I 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!