Australia Day Quiz Questions

AUSTRALIA DAY QUIZ 2006

(Courtesy of Elaine from Pine Creek, Northern Territory)
ABC OF AUSTRALIA - underline or circle the right answer
Answers at end of this document

A is for Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia the "City Of _______"?
  • Churches
  • Crime
  • Sport

    B is for Brisbane, the Capital of Queensland. B is also for Bridge. The Brisbane River has many bridges spanning it. Which of the following bridges had a runaway barge lodge against it during the devastating flood in 1974?
  • Captain Cook
  • Grey Street
  • Walter Taylor

    C is for Canberra, our nation's Capital. The city's layout was designed by a fellow by the name of Walter Burley Griffin. What nationality was Walter?
  • Canadian
  • British
  • American

    D is for Darwin, the Capital of the Northern Territory. In February 1942, what distinguished Darwin from the rest of Australia, so far as World War II was concerned?
  • General Douglas Macarthur was stationed there
  • It was the first Australian airbase to see B-29 Super Fortress bombers
  • It was bombed by the Japanese

    E is for Explorers. Many explorers traversed the length and breadth of the country in the early years of European settlement, in search of fertile grazing lands, supposed inland seas, untold riches and the like. Usually, they found nothing but desert. If they were lucky, they didn't find death and starvation. Which explorer(s) are associated with the story of the "Dig" tree?
  • James Cook Blaxland,
  • Wentworth & Lawson
  • Burke & Wills

    F is for Football. Four main codes of Football are played in Australia. In which code would you find Melbourne Storm playing at National League level (or equivalent)?
  • Soccer
  • Rugby Union
  • Rugby League
  • Aussie rules

    G is for Gold. In the 1800's, there were several gold rushes in Australia. At which of the following gold locations did the famous armed Miner's rebellion known as the "Eureka Stockade" occur?
  • Ballarat
  • Bendigo
  • Gympie
  • Coolgardie

    H is for Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. Every year on Boxing Day, a fleet of yachts leave Sydney Harbour bound for Hobart. What is this race called?
  • Fastnet yacht race
  • Great Southern yacht race
  • Sydney to Hobart yacht race

    I is for Islands. Australia has a bunch of them. Which of the following islands is policed by State Police rather than Federal Police?
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos (Keeling) Island
  • Stradbroke Island

    J is for Jingles (Advertising). Which of the following advertising jingles was adopted from an American advertising jingle?
  • Slip, Slop, Slap
  • Life! Be In It
  • C'mon Aussie C'mon
  • Football, Meat Pies, Kangaroos and Holden Cars

    K is for Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mountain. It was named after a Polish man, Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Which of the following statements about Tadeusz Kosciuszko is not true?
  • He was George Washington's chief engineer during the War of Independence
  • He was the first man to climb Mt Kosciuszko, and named it after himself
  • He was a Major-General in the Polish army
  • He is buried amongst the Kings tombs in Krakow Cathedral

    L is for Lamington. Which of the following answers has nothing to do with the word Lamington?
  • Former Governor of Queensland
  • National Park
  • Former Test Cricket Captain

    M is for Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. In October 1970, what tragedy occurred in the city?
  • The Yarra River flooded, causing massive loss of life
  • HMAS Melbourne and USS Voyager collided The Westgate Bridge collapsed
  • The long distance trains "Southern Aurora" and "Spirit Of Progress" collided head on

    N is for the Northern Territory. Which of the following statements about the Northern Territory is not true
  • Matthew Flinders discovered it after sailing mistakenly into the Gulf of Carpentaria
  • The capital, Darwin, was destroyed by a cyclone on Christmas Day, 1974
  • Many Territory roads have an open speed limit
  • It has highest rate of alcohol consumption per capita in Australia

    O is for Ockerisms. An ockerism is a word or statement made by an Australian, which little to no meaning until explained (and possibly then still no meaning!). Which of the following does not mean to vomit?
  • Have a slash
  • Chunder
  • Do the technicolour yawn
  • Laugh at the lawn

    P is for Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Summer in Perth is typified by strong sea breezes, affectionately known as what?
  • The Mistrals
  • The Trade winds
  • The Fremantle Doctor

    Q is for Qantas, Australia's national airline. It is typified by the red and white "Flying Kangaroo" insignia on the tail of each aircraft. Which type of jet has Qantas never had in it's fleet?
  • Boeing 707
  • Boeing 767
  • Boeing 747
  • Boeing 747

    R is for Reef. More specifically, the Great Barrier Reef. In the 70s, what caused concern for the ongoing health of this reef?
  • Excessive uncontrolled scuba diving
  • The construction of Oil Rigs
  • The Crown of Thorns Starfish

    S is for Sydney, the Capital of New South Wales. It's north and south shores are joined by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. By what affectionate nickname is the bridge known?
  • The Grey Lady
  • The Meccano Set
  • The Coathanger
  • Old Ironsides

    T is for the Tropic of Capricorn which passes through Australia, separating it into a temperate zone and a tropical zone. Which of these Australian places is located on the tropic?
  • Rockingham
  • Rockhampton
  • Rockdale
  • Rocklea

    U is for Uluru, a giant monolith in the middle of Australia. Located in the Northern Territory, Uluru was formerly known as _______ ?
  • Blair's Rock
  • The Devil's Marbles
  • Ayers Rock

    V is for Van Diemen's Land, which is now known as Tasmania, which is Australia's island state. Which well known group have a song called "Van Diemen's Land"?
  • Midnight Oil
  • U2
  • Icehouse
  • Ultravox

    W is for Weird placenames. Which of these places does not exist in Australia?
  • Wooloongabba
  • Wonglepong
  • Wahoo
  • Wooloomooloo

    X is for ‘XXXX’ What is it?
  • A petrol company that originated in Queensland
  • A Beer that originated in Queensland
  • A way of crossing out a mistake when writing

    Y is for Yothu Yindi, an indigenous Australian rock group. In the 90s, they teamed up with which well known musician to record the beautiful song "Dots On The Shells"?
  • Tim Finn
  • Iva Davies
  • Glenn Shorrock

    Z is for Zoos. Australia has many. Which zoo is located in Dubbo?
  • Alma Park Zoo
  • Australia Zoo
  • Western Plains Zoo







    • ANSWERS
    A CHURCHES
    B CENTENARY BRIDGE
    C AMERICAN
    D BOMBED BY THE JAPANESE
    E BURKE AND WILLS
    F RUGBY LEAGUE
    G BALLARAT
    H SYDNEY TO HOBART YACHT RACE
    I STRADBROKE ISLAND
    J FOOTBALL,MEAT PIES, KANGAROOS AND HOLDEN CARS
    K HE WAS THE FIRST TO CLIMB IT AND NAMED IT AFTER HIMSELF
    L A FORMER TEST CRICKET CAPTAIN
    M WESTGATE BRIDGE
    N MATTHEW FLINDERS DISCOVERED IT AFTER SAILING MISTAKENLY INTO THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA
    O SLASH
    P FREEMANTLE DOCTOR
    Q 727
    R CROWN OF THORNS
    S THE COATHANGER
    T ROCKHAMPTON
    U AUERS ROCK
    V U2
    W WAHOO
    X A BEER THAT ORIGINATED IN QUEENSLAND
    Y NEIL FINN
    Z WESTERN PLAINS