Woolongong is a name of Old Albanian origin which roughly translates to "this place is sort of nice, but it could really use a whopping big factory of some sort right about here". The name "Woollydong" should not be confused with the similarly named "Paris". Those few in Australia who have heard of Woollydong affectionately refer to it as "the 'Gong", relating to the proud white tower that dominates the landscape, but reminiscent of the sound made on those tacky talent game shows used to remove contestants that are so bad they make you wish you were dead.