ArticlesI recently saw an American blogger refer to Walla Walla as some parochial region of Australia. I assumed he meant Wagga Wagga, a well-known city with a weird name, but no, there is also a place called Walla Walla, so maybe he wasn’t confused at all.
Which brings up the question – apart from the well-known Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy and Curl Curl, how many other Australian locations have repeated names?
Well, according to the 2010 Australian Gazetteer:
| Ambah-Ambah |
| Bael Bael |
| Balla Balla |
| Bally Bally |
| Ban Ban |
| Banda Banda |
| Bandi Bandi |
| Bang Bang |
| Barra Barra |
| Baw Baw |
| Beean Beean |
| Beek Beek |
| Beggan Beggan |
| Bellum Bellum |
| Bet Bet |
| Billa Billa |
| Bindi Bindi |
| Bira Bira |
| Bli Bli |
| Bom Bom |
| Bon Bon |
| Bone Bone |
| Bong Bong |
| Boo Boo |
| Book Book |
| Bookine Bookine |
| Boola Boola |
| Boonoo Boonoo |
| Booti Booti |
| Bouka Bouka |
| Bril Bril |
| Brim Brim |
| Brit Brit |
| Bruk Bruk |
| Budgee Budgee |
| Bul Bul |
| Bulla Bulla |
| Bulla-Bulla |
| Buln Buln |
| Bunda Bunda |
| Bunna Bunna |
| Burrah Burrah |
| Burrum Burrum |
| Carag Carag |
| Chalby Chalby |
| Charl Charl |
| Chiggil Chiggil |
| Chin Chin |
| Colac Colac |
| Collum Collum |
| Coomoo Coomoo |
| Cope Cope |
| Cowan Cowan |
| Curl Curl |
| Derra Derra |
| Derri Derri |
| Doon Doon |
| Dora Dora |
| Drik Drik |
| Drop Drop |
| Drung Drung |
| Duckan Duckan |
| Dum Dum |
| Durd-Durd |
| Durren Durren |
| Elong Elong |
| Eurie Eurie |
| Gan Gan |
| Gang Gang |
| Ganoo Ganoo |
| Gatum Gatum |
| Gherang Gherang |
| Ghin Ghin |
| Ghinni Ghinni |
| Gil Gil |
| Gin Gin |
| Gol Gol |
| Golton Golton |
| Good Good |
| Gooda Gooda |
| Goonoo Goonoo |
| Gre Gre |
| Greg Greg |
| Grong Grong |
| Gubbuh Gubbuh |
| Gumly Gumly |
| Gun Gun |
| Gundy Gundy |
| Gunyah Gunyah |
| Gurra Gurra |
| Guy Guy |
| Ika-Ika |
| Imbi Imbi |
| Itali Itali |
| Jellat Jellat |
| Jerra Jerra |
| Jika Jika |
| Jil Jil |
| Jimba Jimba |
| Jingi Jingi |
| Joel Joel |
| Jung Jung |
| Kadji Kadji |
| Kalk Kalk |
| Kara Kara |
| Karup Karup |
| Kawl Kawl |
| Keri Keri |
| Ki Ki |
| Kin Kin |
| Korrak Korrak |
| Kunat Kunat |
| Kundle Kundle |
| Kurri Kurri |
| Lal Lal |
| Lang Lang |
| Mandu Mandu |
| Merri Merri |
| Merty Merty |
| Mia Mia |
| Millaa Millaa |
| Milly Milly |
| Min Min |
| Mirra Mirra |
| Mitta Mitta |
| Mogil Mogil |
| Mona Mona |
| Moon Moon |
| Mooney Mooney |
| Moora Moora |
| Morrl Morrl |
| Mucca Mucca |
| Mugga Mugga |
| Muggy-Muggy |
| Muli Muli |
| Mulla Mulla |
| Mundi Mundi |
| Munna Munna |
| Murra Murra |
| Murrin Murrin |
| Nacki Nacki |
| Nan Nan |
| Nap Nap |
| Nareeb Nareeb |
| Narra Narra |
| Nerren Nerren |
| Nerrin Nerrin |
| Never Never |
| Ngarram Ngarram |
| Ngillin Ngillin |
| Ni Ni |
| Nil Nil |
| Nour Nour |
| Nowa Nowa |
| Nulla Nulla |
| Numby Numby |
| Nunga Nunga |
| Nurra-Nurra |
| Obi Obi |
| Obum Obum |
| Ona Ona |
| Pandie Pandie |
| Pangki Pangki |
| Pendyk Pendyk |
| Perrit Perrit |
| Pier Pier |
| Pindi Pindi |
| Pom Pom |
| Puka Puka |
| Pura Pura |
| Pyry Pyry |
| Quanda Quanda |
| Tabba Tabba |
| Talga Talga |
| Tambal-Tambal |
| Tarra Tarra |
| Tilba Tilba |
| Tilun Tilun |
| Toogan-Toogan |
| Topi Topi |
| Tucka Tucka |
| Tucki Tucki |
| Tyrl Tyrl |
| Ula Ula |
| Utah Utah |
| Valley Valley |
| Vite Vite |
| Waar Waar |
| Wadda Wadda |
| Waddy Waddy |
| Wagga Wagga |
| Wak Wak |
| Wal Wal |
| Walla Walla |
| Wallah Wallah |
| Wallan Wallan |
| Wallen Wallen |
| Walyer Walyer |
| Wangi Wangi |
| Warra Warra |
| Warra-Warra |
| Wat Wat |
| Wau-Wau |
| Way Way |
| Weeyuh Weeyuh |
| Weir Weir |
| Whian Whian |
| Wilby Wilby |
| Willi Willi |
| Wing Wing |
| Wirrum Wirrum |
| Wodi Wodi |
| Wog Wog |
| Wolla Wolla |
| Wong Wong |
| Wonga Wonga |
| Woodie Woodie |
| Wooli Wooli |
| Woop Woop |
| Woorong Woorong |
| Woy Woy |
| Wujal Wujal |
| Wuk Wuk |
| Wurruk Wurruk |
| Wye Wye |
| Wyndi Wyndi |
| Yabba Yabba |
| Yan Yan |
| Yang Yang |
| Yarra Yarra |
| Yarram Yarram |
| Yeo Yeo |
| Yere Yere |
| Yo Yo |
That’s only official names. It excludes a long list of unofficial names (like Kulu Kulu) and historical names (like Wirra Wirra), but I assume you were all sticklers for government approval. It also only includes exact duplications, with or without a space or dash separator.
So, in total, 234.
I hope that satisfies your curiousity.
If it doesn’t, you can do some further research, as I did. You can find out that Wikipedia had a list all along (but only manages to find 116 of them). Wikipedia also explains that, in some Australian aboriginal languages, plurals are formed by doubling a word, explaining the common occurrence.
Comment by configurator on February 12, 2013
Walla Walla Bang Bang, isn’t that part of a song? Didn’t know it was Australian though…
Comment by Julian on February 12, 2013
“Walla Walla Bing Bang” is part of the chorus of Witch Doctor, a casually-racist hit song from 1958.
Or maybe you are thinking of the 1968 musical number about a magical car that flew from Queensland to New South Wales, Chiggil Chiggil Bang Bang?
Comment by configurator on February 14, 2013
I was talking about Witch Doctor, I had no idea it’s “Bing Bang” rather than “Bang Bang”.
Comment by Jan Wolter on June 1, 2013
This clearly calls for a Walt Kelly quotation:
Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an’ Kalamazoo!
Nora’s freezin’ on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!