Commonly Mispronounced Places in Australia
Australians are known for their unconventional slang terms and relaxed way of speaking. They like to shorten a lot of everyday words, including the names of cities and towns. If you want to learn the local lingo, or you’re simply trying to understand an Australian, find out the right way to say these most commonly mispronounced place names in Australia.
1. Melbourne (Mel-bin)
Architectural Landmark
Every year, more than two million overseas tourists visit Melbourne. But most international visitors insist on pronouncing the world’s most liveable city as it’s spelled: Mel-bourne, as in the Matt Damon movie trilogy. Locals cringe at this mispronunciation. To instantly feel like a Melbourne resident, rather than a visitor, pronounce the name as the locals do: Mel-bin.
2. Mudgeeraba (Mug-ra-bar)
Architectural Landmark
Mudgeeraba, which is not pronounced Mud-jee-rar-bar, is a small suburb in the Gold Coast hinterland that is largely untouched by tourism. It’s known for its 19th-century-style village and heritage-listed buildings, which include the Wallaby Hotel, one of Australia’s oldest pubs. The name Mudgeeraba is derived from an indigenous Australian expression, and it’s pronounced Mug-ra-bar.
3. Brisbane (Bris-bin)
Architectural Landmark
Similar to Melbourne’s shortening and relaxed pronunciation is Brisbane. It’s Bris-bin, not Bris-bane. The capital of Queensland is nicknamed Brissy and Brisvegas (although the two cities have few similarities). It was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, a noted astronomer and the governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
5. Canberra (Can-bra)
Architectural Landmark
6. Mackay (Mack-eye)
Architectural Landmark
Mackay is located on the tropical Queensland coast, and disputes rage over how to pronounce the name. Mackay is the closest city to both Airlie Beach and the wonderful Whitsundays, and was named after John Mackay. His descendants apparently corresponded with Mackay City Library in 2007 to confirm that it is in fact pronounced Mack-eye, not Mac-kay.
7. Kata Tjuta (Kah-tah Choor-ta)
Natural Feature
Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, are a group of domed red-rock formations in a remote part of Australia. Located 365km (227 miles) from Alice Springs, Kata Tjuta is a tourist attraction in the Northern Territory close to Uluru. Kata Tjuta is an Aboriginal Australian word, meaning “many heads”.
8. Cairns (Cans)
Architectural Landmark
9. Launceston (Lon-ses-tin)
Architectural Landmark
10. Fleurieu (Floo-ree-oh) Peninsula
Natural Feature
Located in South Australia, the Fleurieu Peninsula was named by French explorer Nicolas Baudin in 1802. He named it in honour of Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu, a fellow French explorer and hydrographer. It’s not uncommon for both Australians and international visitors to mispronounce the French name. People visit the Fleurieu Peninsula for its beautiful surf beaches and its ferry to Kangaroo Island.
11. Jervis (Jar-vis) Bay
Camping
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