South Australian place names!

After all the bad weather (and more rain to come) we need something to smile about.

Josh and Tracey Holoak, on honeymoon from Hamilton in Victoria, get cuddly at Cudlee Creek. Picture: Dean Martin

SA News

From Prominent Nob to Cudlee Creek, South Australia’s on the map for peculiar place names

Nathan Davies, Sunday Mail (SA)

September 24, 2016 9:40pm

Subscriber only

EVER been to Burnt Pussy Mine? You know, between Bull**** Hill and Chewing Nob?

No, it’s not a Benny Hill skit, they’re actual place names in South Australia featured on a hilarious new map created by some cheeky Englishmen.

The Marvellous Map of Actual Australian Place Names features hundreds of strange, weird and downright rude names from across the continent. And South Australia punches well above its weight when it comes to silly names, with Doodle Doodle Pinnacle, Wiggle Belly Beach and Well It Wasn’t There Last Year Cave all making the cut.

Other names are just plain cute. Who wouldn’t want to live in Cudlee Creek?

Map co-creator Humphrey Butler, who has worked on similar projects for the UK and US, said Australia was a goldmine for nomenclature comedy.

Fanny is between Bumcooler Flat No1 and No2 ... and just up the Coorong coast from Break Wind Reserve. Picture: Marvellous Maps

“Australia has an awful lot of ‘nobs’,” Mr Butler said.

“It’s slightly disappointing when you realise that these names probably weren’t particularly funny to the people who came up with them – but they’re certainly funny to the people of this era.”

Mr Butler was inspired to create the map after quitting his job as a management consultant in London and embarking on a road trip around Britain.

“I found myself laughing at all the crazy names and that’s where the idea came from,” he said.

“After we’d made maps for the UK and US, we started looking around the world for other places to do and Australia just jumped out.”

And if Mr Butler was forced to choose a South Australian favourite from his map? “Well it would be very hard to go past Prominent Nob, but Break Wind Reserve is also pretty fantastic,” he said.

■ The Marvellous Map of Actual Australian Place Names is available atoz.marvellousmaps.com

The old railway station at Bruce.HUMPHREY BUTLER’S TOP 10 SA PLACE NAMES

■Peculiar Nob: An iron mine 800km north of Adelaide.

■Bruce: The Aussiest name of all time, Bruce is an old railway town near Port Augusta.

■Backstairs Passage: Named by Flinders after he was mooned by sailors on Baudin’s boat. Not really.

■Rubbish Cave: We’re not sure how this cave in the South-East got its name, but

it wasn’t from the tourism commission.

■Horny Point: On Thistle Island. Probably wasn’t funny at the time.

■Break Wind Reserve: What? It’s a good spot to get out of the wind! Stop being immature.

■Bull**** Hill: Appears to

run uphill, but actually slopes downwards.

■Cape Catastrophe: Where Flinders lost eight men. Not funny at all.

■Prominent Nob: The name says it all.

■Watchamacallit Dam: You know the one, don’t you? Over near thingamabob.

I must admit to having a giggle now and again when reading or hearing place names around the country. We used to have a fair few amusing ones back in the UK and here there are some classics.

The point we go to spot whales down at Port Elliot is Freeman's nob and that made us chuckle the first (and second and third and ....) time