FWIW DEPT:

I heard Hank Snow explain on a live broadcast one time how the song was written by Australian Geoff Mack and was 'pitched' to Hank. The original version had all Australian towns & cities.

Hank liked the tune but surmised that an American audience would probably not 'Cotton' too much to a song with Australian town & city names in it and and requested that Mack substitute American Towns & Cities.

Geoff Mack gets my vote for his outstanding writing & re-writing effort and 'Ditto' for Hank Snow on the recitation...