Reasons you will hate me

Gabo Island: The Old Capt'n Cook called some mountain Cape Howe from the boat. When some gubbamentals went there on land, they asked the local Gunnai or Kurnai (not sure which)what the island was called. Apparently they thought the gubbamentals were pointing to the re-named mountain, Cape Howe, so they said "Caphow" which then got bastardised into "Gabo". GABO IS PRONOUNCED GAY-BO. Its kinda funny the old colonial encounter, in a terrible, genocidal way.

It seems il papa is on the money - found this on the net:

"Manly Behavior" of the Aborigines

Governor Phillip’s first dispatch from the new colony of New South Wales was sent to England on 15 May 1788. Phillip wrote that he spent three days in Port Jackson, from 21 to 23 January 1788.
Probably during the first afternoon, 21 January 1788 he recorded:

"The boats, in passing near a point of land in the Harbour, were seen by a number of men, and twenty of them waded into the water unarmed, received what was offered them, and examined the boats with a curiosity that gave me a much higher opinion of them than I had formed from the behavior of those seen in Captain Cook’s voyage, and the confidence and manly behavior made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place".

Boy, that is gay.

Still, probably better than naming the place Bohunk.

Yes, is true.
I think I read it not in Manning Clark but in the (only just) slightly less serious Bill Bryson.
Can you ask your Dad about the history of bastardised Aboriginal names? I just came upon Bong Bong, NSW.

I'm not sure I trust my father with that kind of information. He once attempted to convince me that Groucho Marx's birthday was a public holiday.

from the "Dad's favourite" file of jokes:

Karl Marx's grave is a communist plot.

Yeah. Dads. Jokes.
Why do they persist?

Shut up, thomasr, that joke is brilliant.

"Communist plot"!

*sniggers a bit more*

I wish my folks had tried to convince me of wacky things when I was younger and more gullible. They completely wasted the opportunity.

Dunno about trusting Bill Bryson - this is the man who claimed that he saw field after field of sheep in the Northern Territory, where - at last count - there were a grand total of 5 sheep at some ag school a long way from anywhere he saw.
Kinda casts doubt on his observational / research skill.

And were they dead?

and i thought only my parents and i talked like that; i've never heard anyone use the word 'cunt' with as much violence - or as perfect elocution - as my darling mother.

and Groucho Marx's birthday damn well *should* be a holiday.

So what about Pakenham Upper?

oh dear,
ill never be able to swim with the same ignorant fervour at 'manly' beach.
im no gung ho femmo
but shit, what the fuck is going on here?
palm beach, queenscliff, narabeen, MANLY.

Why can't you say arse in the car?

Is it OK once you arrive and get out of the car? Can you save up your arses until then?

Would you believe there was an article in the SMH today about Phillip and the whole gay thing?

Apparently there was talk of him and another sailor having "rowed in the one boat".

Phwoah! How Manly can you get?

Details here: http://www.smh.com.au/news/books/mystery-of-camp-cove/2005/10/02/1128191602730.html

I just came across 'Rooty Hill, NSW'.
History please Daddy Fits?

If my birthday's not made into a national holiday I'll go off in a huff

...or perhaps a minute and a huff.

perhaps we should propose a grand 'manly' national holiday

that would cover all bases, and may even make groucho happy...

Any number of aussie places have this fun potential.

Anyone remember "Australiana"? I memorised it word for word to impress a girl in year 9. I think she was impressed, girls normally laugh every time they see you if they are impressed, no? Anyway, choice cuts included:
'flashed my wangaratta'
'she was sitting there trying to platapus'
'then tried to mount isa'
'alice springs into action, starts to pack billabong'
and so on.

Well, I guess it was funny in year 9.

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See, this is why I don't live in Sydney...

Is it because of the gays, Daniel?

I think it's more to do with naming suburbs after adjectives. How I long to live in a place called Sprightly.

When I was 12, my parents called me into the kitchen. They then told me that we were aliens who had arrived on the planet shortly after my birth.

I was really scared until they burst out laughing and started rolling on the floor.

My parents used to do that after parent teacher night, say 'Now, we have to have a serious talk, we are really disapointed in you etc etc' they'd go on until I'd get really worried and wait until I would start crying. Then they'd burst out laughing and say 'Only joking! You should have seen the look on your face!'.
Parents are cruel bastards sometimes.

I was always told that was the way it was!

hmmm...parents say the darndest things

My parents smacked me in the side of the head on Christmas morning and told me to come back tomorrow for another one.

It's not relevant, but I just felt the need to tell someone.

If that's how Manly got its name, I hate to think how they came up with the name of Grababum in northern Queensland.

The local indiginous people here on the central coast of nsw are still pissing themselves after their forefathers convinced the Wyong Shire Council to name a new suburb Watanobbi. Suckers.

My old (Anglican girls')school got a Koorie to come in and build a "reconciliation garden". The bloke must having been taking the piss out of them, because he built them a giant, brown penis. Balls and all. Add a few spiky plants for pubes, and I bet he was laughing for months. I know I would have been.

that should be 'between my parents and me'

further up the coast, the indigenous people minced around in grass skirts on the upper parts of the promontory.

Hence we have "Queenscliffe"

... and I suppose Mount Buffalo was an Aboriginal pastime too?

Speaking of gay names for suburbs, is it true that Punchbowl used to be spelt with an "e"?