These names are examples of reduplication, a common theme in Australian toponymy, especially in names derived from Indigenous Australian languages such as Wiradjuri. Reduplication is often used as an intensifier such as "Wagga Wagga" many crows and "Tilba Tilba" many waters.
The phenomenon has been the subject of interest in popular culture, including the song by Australian folk singer Greg Champion (written by Jim Haynes and Greg Champion), Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga. British comedian Spike Milligan, an erstwhile resident of Woy Woy, once wrote "Woy it is called Woy Woy Oi will never know".
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| Name | State | Meaning and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bael Bael | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Gannawarra |
| Bally Bally | Western Australia | |
| Ban Ban Springs | Queensland | Ban means "grass" in the local Kabi dialect. |
| Banda Banda | New South Wales | |
| Baw Baw | New South Wales | |
| Baw Baw National Park | Victoria | Baw Baw is an Aboriginal word meaning "echo". |
| Beek Beek | Victoria | Emu |
| Beggan Beggan | New South Wales | |
| Bet Bet | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Central Goldfields |
| Bindi Bindi | Western Australia | |
| Bli Bli | Queensland | Named after "billai billai", Aboriginal for swamp oak. |
| Boonoo Boonoo National Park | New South Wales | The place name means "poor country with no animals to provide food" and is Aboriginal in origin. |
| Bong Bong | New South Wales | The place name is Aboriginal for "blind or a watercourse lost in a swamp" or "many watercourses; many frogs". |
| Bongil Bongil | New South Wales | The name Bongil Bongil is the name of a sub-group of the Gumbaingerie tribe which occupied the general area bounded by the Clarence River in the north, the Nambucca River in the south, Dorrigo in the west and the Pacific Ocean. |
| Brim Brim | Victoria | a parish of the County of Dundas |
| Brit Brit | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Southern Grampians |
| Bruk Bruk | Victoria | a parish of the County of Dundas |
| Budgee Budgee | New South Wales | Budgee Budgee is a locality near Mudgee. The origin of the name is unknown, but it first appeared on old maps so is possibly a surveyor's interpretation of an aboriginal name. |
| Budgee Budgee | Victoria | a parish of the County of Wonnangatta |
| Bulla Bulla | Victoria | The original name of the township of Bulla. An Aboriginal term meaning either 'two' or 'good'. |
| Bungle Bungle Range | Western Australia | A corruption of "bundle bundle", a grass common to the Kimberley region. |
| Burrah Burrah | Victoria | a parish of the County of Ripon |
| Burrum Burrum | Victoria | a parish of the County of Kara Kara |
| Carag Carag | Victoria | a parish of the County of Rodney |
| Colac Colac | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Towong |
| Collum Collum | New South Wales | |
| Coomoo Coomoo | New South Wales | The name was derived from the original station name, which used a local Aboriginal word meaning "much water". |
| Cope Cope | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Northern Grampians |
| Curl Curl | New South Wales | Name may be derived from Aboriginal phrase "curial curial" meaning river of life. |
| Cut Paw Paw | Victoria | a parish of the County of Bourke."Maribyrnong: Action in Tranquility", the history of Maribyrnong, gives the meanings of several aboriginal terms. Cut Cut Paw is a corruption of the words for "a clump of she-oaks". |
| Mount Dom Dom | Victoria | |
| Doon Doon | New South Wales | From the Bandjalung-Yugambeh dialect chain word 'doan doan' meaning black or dark. |
| Drik Drik | Victoria | An Aboriginal word for "Stoney Stoney" |
| Drung Drung | Victoria | a former name of locality of Drung in the Rural City of Horsham |
| Dum Dum | New South Wales | a locality near Uki, New South Wales |
| Elong Elong | New South Wales | |
| Ganoo Ganoo | Victoria | a parish of the County of Dundas |
| Gatum Gatum | Victoria | a former name of locality of Gatum in the Shire of Southern Grampians and the name of a Melbourne Cup winner |
| Gherang Gherang | Victoria | a parish of the County of Grant |
| Ghinni Ghinni | New South Wales | |
| Gil Gil | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Buloke |
| Gin Gin | Queensland | The name was derived from the original station name, which used a local Aboriginal word indicating "red soil thick scrub". |
| Gin Gin | New South Wales | |
| Gingin | Western Australia | May mean either "footprint" or "place of many streams". |
| Gol Gol | New South Wales | Gol Gol got its name from the local Aboriginal word for 'meeting place', as recorded by the explorer Thomas Mitchell. |
| Gong Gong | Victoria | a locality of the City of Ballarat |
| Goonoo Goonoo | New South Wales | "Plenty of water". |
| Gre Gre | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Northern Grampians |
| Greg Greg | New South Wales | |
| Grong Grong | New South Wales | "Very hot". |
| Gumly Gumly | New South Wales | |
| Gunyah Gunyah | Victoria | an earlier name of the locality of Gunyah in South Gippsland Shire |
| Gunyah Gunyah | Victoria | a parish of the County of Buln Buln |
| Jellat Jellat | New South Wales | |
| Jil Jil | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Buloke |
| Jung Jung | Victoria | a former name of locality of Jung in the Rural City of Horsham |
| Karup Karup | Victoria | a parish of the County of Dundas |
| Kin Kin | Queensland | May be derived from the local Aboriginal word for 'black ants'. or
May be derived from an Aboriginal word, Kabi language, kauin kauin, a variant of kutchin indicating red, from the red soil area drained by Kin Kin Creek. |
| Koonung Koonung Creek | Victoria | a tributary of the Yarra River |
| Koort-koort-nong | Victoria | a parish of the County of Hampden |
| Korrak Korrak | Victoria | a parish of the County of Tatchera |
| Kunat Kunat | Victoria | a parish of the County of Tatchera |
| Kurri Kurri | New South Wales | In the Minyung Dialect, which refers to this area, Kurri-kurri means 'the beginning, the first'. |
| Lal Lal | Victoria | Lal Lal is a town in Victoria |
| Lang Lang | Victoria | Lang Lang was formerly known as Carrington, after Lord Carrington. The Aboriginal name "Lang Lang" means "Clump of Trees". |
| Ma Ma Creek | Queensland | |
| Millaa Millaa | Queensland | May be derived from the local Aboriginal word for 'plenty water'. or
May be derived from a corruption of millai millai, possibly Yindinji language, indicating a fruit bearing plant Eleagnus latifolia. |
| Min Min Lights | Queensland | Not exactly a place name, but worthy of inclusion. Min Min is, or was, a location near Boulia. |
| Mitta Mitta | Victoria | |
| Mona Mona Mission | Queensland | (Aboriginal community in far north Qld) |
| Mooney Mooney | New South Wales | |
| Morrl Morrl | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Northern Grampians |
| Murrin Murrin | Western Australia | gold mine |
| Nap Nap Marra | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Wellington |
| Nareeb Nareeb | Victoria | a former name of the locality of Nareeb in the Shire of Moyne |
| Nerrin Nerrin | Victoria | a locality of the Rural City of Ararat |
| Ni Ni | Victoria | a former locality of the Shire of Hindmarsh |
| Nug Nug | Victoria | a locality of Alpine Shire |
| Obi Obi | Queensland | Believed to be a perpetuation of the personal name of a prominent Aboriginal, known variously as Ubi Ubi, Wubi Wubi or Obi Obi. |
| Pendyk Pendyk | Victoria | a parish of the County of Dundas |
| Perrit Perrit | Victoria | a parish of the County of Tatchera |
| Pom Pom | Victoria | a parish of the County of Villiers |
| Pura Pura | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Moyne |
| Tabby Tabby Island | Queensland | Derived from a corruption of Bundjalung language, Ngaraangbal dialect, word dhube dhube, indicating crab place or shell place. |
| Terip Terip | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Murrindindi |
| Terrick Terrick | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Loddon |
| Terrick Terrick National Park | Victoria | |
| Terry Hie Hie | New South Wales | |
| Tilba Tilba | New South Wales | Said to be a Thawa Aboriginal term for 'many waters'. |
| Vite Vite | Victoria | a locality of the Corangamite Shire |
| Wagga Wagga | New South Wales | 'Wagga wagga' is probably a Wiradhuri term for 'many crows'. 'Waggan', for one type of crow and 'waggura', for another have been recorded; also: reeling (a sick man or a dizzy man); to dance, slide or grind. |
| Wal Wal | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Northern Grampians |
| Walla Walla | New South Wales | Is probably Wiradhuri in origin, but no meaning has been verified. (Appleton; 1992). Also: Possibly from Wallawalla for rain. (McCarthy; 1963). |
| Walla Walla | Victoria | a parish of the County of Ripon |
| Wallan Wallan | Victoria | |
| Wangi Wangi | New South Wales | The word Wangi has been translated variously as water, night owl or dark green tree so that Wangi Wangi would mean place of much water, many night owls or many dark green trees. Early settlers and fishermen used the word to mean peninsula and Point Wollstonecroft was called "Little Wangi". Captain Dangar's 1826 sketch of the Lake marked Wangi Point as "Wonde Wonde". There is no explanation of the marked difference between spelling and pronunciation. |
| Warra Warra | Victoria | a parish of the County of Borung |
| Wat Wat | Victoria | a parish of the County of Croajingolong |
| Wee Wee Rup | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of Gannawarra |
| Will Will Rook | Victoria | a parish of the County of Bourke |
| Wonga Wonga | Victoria | an earlier name of the locality of Wonga in South Gippsland Shire |
| Wood Wood | Victoria | a locality of the Rural City of Swan Hill |
| Wool Wool | Victoria | a locality of the Colac Otway Shire |
| Woy Woy | New South Wales | Said to be an Awabakal Aboriginal term for 'deep water' or 'lagoon' |
| Wujal Wujal | Queensland | (Aboriginal community in far north Qld) |
| Wuk Wuk | Victoria | a locality of the Shire of East Gippsland |
| Wurruk Wurruk | Victoria | a parish of the County of Tanjil |
| Wyn Wyn | Victoria | a former locality of the Rural City of Horsham |
| Yabba Yabba | Victoria | a parish of the County of Moira |
| Yagga Yagga | Western Australia | An Aboriginal community near Halls Creek, Western Australia |
| Yan Yan Gurt | Victoria | a locality of the Surf Coast Shire |
| Yanac A Yanac | Victoria | a former name of a locality of Yanac in the Shire of Hindmarsh |
| Yarram Yarram | Victoria | the former name of Yarram, Victoria |
| Yeo Yeo | New South Wales |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, australian, repeated, place and/or names:
“Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.”
—Janet Frame (b. 1924)
“Every morning I woke in dread, waiting for the day nurse to go on her rounds and announce from the list of names in her hand whether or not I was for shock treatment, the new and fashionable means of quieting people and of making them realize that orders are to be obeyed and floors are to be polished without anyone protesting and faces are to be made to be fixed into smiles and weeping is a crime.”
—Janet Frame (b. 1924)
“Each Australian is a Ulysses.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)
“The poem of the mind in the act of finding
What will suffice. It has not always had
To find: the scene was set; it repeated what
Was in the script.
Then the theatre was changed
To something else. Its past was a souvenir.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“Well, it is a good experience, to divest oneself of some tested ideals, some old standbys,
And even finding nothing to put in their place is a good experience,
Preparing one, as it does, for the consternation that is to come.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Row after row with strict impunity
The headstones yield their names to the element,
The wind whirrs without recollection....”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)