Honeymoon Gap was originally called Temple Bar by surveyors constructing the Australian Overland Telegraph Line and it was first named by Gilbert McMinn who, alongside William Mills, camped there on the 17th of February 1871. It is unclear why the name Temple Bar was given, although it likely relates to the original Temple Bar in London. It is thought that McMinn believed this gap would be the gateway that would enable the telegraph line to pass through, however, only days later he and Mills would find the wider Heavitree Gap where the line would ultimately travel through.