Naming Unley

Thomas Whistler is credited with naming Unley.

Whistler was one of 15 land holders in Unley in the late 1830s. He owned approximately 420acres which he subdivided to create Arthur, Mary and Thomas Streets.

There is much speculation as to the origin of the name Unley.

Some believe that Whistler originally named Unley after Undley Common in the Parish of Mildenhall Suffolk and that the name Unley was derived as a result of mirroring local speech which omitted the letter d. However, research has shown that he had no actual connection with Undley and it should be noted that on all of his land transfers the name is spelt Unley.

Another theory is that Unley was the maiden name of Whistler's wife however, this can be proven to be untrue as Whistler never married.