City of Port Phillip wants to name two St Kilda laneways after Renee Geyer and Spencer P Jones.
Public submissions are now open for the proposed naming of Laneway R3427 as Geyer Lane and Laneway R3615 as Jonesy Lane, honouring two Australian music icons who called St Kilda home for most of their careers. Both laneways are currently unnamed, which council says creates issues for emergency services and visitors trying to locate specific addresses.
Geyer Lane would connect two spots central to Renee Geyer’s St Kilda life; MEMO Music Hall where she performed acclaimed shows, and the Galleon Café on Carlisle Street where she was a regular. Her concerts at MEMO drew massive crowds and became landmark events on the local arts calendar, with one of her final performances happening at the 2021 Sight & Sound Festival on Albert Street.
The current submissions come after Port Phillip recently renamed Nelson Street as Seekers Way, honouring the house where The Seekers would meet and rehearse; formerly owned by the late Judith Durham.
Formed in 1962, The Seekers became the first Australian pop band to climb charts in the United Kingdom and United States, later being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1995 and Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2015.
Bruce Woodley and Judith Durham’s sister Beverley Sheehan attended the official renaming launch.
St Kilda laneway naming proposals
- What: Public consultation on naming two St Kilda laneways
- Where: Laneway R3427 (proposed Geyer Lane), Laneway R3615 (proposed Jonesy Lane), St Kilda
- Feedback due: Sunday 14 December
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Spencer P Jones, known as Jonesy, lived on Jackson Street and played at St Kilda venues including the Prince of Wales Hotel and the ESPY throughout his career. His guitar work spanned collaborations with The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls, Chris Bailey and The General Dog, Maurice Frawley and The Working Class Ringos, Renee Geyer and Sacred Cowboys.
Australian Guitar magazine rated Jones as one of Australia’s top 40 best guitarists in May 2012. He released 10 solo albums alongside his session and band work, building a reputation for exceptional talent that extended well beyond St Kilda’s music scene. Violent Femmes recently covered one of his songs during their show at the Palais, proving his ongoing influence.
Both proposed names have been assessed against The Naming rules for places in Victoria 2022 and meet all required criteria. City of Port Phillip handles the creation and changing of road, street and laneway names across the municipality, using the process to recognise local history, culture and identity.
Naming these laneways serves dual purposes; honouring two musicians who shaped St Kilda’s music community while providing clear identification for emergency services. Currently unnamed laneways can cost critical minutes when emergency responders try to locate incidents, and proper naming improves access for essential services and visitors.
Jones held his public funeral at St Mary’s Church in St Kilda East on 31 August 2018. Geyer’s connection to the area ran deep through decades of performances and daily life spent between MEMO and her Carlisle Street haunts. Both musicians earned their place in St Kilda’s cultural landscape through sustained contributions to the local scene.
Community members, organisations and residents can provide feedback or ask questions about either proposed laneway name until Sunday 14 December. Council operates as a Naming Authority under Victoria’s place naming rules, allowing any person or group to request names or changes for roads, reserves, open spaces and council facilities.
For more information, head here.
