HARMONY Square is back on the shortlist as a contender for the official name of Wodonga’s new public square.

The name that was initially rejected by the council joins four others: Aurora Square, Drovers Rest, Melba Square and Junction Square.

Those names were selected out of 340 submissions received during a month-long community consultation process, and will now go out for more public feedback.

Junction Square was a last-minute addition to the list presented at last night’s council meeting, thanks to an alternative motion tabled by Cr Mark Byatt.

Though noting Places Victoria — the state government body overseeing the urban square development — was “not supportive” of any name that incorporated the word “junction”, Cr Byatt said community consultation showed 66 per cent of people wanted a rail-related name.

“Junction will remain synonymous with the area long after Places Victoria has departed,” he said.

Its inclusion reflected at least 33 public submissions that used “junction” in some way — such as Square, Place, Central, Park — and was overwhelmingly the most common suggestion, according to the council report.

Several people nominated the original choice of Harmony square, while others offered Melba Square in tribute of the Melba Theatre that used to be located where the Woolworths building now stands.

Aurora Square would refer to the Southern Aurora, the passenger train that ran daily from Sydney to Melbourne from 1962 to 1986.

And Drovers Rest is a nod to Wodonga’s farming past, with the city once the end of the line for cattle drovers from as far away as Queensland.

Another popular suggestion was Jack Hore Place, in honour of the former Wodonga shire president.

Part of Elgin Boulevard was named for him until it was renamed several years ago and no replacement was ever declared.

Other suggestions included: Anzac Square, Belvoir Common, Broadgauge Junction, City Heart, Cosmopolitan Plaza, Platform One, and Railway Square.

The shortlisted names will now be presented for public consultation for the next three weeks.