Victorians hijack tunnel boring machine name competition with hilarious pun-based entries

BORA the Explorer, Missy Diggins and Julia Drillard are just a few of the names cheeky Victorians have used to hijack a naming competition for Melbourne’s tunnel boring machines.

BORA the Explorer, Missy Diggins and Julia Drillard are just a few of the names cheeky Victorians have used to hijack a naming competition for Melbourne’s tunnel boring machines.

The Andrews Government has called on the public to name the mammoth machines and have been inundated with puns and word play from entrants with a sense of humour.

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Dora the Explorer could be immortalised with a TBM known as Bora the Explorer.

Collectively the six TBM’s will dig 25km of tunnel up to 40m under the city as part of the West Gate Tunnel and Metro Tunnel projects.

It is a longstanding tradition that they must be given female names and officials have asked for suggestions of groundbreaking women who could be immortalised.

Popular Australian musician Missy Higgins has been brought into the competition, with entries asking to name the machine Missy Diggins. Picture: Christian Gilles

But in scenes similar to last year’s competition to name Melbourne’s new stations, entries have also included humorous offerings such as Rebel Drillson and Bora the Explorer

Dame Edna Everage, Ariana Grande and Kath and Kim have also been suggested so far.

The West Gate Tunnel TBMs will be the largest used in the southern hemisphere, measuring as tall as the dome at Flinders Street Station, while the Metro Tunnel machinery will be 100m long and weigh up to 1000 tonnes.