Famous Australian Icons! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Vegemite

Vegemite is made from an extract of brewer's yeast. It is is thick black paste with a salty, slightly bitter taste reminiscent of beef bouillon. It was invented in 1922 as a response to the scarcity of Marmite after World War I. The name was chosen out of a hat after a national competition. Kraft's Port Melbourne factory typically produces about 22 million jars of vegemite per year. For those intrepid readers who wish to try this Aussie delicacy, the most important hint is to spread it extremely thinly. You should still be able to see the bread - many first time users spread it like peanut butter, and that is WAY too thick and the taste will be totally overpowering!

Answer: Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin, the 'Crocodile Hunter', crammed a lot into his 44 years, prior to his tragic and freakish death (from a stingray barb to the heart) in 2006. He used his larrikin sense of humor on his TV show to highlight the importance of conservation and protection of habitat, not only for crocodiles but all wildlife. With his wife Terri (and children Bindi and Bob), he established the Australia Zoo in south-eastern Queensland.

This magnificent facility, with its famous crocodile show, again highlights vital conservation messages to children and adults alike.

He received the Centenary Medal from the Australian government for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism" in 2001, and was also nominated for 'Australian of the Year' in 2004.

Answer: Sydney Opera House

The architectural competition to design the Sydney Opera House was won by Utzon in 1957 after the original planning began in the late 1940s. Construction was slow, partially due to the need to develop new methods to construct and support the complex roof structure. For his work, Utzon won architecture's highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, in 2003.

The building was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Answer: Australian Rules Football

Australian Rules Football was devised in the late 1850s in Melbourne (Victoria) as a means for cricketers to stay fit during the winter. It has been suggested that the game also was inspired by the Aboriginal game of Marn Grook. Tom Wills devised the first set of rules.

The first organized game was between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College, played on August 7, 1858. Melbourne and Geelong football clubs were established in 1859, and by 1877 there was a 14-team league. Football spread from Victoria to the other colonies during the 1860s, and local leagues were established.

A more national competition came into existence during the 1980s (named the Australian Football League in 1989), which mainly involved Victorian teams but teams from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia joined over the next two decades.

The 18th team, Greater Western Sydney, joined the AFL in 2012.

Answer: Platypus

The platypus (sometimes called the duck-billed platypus), Ornithorhynchus anatinus, is featured on the Australian 20-cent coin and is the fauna emblem of New South Wales. The dense fur of the platypus traps air, keeping the animal warm. The animals are carnivores, dining on insects, small crustaceans, worms and sometimes small frogs and tadpoles.

They mainly use electrolocation - detecting electrical impulses from muscular contractions - to hunt their prey. The sensors are within the bill, with the mouth on the underneath side.

Although relatively common in all but the most polluted waterways, they are a rare sight due to their nocturnal nature. Platypuses (not platypi!) are often used in advertising campaigns to clean up, and keep clean, local waterways.

Answer: Nellie Melba

The 'Melba' name came from her hometown of Melbourne in Victoria, while 'Nellie' is a common variant of her first name, Helen. Melba set up a music school in Richmond, which she later merged into the Melbourne Conservatorium. She was heavily involved in charity work during World War I, raising £100,000.

Although famed for her operatic skill, perhaps surprisingly, she only performed about 25 different roles. She was hugely popular back home in Australia and returned frequently, playing to packed houses, including the extremely popular 'Concerts for the People', where she sang before crowds of up to 70,000.

Answer: Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef, comprising nearly 3000 individual reefs and 900 islands, is the world's largest coral reef system. It is a living 'organism', made up of billions of coral polyps. Unfortunately this wonderful ecosystem is subject to a multitude of severe threats, including: nutrient-rich terrestrial run-off, which causes proliferation of algae that smothers the coral; the introduced Crown of Thorns starfish; and ocean acidification. Even slight increases in acid concentration in the seawater, arising from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, can start dissolving the calcium carbonate structure of the reef.

Increased water temperatures, attributed to global warming, have been linked to coral bleaching.

Answer: Albert Namatjira

Born in 1902 at the Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission, Albert Namatjira was a Western Arrente man from the Western MacDonnell Ranges. He was introduced to western style painting by two visiting artists from Melbourne in 1934. His stylistic and rich depictions of the surrounding desert landscapes inspired the Hermannsburg School of Aboriginal art.

He was initially criticized for abandoning traditional Aboriginal art for this western style, but this criticism soon dissipated. He is seen as one of Australia's greatest artists and a pioneer for Aboriginal rights.

He was featured on Australian postage stamps in both 1968 and 1993.

Answer: Uluru

Visiting the 'outback' often entails a trip to Alice Springs in central Australia, and then making the "short" drive of 450 km (280 miles) to Uluru. Sunset and sunrise views are extremely popular as the normal orange-brown color (due to iron oxides in the rock) changes to shades of purple.

A few lucky people get to witness the monolith after heavy rain when cascades of water run down the steep sides. The very strenuous climb up onto the top of the rock is strongly discouraged as this is a sacred site for the local aboriginals.

A 2012 coronial inquest ruled that it was indeed a dingo that took (and killed) Azaria Chamberlain.

Answer: Hugh Jackman

After completing a one-year course at the Actors' Centre in Sydney, Jackman was offered a role on the highly popular Australian soap opera "Neighbours", but turned it down to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, from which he graduated in 1994. Almost straightaway, he was offered a starring role in the ABC TV prison drama "Correlli" (1995) with his future wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.

He has also excelled on the stage and in musicals, where he has played Gaston in the 'Beauty and the Beast', and Joe Gillis in 'Sunset Boulevard'.

His international reputation grew after playing Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of 'Oklahoma!' in London's West End.