning applications.
“They all have a responsibility here and they need to take accountability; but the bigger issue is we have an entire community here and now [the changes] have gone down to the clubs,” he said.
On Sunday, 23 March 2025, 500 residents gathered outside the lake in a silent protest and gathering against the lack of consultation.
Led by Ball and the wider Berwick Springs Community Group, he highlighted several key points made during the initial November 2024 event, making the additional announcement of a 2000-signature petition for a 30-minute parliamentary debate.
As of July 2025, Ball said that they have garnered roughly 2500 signatures, which is looking to be completed and finalised by Sunday, 6 July.
“We’ll then be launching it online to the broader Victorian community, and they need to know about this,” he said.
“But this is exactly what we’ve been saying, if you don’t have consultation, this is the problem you have.”
Across the Pacific, United States president Donald Trump made it one of his earlier mandates to change the Gulf of Mexico’s name to the Gulf of America earlier in the year.
This was an executive action by the American president, a move that Google complied with.
The company posted on X, formerly Twitter, on 28 January, that it has a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
When Berwick Springs Lake was first mandated by the Victorian Government to change to Guru Nanak Lake officially under Geographic Names Victoria, it was not long before Google followed suit.
Apple Maps does not have any alternative names for the neighbouring facilities, and only retains the Guru Nanak Lake for the main body of water.
This story is developing, and more information will be added once available.
