STRUCK OIL, Rockhampton Region, Queensland

Nothing to do with any Beverly Hillbillies kind of story, but named after a successful play called Struck Oil, a big hit in Australia in the 1870s, apparently.

From The Sydney Morning Herald Aug 2 1947:
The Queensland district of Struck Oil was named after a melodrama. It appears that some prospectors came to Mount Morgan to register a goldmine they had discovered on the Dee River. Whilst at Mount Morgan they saw the stage success "Struck Oil," and after the performance were introduced to the leading lady, Maggie Moore. There and then they decided to call the newly discovered district after the play.

Here's some more recent local news: Police have struck gold at Struck Oil.




 

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KILLIECRANKIE, Flinders Island, Tasmania

On Flinders Island, northeast of Tasmania, this region is known for the "killiecrankie diamond", a kind of semi-precious topaz found in Killiecrankie Bay, as well as rockclimbing at Mount Killiecrankie. The population of the whole island is only about 700.
The name unfortunately doesn't mean "murdering angry people", but "wood of aspen" in Gaelic. There is a Killiecrankie in Scotland too, and this is probably where this Tasmanian town steals its name from.




Postcard available at Postcard Interactive Company of Sydney.


 

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FAT COW CREEK, Orbost, Victoria, Australia
Mentioned in this dull newspaper article in the Gippsland Times from 1948:
Just after leaving Orbost we passed over the first of the many queerly named creeks that we were to cross on our journey. This was Fat Cow Creek.




Move to the left and you can see a bunch of cows.
 

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