7 Bizarrely Named Towns In New South Wales

Australians know a thing or two about bizarre place names. On a continent full of extremes, it’s only natural that a handful of places would end up saddled with the first thing that popped into the founder’s head upon arrival as a name — to often-humorous effect. All over the state of New South Wales (for you overseas readers, that’s where Sydney is) are eyebrow-raising place names with stories as colorful as they are. Here are seven bizarrely names towns in New South Wales, all of them unusual and chuckle-worthy.

Bong Bong

In Bong Bong’s defense, the name of this New South Wales town is only funny if you’re coming at it as an English speaker. As the first European settlement in the Southern Highlands region of the state, it took its name from the surrounding administrative region — yup, that’d be Bong Bong Parish. So where did Bong Bong Parish get its name?

It’s most likely derived from a word in the local Aboriginal language, “bung bung,” that refers to a swampy environment. But that same language uses the word “bong bong” to refer to the human derriere, and a nearby mountain with a suspiciously reminiscent shape is indeed also called Bong Bong. So who’s to say which of these two translations was really the origin of one of Australia’s funniest-sounding place names?

While it’s unfortunate that a perfectly ordinary Aboriginal word sounds so unintentionally amusing in English, the average road tripper is likely to giggle a little when passing the town’s sign. But remember it’s a total accident of linguistics: no one knew back then what the word “bong” would one day mean.

Burrumbuttock

Poor Burrumbuttock. It never asked to make people giggle: although the exact origin is unknown, the name is believed to originate in the local Wiradjuri language, in which “burrum” is a term for water. Nothing to giggle at, is that?

It’s a respectable place, one that would much rather be known for the excellent Wirraminna Environmental Education Center than for its name. Instead, it ended up as yet another perfectly sensible name that turns chuckle-worthy when you read it in English.

Aside from the accepted theory of its Wiradjuri origin, there are plenty of anecdotes about the more specific origins of Burrumbuttock. As none of them are substantiated with any real historical evidence, we’ll have to assume the plausible explanation is true. But that makes it all the more unfortunate that any name that includes the word “buttock” in full is bound to make English-speaking travelers titter when they pass by.

Come by Chance

Of all the bizarre place names in New South Wales, this one’s gotten the most press by far. It’s almost guaranteed to pop up on almost any list of unusual Australian place names. And it’s rather a fitting one: the rural sheep-farming town of Come by Chance came by its name, well, by chance.

In 1862, two brothers arrived in a remote corner of New South Wales hoping to buy some land to start up a sheep station. Thanks to a land allocation law passed the year before, they weren’t confident they’d be able to find a piece of land that hadn’t been sold off yet. When they did, they named their settlement in honor of their lucky break: Come by Chance.

Today, this lucky sheep station is known for its annual horse race, the Come by Chance Picnic Races, and for its mention in a famous ballad by the artist Banjo Paterson.

Goodnight

Located near the border with the state of Victoria, Goodnight is located near prime grape-growing country. As such, vineyards have been in the region longer than there’s been a town called Goodnight. Evidence is thin if not nonexistent regarding the alleged origins of its name; supposedly, it came by its unusual name in 1963, when a surveyor who was mapping the area from a paddle wheel steamer heard somebody call out the namesake leave-taking on what he thought was a deserted night. Although the beginnings of a town were already in place, the name stuck. Goodnight, New South Wales, remains a wine and sheep-farming hamlet, and it fits. Drink one to put yourself to sleep and count the other. What better industries to sustain a town called Goodnight?

Nevertire

The city that never sleeps, perhaps? Nevertire is an amusing name to start with, but it’s perhaps even funnier because nobody knows exactly where it came from. We do know how this town came to be on the map: in 1882, it was linked to the nearby town of Dubbo by rail and grew enough to be incorporated in 1885. Grain handling further augmented the growing town’s economy and numbers. But as to its name? History is curiously silent. Perhaps it’s fitting, though, that we have no historical record of how Nevertire might have come to be called by that name. This way, intrepid minds will nevertire of speculating.

Packsaddle

Located in the Outback of New South Wales, Packsaddle certainly has a fitting cowboy ring to it. In this rugged country, it would hardly surprise anyone if a packsaddle was still a relevant piece of gear to the town’s 73 present residents. But if folklore is to be believed, the town’s name isn’t exactly a reference to a useful household object.

The town of Packsaddle takes its name from adjacent Packsaddle Creek. And Packsaddle Creek, allegedly, takes its name from an accident. The most widely circulated tale of this town’s unusual name alleges that the Burke and Wills Expedition, which trekked from Melbourne on the southern coast to Flinders River in the north, gave the town its name. After losing a packsaddle while crossing a creek, they decided to name said creek after that memorable incident, and the town that sprang up around it now bears the same name.

Tom Uglys Point

Okay, technically, Tom Uglys Point is a geographic feature, not a town. That said, it’s a well-trafficked area thanks to the Tom Uglys Bridge, which links two Sydney suburbs across the Georges River. And, much more importantly, its name is just too good not to include.

So how did the point, whose name predates the bridge by nearly a century, come by a name like Tom Ugly? There are a handful of competing theories, none of which have ever been proven. One suggests that local Indigenous people found the name of a settler named Tom Huxley difficult to pronounce, hence Tom Ugly. A nearly opposite theory posits that it’s an English speaker’s mis-rendering of an Aboriginal name. The list goes on - clearly, a name like Tom Ugly demands speculation.

While there are, sadly, no residents of Tom Ugly to speak of, road signs making mention of the bridge or point are still well worth a snapshot stop. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most amusing place names in New South Wales.

It’s not difficult to find bizarre place names in New South Wales: drive around for a few hours and you’ll stumble upon countless gems. And it isn’t only the towns of New South Wales that might make you chuckle as you drive past. For every point, pass, overlook, headland, cape, bridge, mountain, creek, or pond with a perfectly ordinary name, there’s five that sound unintentionally vulgar, silly, baffling, or just plain odd. These seven towns are only the beginning — lovers of oddly-named geographies will find New South Wales abundant beyond their wildest dreams.