Commonly Mispronounced Places in Australia

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.

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.

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.

Canberra is Australia’s capital city, though a lot of people are not aware of that. It’s home to the Royal Australian Mint, the Australian Institute of Sport, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. It was chosen as the capital as a compromise between Melbourne and Sydney. Instead of referring to the city as Canberra, Australians shorten it to sound like Can-bra.

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.

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”.

Cairns was named after William Wellington Cairns, who was governor of Queensland from 1875 to 1877. The unusual pronunciation of Cairns as “cans” has confused visitors for decades. Cairns is the fourth most popular destination for international tourists in Australia, behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. People flock here as it’s dubbed the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s seven natural wonders.

Launceston is a Tasmanian city, the name of which is often mispronounced by both Australian residents and international visitors. Although many people want to say Lawn-ceston, it is in fact pronounced Lon-ses-tin. Like many places in Australia, it was named after a town in the UK. In this case, Captain Philip Gidley King, the governor of New South Wales for six years from 1800, was born in Launceston in Cornwall. One of Australia’s oldest cities, Launceston is home to many historical buildings.

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.

Jervis Bay is located on the south coast of New South Wales. It’s a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors, with picturesque white-sand beaches. Lieutenant Richard Bowen named Jervis Bay in 1791 after Admiral John Jervis, whom he had served under.