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Quiz about Australia East to West Coast One Day at a Time
Quiz about Australia East to West Coast One Day at a Time

Australia: East to West Coast One Day at a Time Quiz


Brisbane and Perth are the two capitals furthest apart in contiguous Australia. Come with my American friend, Spit, and I as we cross the continent by car: It's a big country!

A multiple-choice quiz by 1nn1. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
1nn1
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
383,783
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
478
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: piet (10/10), Kiwikaz (5/10), DarkeScampus (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Day 1 Leg 1 Toowoomba 127 km / 79 mi

Leaving Brisbane at daybreak with a quick dart up the Warrego Highway sees us in Toowoomba on top of The Great Dividing Range for breakfast. Why do we have to slow down from highway speed just before the edge of town?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Mt Isa Day 1 Leg 2 1701 km / 1056 mi. Total Daily Distance 1828 km / 1135 mi

On top of the range we head almost due west towards the other side of the country but near Charleville, the road turns north west until 17 hours after leaving Toowoomba and 19 hours after we leave Brisbane we finally reach the small city of Mt Isa, the lw skyline sticking out of a vast plain. Which of the following options is *NOT* true about Mount Isa?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Day 2 Leg 1 Tennant Creek 661 km / 410 mi.

Heading out early the next day, we head due west, crossing into the Northern Territory approximately 2100 km from Brisbane. The Barkly Highway stops dead near Tennant Creek, with another highway running only North-South at its end. Is it true we now have to travel 1900km south before we can go west again?


Question 4 of 10
4. Day 2 Leg 2 Cooper Pedy SA 1195 km / 742 mi. Daily Distance 1857 km / 1154 mi
Total Distance to Date 3675 km / 2284 mi

We cross into South Australia and reach the opal town of Coober Pedy. What is distinctive about the skyline of this town?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Day 3 Leg 1 Port Augusta 542 km / 336 mi

We leave early next morning for the easy five hour drive into Port Augusta, one of the three towns that form the Iron Triangle. One of the others is Whyalla. Which is the other coastal town that comprise this trio of small cities?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Day 3 Leg 2 Eucla 960 km / 597 mi Total Daily Distance 1502 km / 933 mi
Total Distance to Date 5107 km / 3173 mi.

This is a huge leg but as we pull into the tiny town of Eucla, we have now have achieved an iconic Australian achievement. What?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Day 4 Leg 2 Esperance 913 km / 567 mi

Leaving Eucla early, its a 700 km due west drive to Norseman the nearest town, before turning south for Esperance. Is it true that this section of the National Highway 1 contains the longest straight stretch of road in the world?


Question 8 of 10
8. Day 4 Leg 2 Albany 482 km / 597 mi Total Daily Distance 1393 km / 300 mi
Total Distance to Date 6500 km / 4038 mi.

In the afternoon we have an almost leisurely drive along the south-west Western Australian coast until we reach Albany on King George Sound. Which of the following claims to fame does *NOT* apply to Albany?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Day 4 Perth 414 km / 257 mi
Total Distance to Date 6914 km / 4296 mi

A short drive today before we arrive in the Western Australia capital, Perth. Which *ONE* of the following options is true?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "Wow" said Spit who is prone to exaggerate, "We have driven over 6900km. That's almost as far as Boston on the East Coast of the US to Seattle on the West Coast. Did Spit give factual information?



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 09 2024 : piet: 10/10
Sep 20 2024 : Kiwikaz: 5/10
Sep 15 2024 : DarkeScampus: 8/10
Sep 04 2024 : Guest 58: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Day 1 Leg 1 Toowoomba 127 km / 79 mi Leaving Brisbane at daybreak with a quick dart up the Warrego Highway sees us in Toowoomba on top of The Great Dividing Range for breakfast. Why do we have to slow down from highway speed just before the edge of town?

Answer: The highway climbs steeply just before Toowoomba as you climb the Great Dividing Range

Apart from Canberra (a city deliberately planned to be roughly half way between Sydney and Melbourne), Toowoomba is Australia's largest inland city. It has a population of over 100 000 people. The Garden City sits on the edge of the Great Dividing Range.

The highway rises quickly from the Lockyer Valley (109 m elevation) to Toowoomba (691 m). Once on top of the range the plateau (at this point 700 metres above sea level) continues westward as a plateau and does not return to near sea level until you reach the eastern outskirts of Perth on the west coast of the country.
2. Mt Isa Day 1 Leg 2 1701 km / 1056 mi. Total Daily Distance 1828 km / 1135 mi On top of the range we head almost due west towards the other side of the country but near Charleville, the road turns north west until 17 hours after leaving Toowoomba and 19 hours after we leave Brisbane we finally reach the small city of Mt Isa, the lw skyline sticking out of a vast plain. Which of the following options is *NOT* true about Mount Isa?

Answer: The entire city sits on a mountain top surrounded by a vast plain

It would seem surprising to anyone who is not an Australian why we have to go north to go west. There is a road called the Dimantina Development Road that will get you as far west as Boulia in western Queensland. Then there is the ironically named Sandover Highway (name says it all) which is just a track 560 km long (but it travels due west) that will get you almost to Alice Springs, right in the centre of Australia but the road is only suitable for four wheel drives in the dry season and progress is slow. It is almost as quick and certainly safer to stay on the sealed highways (but double the distance).

Mt Isa is a young city founded in 1923 to mine the enormous silver-lead-zinc and copper found there in what is one of the most productive mines in the world. This is flat country, too poor for grazing. There is a low range of mountains in the distance (the Selwyn ranges) but no mountain near the town. Instead the skyline of Mt Isa is dominated by the 285 metre smokestack belonging to the mine. The city is small and has had a population of around 20 000 for decades and the town exists to support the mine. It is nevertheless Queensland's second biggest inland city.
Sportsmen like Greg Norman and Pat Rafter were born here as were Simon Black (Australian Football) and Scott Prince (Rugby League).
3. Day 2 Leg 1 Tennant Creek 661 km / 410 mi. Heading out early the next day, we head due west, crossing into the Northern Territory approximately 2100 km from Brisbane. The Barkly Highway stops dead near Tennant Creek, with another highway running only North-South at its end. Is it true we now have to travel 1900km south before we can go west again?

Answer: Yes

The Stuart Highway is over 3000km long and runs north from Port Augusta (305 km north of Adelaide), South Australia to Darwin. There are very few roads west or east. This is because of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in the east and the Simpson Desert in the west. There is no road through this desert, though convoys of four wheel drives with sufficient supplies and safety precautions can make it - but it takes days. The lake is 9400km2 when full which is only every three years or so and even then the lake is only five feet deep. However the roads, few that there are, need to go around this vast inland sea.

We therefore have to drive 1900 km south (sometimes south east) to get to Port Augusta on South Australia's Spencer Gulf before we start heading west again.
4. Day 2 Leg 2 Cooper Pedy SA 1195 km / 742 mi. Daily Distance 1857 km / 1154 mi Total Distance to Date 3675 km / 2284 mi We cross into South Australia and reach the opal town of Coober Pedy. What is distinctive about the skyline of this town?

Answer: There is not much of it - most of the town is underground

Heading South towards South Australia, sadly bypassing "nearby" Devil's Marbles, Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) but at least seeing the gorgeous Red Centre landscapes, we reach Coober Pedy which is a small hot, dry town, known world wide for its opal production (but there is no tall smokestack). Because of the intense heat (even by Australian standards), many residences are dug below the surface to escape the heat. On top of a flat landscape there is little change in the skyline.

There are no multistory buildings. Lake Eyre is 160 km away (if it is full). Tourism is just as important as the opal industry.

The desert landscape attracts filmmakers and the "Max Max" and "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" movies were shot nearby.
5. Day 3 Leg 1 Port Augusta 542 km / 336 mi We leave early next morning for the easy five hour drive into Port Augusta, one of the three towns that form the Iron Triangle. One of the others is Whyalla. Which is the other coastal town that comprise this trio of small cities?

Answer: Port Pirie

Port Augusta is situated at the northern end of the Spencer Gulf, Port Pirie about 90 km south east on the eastern shore and Whyalla about 70 km south west on the western shore. The three small cities are called the Iron Triangle because of their collective reliance on heavy industry. Port Augusta generates about a third of South Australia's electricity through a plant in the town using brown coal from Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north; Whyalla is famous for shipbuilding (this was shut down in 1978) and steel-making; Port Pirie has the largest lead smelter in the Southern Hemisphere, with silver lead and zinc being transported from Broken Hill, 400 km to the north-east. Each city has faced the challenges of the decline of heavy industry, forcing themselves to reinvent themselves with new industries like solar and wind farms.
6. Day 3 Leg 2 Eucla 960 km / 597 mi Total Daily Distance 1502 km / 933 mi Total Distance to Date 5107 km / 3173 mi. This is a huge leg but as we pull into the tiny town of Eucla, we have now have achieved an iconic Australian achievement. What?

Answer: We crossed the South Australian section of the Nullarbor Plain

Eucla is the most eastern Western Australia locality. We crossed over from South Australia just 12km ago. We are in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain. Its eastern end is near Ceduna. Ceduna is 480km west of Port Augusta and it ends 1200 km west at Norseman in Western Australia. Eucla is just shy of halfway along this long barren (Null Arbor - No trees) arid land. There are no creeks or watercourses. Vegetation is small and sparse. The whole plain used to be a seabed and it is easy to see why. "Crossing the Nullarbor" is an Australian rite of passage. Dismissed by our overseas visitors as "empty" or "nothing to see". The Nullarbor is a vibrant place full of diverse fauna that has adapted to its special environment and a flora unique in this world. People who have performed this journey are proud of their achievement. People with cars with bumper stickers "We crossed the Nullarbor" earn respect.

Spit and I are exhausted as we pull up after nightfall in the tiny town, but at least there is some accommodation, a place to re-fuel the car and a place to eat - not necessarily in three separate places.
7. Day 4 Leg 2 Esperance 913 km / 567 mi Leaving Eucla early, its a 700 km due west drive to Norseman the nearest town, before turning south for Esperance. Is it true that this section of the National Highway 1 contains the longest straight stretch of road in the world?

Answer: Yes

There are few obstacles to go around or go over when you drive over (not through) the Nullarbor. There is no reason to put a bend in the road (save to stop drivers falling asleep at the wheel). The world's longest stretch of straight road, a 146.6 km / 91.2 mi section of the Eyre Highway (National Highway 1) is here but this is nothing compared with the parallel railway line which also boasts the world's longest straight section of railway at 478 km /298 miles.

At Norseman we can turn right and head North for Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, the Western Australia goldfields before heading west for a straight run west, 720 km to Perth. However we opt for the slightly longer way and head for the coastal route. The sea breeze off Esperance Bay cools us off as we we roll into town for a really late lunch.
8. Day 4 Leg 2 Albany 482 km / 597 mi Total Daily Distance 1393 km / 300 mi Total Distance to Date 6500 km / 4038 mi. In the afternoon we have an almost leisurely drive along the south-west Western Australian coast until we reach Albany on King George Sound. Which of the following claims to fame does *NOT* apply to Albany?

Answer: Largest city in Western Australia

The first European, reputedly, to visit the Albany area was George Vancouver in 1791, a sailor of high repute of Pacific-North American fame. (There is a peninsula named after him just opposite today's main settlement). Shortly after, a whaling station was established but it was not until 1826 that a settlement was made following orders from the eastern New South Wales colony to stop the French from colonising the area.

This was the first permanent settlement in Western Australia. The area was one of the few towns of reasonable size to maintain a whaling industry.

This occurred between 1952 and 1978 whe, it was the last remaining whaling station in the Southern Hemisphere. Today Albany is the sixth largest city in WA, a pleasant coastal city with a mild climate and surrounded by beautiful countryside.
9. Day 4 Perth 414 km / 257 mi Total Distance to Date 6914 km / 4296 mi A short drive today before we arrive in the Western Australia capital, Perth. Which *ONE* of the following options is true?

Answer: It did not become a penal settlement until 20 years post- initial settlement

A straight drive north-west takes us through the majestic Southern Forests, then the wheat belt before arriving in the capital. Today, Perth is a vibrant coastal city with over two million people in its greater metropolitan area. It is the fourth biggest city in Australia behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

It has a pleasant climate and a distinct laid back feel. The Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River in 1829. The settlement was divided into three parts: Fremantle on the coast and a natural harbour was to be the port; Perth about twenty kms north-east upstream on the Swan River was to be the administrative and military centre and the town of Guildford to the west where the soils were not as sandy and more suitable for growing crops.

The colony grew slowly and it was not until 1849 when the colony was proclaimed a penal colony that infrastructure and population increased. Discovery of gold in the the Kimberleys (north east WA) and the western Goldfields in the 1880s dramatically increased the fortunes and viability of Perth.

The state joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 (though the state voted to secede in 1933 - ultimately unsuccessfully) and the mining boom in the 20th century made the capital a very wealthy place.
10. "Wow" said Spit who is prone to exaggerate, "We have driven over 6900km. That's almost as far as Boston on the East Coast of the US to Seattle on the West Coast. Did Spit give factual information?

Answer: No

"The longest US Interstate highway is the I-90 from Seattle to Boston. We must have driven almost that far." "No" I say, "If we had driven from Boston to Seattle and then down the I-5 to Los Angeles, we still would have travelled less than what we have done on this trip from Brisbane to Perth. Boston to Seattle via I-90 is 3024 miles (though you can shave a bit in distance by taking I-94 from Wisconsin to Montana).

It is a further 1137 miles from Seattle to Los Angeles making a total of 4161 miles compared with the 4296 miles on our trip from Brisbane to Perth. It is almost double the distance from Lisbon in West Europe to Moscow in East Europe and also almost the same as Ottawa to Mexico City AND BACK. Pretoria, capital of South Africa to Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia in Northern Africa is also a lesser distance.
Source: Author 1nn1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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