Nelligen not 'Nellijen', or Bomaderry not 'Bombaderry', just some of the South Coast town names people continue to get wrong.
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It's not their fault of course, some of them do have strange spelling, but this International issue is also a problem at home on the Coast.
Online language tutors at Preply.com analysed Google search data for 68 well-travelled and well-known places to determine which names are the worst pronounced worldwide.
Melbourne, (or is it Mel-bn) made the list, as well as Brisbane, (or Bris-baaane).
The South Coast is ripe with towns that people simply struggle to pronounce that deserve a list of their own... so here it is:
1- Key-ama
Correct: Kiama
It's safe to say, 'Key' kind of makes sense?
The car brand of 'Kia' being spelt the same as the beginning of the town name definitely does not help.
It also doesn't help that tourists who use Google Maps will hear the GPS refer to the town as 'Key-ama'.
Of course, the town has a 'Kai' sound at the start, meaning you can be forgiven for mispronouncing this one, just don't mispronounce it to a local.
2- Huskinson
Correct: Huskisson
There is no forgiveness for this one, 'Huskinson' is a completely different word.
It is similar to the original spelling of 'Huskisson', but the popular tourist destination seems to be cursed with people spelling it wrong.
What doesn't help this fact is that the hashtag 'Huskinson' on Instagram has 801 posts of people showing off the beautiful beaches of Huskins- Huskisson.
3- Bombaderry
Correct: Bomaderry
Okay, huh? Where did the extra 'B' come from?
First of all, Bombaderry and Bomaderry do not sound the same, there is no silent B in the middle of the word.
This may be a stretch, but this interesting pronunciation could come from the fact that Bomaderry is in the middle of an extensive wine region that tracks the coastline from Kangaroo Valley down to Milton.
Perhaps tourists coming to see this beautiful part of the world are having two or three or.. seven glasses of locally created wine and then pronouncing the name.
READ MORE:
4- Jarvis Bay
Correct: Jervis Bay
Another one where you can be forgiven, they do sound similar.
However, should a tourist search 'Jarvis' online, they are going to be met with the 'Iron Man' movies where Jarvis was the name of Tony Stark's AI assistant.
So maybe make sure you google this one right and when you get an Instagram shot of the whitest sand in the world, use the hashtag 'Jervis' Bay, not 'Jarvis', otherwise the people looking for Marvel photos may be confused when a picture of your dog going for a swim at the beach pops up.
5- Olladulla
Correct: Ulladulla
Best known for being a fishing port since 1859, Olladu- Ulladulla has been a major tourist destination for a long time, providing travelers some of the freshest fish and chips they could ask for.
So if Ulladulla is providing some of the best fish and chips around, why do we offend it with such atrocious pronunciation?
'Ulla' and 'Olla' (with the incorrect spelling having kind of an ooo sound) are quite different.
The correct spelling is more of an 'Uh', like 'Uhladulla', but that is also wrong so not to over correct, spell it like 'Ulladulla' and pronounce it like 'Uhludulla' and completely forget 'Oooooladulla'. Got it? Good.
6- Woolaimia
Correct: Woollamia
Let's break this one down.
'Wool-la-mia' as opposed to 'Wool-ai-mia'.
Still, a somewhat similar one, but the small town close by to Huskins- Huskisson is facing the same incorrect pronunciation as its neighbour.
But again, it's similar so if you one of the many who have mispronounced it, don't lose sleep, there are worse ones to get wrong.
7- Bennalong
Correct: Bendalong
'Worse ones to get wrong', on that note...
This small coastal town on the South Coast has a population of 128, according to the recent 2021 Census.
So, for the sake of the 128 people living in the town, next time you visit, put on smile on a local's face by pronouncing the town as 'Bendalong'.