10 Aussie places with odd names (and why you should visit)
Don’t let a strange name scare you off!
1. Dismal Swamp, Tasmania
The largest sinkhole in the Southern Hemisphere is more magical than dismal. It’s filled with ancient blackwood trees and you can ride a curvy 110-metre slide right to the bottom, where you’ll find dreamy sculptures and local artworks.
2. Dump Beach, New South Wales
It’s doesn’t sound very appealing, but dog lovers will love this stretch of sand close to the town of Yamba on the NSW north coast. It's quiet and unpatrolled, and the local doggy community has claimed it as their own. The perfect place for your furry friend to have a roll in the sand.
3. Success, Western Australia
This suburb in southern Perth is named for Captain James Stirling’s ship the HMAS Success that explored the region in 1827. Now, it’s a sleepy, safe suburb that’s surrounded by some lovely parks and is just a short drive to the beach.
4. Mount Misery, Tasmania
There are a few Mount Miseries to be found around Australia, which suggests that early explorers must have had a pretty difficult time. This one overlooks Huonville in southeast Tasmania and its slopes are covered in tall eucalypts and small pockets of rainforest. The climb to the summit takes about three hours.
5. Stinky Bay, South Australia
This two-kilometre curve of sand on South Australia’s Limestone Peninsula gets its name from the large piles of seagrass that frequently wash up on the beach, giving off a distinctive odour. If you can get past that, lots of inshore holes and gutters make it a great spot for fishing right from the beach.
6. Eggs and Bacon Bay, Tasmania
Tassie seems to have more than its fair share of strangely-named places, and Eggs and Bacon Bay is the next one on our list. It’s actually named for the distinctive yellow and red flowers found all over the shore, rather than breakfast, and has gorgeous scenery, deserted beaches and lots of fresh Tasmanian produce.
7. Promised Land, New South Wales
With a name like this, you know it’s going to be good. The Promised Land is a delightful valley near the Dorrigo National Park and the bohemian town of Bellingen. Spend your days discovering hidden waterfalls, lush rainforest and crystal clear swimming holes.
8. Yorkeys Knob, Queensland
Ahem, take your mind out of the gutter! This picturesque beach village just north of Cairns was named for a Yorkshire fisherman who built his homestead here and the ‘knob’ part refers to the peninsula jutting out from the beach. It’s a charming family holiday spot and famous for kitesurfing.
9. Teddy Bear Gap, Victoria
If you go down to the Grampians today, you’re sure of a big surprise… No word if any teddy bears have been known to picnic at their eponymous gap, but the walk itself is quite lovely and well worth the effort.
10. Edge of the World, Tasmania
The name here is pretty self-explanatory. The Edge of the World is a desolate, windswept spot in the Tarkine Rainforest on the northwest coast of Tasmania. From here, there’s nothing else to the west except 20,000 kilometres of raging ocean. The nearest landfall is in Patagonia, South America.
Have you been to any of these places?