# Wagga Wagga! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082 "2015-03-03T08:42:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/1 "2015-03-03T08:42:22Z")
I recently learned that there is a place in Australia called [Wagga Wagga](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagga_Wagga). This is by far the coolest name **EVER**! And it’s not a tiny backwater, mind you, but a decent-sized town! I imagine myself standing before a counter in a government office with some bureaucrat jotting down information about me, barking at me without bothering to look up: \*Place of residence? \* To which I just reply: _Wagga Wagga!_ ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/2 "2015-03-03T08:48:47Z")
It’s often shortened to just Wagga in casual speech. There’s a great bistro in Romano’s pub. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/3 "2015-03-03T09:14:26Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > It’s often shortened to just Wagga in casual speech. > . But much less often by the residents. 😛 Not far away to the west you have Grong Grong, to the south is Walla Walla. Up the hills a bit is the quintessential country racetrack at Bong Bong Over on the seaside you have Curl Curl then up the coast an hour or so over the Mooney Mooney bridge is Woy Woy. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/4 "2015-03-03T09:23:42Z")
I live near Koo Wee Rup, Poowong and Nar Nar Goon. I used to live closer to Won Wron, former home of the Won Wron Prison Farm and nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/5 "2015-03-03T11:00:42Z")
Wangaratta is often called Wang by the locals. There’s also Yea, pronounced Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/6 "2015-03-03T11:00:56Z")
My late husband’s sister lives in Wagga Wagga. I always love visiting her. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/7 "2015-03-03T11:45:36Z")
Good, but I give a slight edge to Walla Walla, Washington, for two reasons: 1. Alliteration. 2. The word “Walla” in a local Native American language means “stinky,” and describes the river. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/8 "2015-03-03T12:05:01Z")
St Michael’s Cathedral is lovely and has a rather good acoustic. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/9 "2015-03-03T12:30:35Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Not far away to the west you have Grong Grong, to the south is Walla Walla. Please tell me someone has built a road between the two and named it the Wagga Wagga-Walla Walla Way. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/10 "2015-03-03T13:07:32Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > But much less often by the residents. 😛 > > Not far away to the west you have Grong Grong, to the south is Walla Walla. > Up the hills a bit is the quintessential country racetrack at Bong Bong > Over on the seaside you have Curl Curl then up the coast an hour or so over the Mooney Mooney bridge is Woy Woy. So I guess it would be fair to call this the Wagga-Wagga-Grong-Grong-Bong-Bong metropolitan area? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/11 "2015-03-03T14:25:36Z")
Damn. I’m from Utah which has absolutely nothing funny. Can I pretend to be from Wagga Wagga? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/12 "2015-03-03T17:24:34Z")
Then there’s Wooloomolloo… Sadly, I live in Canada, which avoided the above alliteration. We do, however, have a [Dildo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dildo,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador). ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/13 "2015-03-03T17:38:20Z")
Well we do have [Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Louis-du-Ha!_Ha!) ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/14 "2015-03-03T19:38:14Z")
It’s worth noting that Wagga Wagga is pronounced ‘_Wogga Wogga_’. When I was a kid I saw a cartoon (Popeye I think) in which Wagga Wagga was a point on a treasure map - the clue was a picture of a dog wagging it’s tail, they pronounced it _wag_ rather than _wog_ and it just sounded weird. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/15 "2015-03-03T19:41:51Z")
I always thought it would be fun to be from Walla Walla, Washington, and answer with a Daffy Duck voice when asked where I lived. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/16 "2015-03-03T20:11:14Z")
At least Wagga Wagga is funny, whereas in Hell Fer Sartin in KY doesn’t allow drinking, smoking, or rock music. Which may be why it is Hell. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/17 "2015-03-03T20:20:15Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Good, but I give a slight edge to Walla Walla, Washington, for two reasons: > > 1. Alliteration. > 2. The word “Walla” in a local Native American language means “stinky,” and describes the river. The way I heard it, “Walla” means “Water” in local tribal vernacular and “Walla Walla” means “Many Waters.” I see that Wikipedia has it as “Place of Many Waters.” Other places in Washington with double names are Mats Mats Bay, Hamma Hamma River (Falls and Inlet, too.) and Loup Loup Pass. I’m sure I’m forgetting one or two that may be actual towns. Let me think on it… ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/18 "2015-03-03T21:15:05Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Then there’s Wooloomolloo… > > Sadly, I live in Canada, which avoided the above alliteration. We do, however, have a [Dildo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dildo,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador). That wiki entry is a wealth of chuckle-inducing names; > [@](#): > > The town’s unusual name has brought it a certain amount of notoriety in the same vein as Fucking, Austria; Anus, France; Condom, France; Nob End, England; Effin, Ireland; Twatt, Scotland; Intercourse, Pennsylvania; Bald Knob, West Virginia; Wankum, Germany; Moron, Mongolia; and Swastika, Ontario, also located within Canada. To which I would add Hell, Norway and Dickshooter, Idaho. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/19 "2015-03-03T21:30:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Please tell me someone has built a road between the two and named it the Wagga Wagga-Walla Walla Way. Well there is a national highway directly between the two places, a distance of about 96km or 60 miles. It’s officially called the [Olympic Way](https://www.google.com.au/#q=distance+between+wagga+wagga+walla+walla). So that section of the Olympic Way could very reasonably be called … 🙂 _(the Olympic Way is the route the Olympic torch relay used in the lead-up to the 1956 Melbourne games)_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082/20 "2015-03-03T21:30:34Z")
Yesterday I drove through Yeehaw Junction, Florida and Arabi, Georgia. There’s also a Hell in Michigan. I’ve been there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagga-wagga/714082.md?page=2)