Names

One thing we have noticed about Australia is the "different" names used for towns and villages. For example, on Friday night as we drove out to South Gippsland we noticed highway signs for places like : Koo-Wee-Rup, Bunyip, Poowong, Kongwak, Jindivick, Nar Nar Goon and Lang Lang to name a few. It seemed rather odd that on the same map there were places named Kingston, Hastings, Frankston and Pearcedale. So I did a little research and I didn't have to go far.

The names that we find to be really odd,...like Poowong are aboriginal names, usually meaning something to do with the natural environment. For instance, the town of Wonthaggi means windy in the language of the native people. The towns with the "familiar" names obviously get their names from the British explorers. So there you go. Now as we do our exploring around Victoria I am going to post some of these different names and their meanings.

Next weekend, we are heading to Geelong.