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Australian Place Names Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Australian Place Names Quizzes, Trivia

Australian Place Names Trivia

Australian Place Names Trivia Quizzes

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Fun Trivia
6 quizzes and 60 trivia questions.
1.
  Elementary My Dear Australian   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Off we go on a guided tour of Australian places with elements in their name. I could only find ten and here they all are in quiz form. Can you tell me where they are? Fasten your seat belts for take off...
Average, 10 Qns, Tizzabelle, Jul 19 21
Average
Tizzabelle gold member
Jul 19 21
3569 plays
2.
  So That's Why It's Called That    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Cities are named for individuals, other cities, or often after some interesting feature. Can you match the Australian state and territorial capitals with the derivation of their names?
Average, 10 Qns, Red_John, Mar 08 21
Average
Red_John
Mar 08 21
177 plays
3.
  Australian Place Names    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Wool is an important commodity in Australia and many place names begin with the word wool. I'll give a postcode and a brief description of where it is and all you do is decide which multiple choice answer is correct, good luck.
Tough, 10 Qns, go_broncos, Oct 13 18
Tough
go_broncos
Oct 13 18
1366 plays
4.
  Double Name Places    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
All these place names in Australia are repeated, eg: Yarra Yarra. I'll give a brief description of its location and you decide which town or whether I'm telling the truth about the origin of my name. Good Luck.
Tough, 10 Qns, go_broncos, Feb 18 24
Tough
go_broncos
Feb 18 24
1180 plays
5.
  Aussie Place Names    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some Australian places were named twice by the local Aborigines to emphasize their meaning, for example: Wagga means crow in Wiradjuri language to name it twice changes its meaning to place of many crows. Other places just have odd names.
Tough, 10 Qns, Bad_MaNneR$, Oct 13 18
Tough
Bad_MaNneR$
Oct 13 18
566 plays
6.
  Western Australian Place Names #3    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
My first two quizzes in this category were based on place names taken from the Noongar language. This quiz focuses on other parts of the state, and features places whose names are from other Aboriginal languages.
Tough, 10 Qns, tezza1551, Oct 13 18
Tough
tezza1551
Oct 13 18
362 plays

Australian Place Names Trivia Questions
1. The Pilbara town Paraburdoo is based on the local Aboriginal word for the name of a bird, Pirupardo. What is the type of bird?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Corella

The name means "Meat and feathers". Corellas are a species of cockatoo, and are mostly white in colour with bright yellow under the wings and tail.

2. This tiny timber town is situated on the Eurobodalla Coast of New South Wales. Its name means 'wind' in the language of the original Yuin Aboriginal inhabitants.

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Tilba Tilba

Although Tilba is said to mean wind in the Yuin Aboriginal language, some have said the word is a Tharwa Aboriginal term for 'many waters'. In recent years Tilba Tilba and Central Tilba have become major tourist attractions, with all of the old shops being replaced by restaurants, coffee lounges and gift shops.

3. A national park in the northern tablelands of NSW, is 26km northeast of Tenterfield off Woodenbong Rd.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Boonoo Boonoo

Even though the two names are spelt the same in English, they are actually pronounced "Bunna Bunoo" This is the local Aboriginal term for "big rocks".

4. Is it September yet? There is a town in Queensland that has an annual seafood festival and I want to see the mullet throwing contest. What town am I talking about?

From Quiz Elementary My Dear Australian

Answer: Tin Can Bay

Tin Can Bay started life as a village servicing the local timber industry but fishing later became a more important part of its economy. Fishing is still important to Tin Can Bay hence the annual Seafood Festival. Prawns are a major part of the fishing industry so there is a prawn eating contest in addition to mullet throwing and the other forms of entertainment. Tin Can Bay has a population of about 1,900 people and lies 218 kms (135 miles) north of Brisbane, the state capital. There are several possible derivations of the town's name. It seems to be agreed that it's come from an Aboriginal word "tin-kin" or something very similar such as "Tuncunba". The meanings of these various words have included dugong, big fish, good tucker (food), mangroves and vines.

5. Coolgardie in the Goldfields has a name meaning what?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Rockhole surrounded by mulga trees

Coolgardie has a rich and interesting history surrounding the mining industry. The commonly accepted meaning of the name is "rockhole surrounded by mulga trees", but there is also a theory that it may be a variation of the word for "bungyarra" or racehorse goanna. In 1900, it had a population of roughly 16,000 with 23 hotels and three breweries!

6. Kurri Kurri's name comes from the local Awabakal language and means what?

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: the very first

Kurri Kurri is in the NSW Hunter Valley and is an old coal mining town. Depending on who you talk to, it is believed that the original inhabitants of the area were the Darkinjang, Awabakal or Wanaruah peoples. The town was named in 1902 by District Surveyor T. Smith who chose the name because he actually believed it meant 'hurry along' in a local dialect.

7. A national park in NSW is 222km northeast of Sydney. I'm situated at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Booti Booti

A beautiful place to visit and nearby Elizabeth Beach is patrolled during summer by lifesavers. You can also visit Wallingat National Park or Wallis Lake.

8. Mullewa, a small town in the Midwest region is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning:

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Place of fog

Mullewa is located about 460 kilometres north east of Perth, and about 100 km east of Geraldton. In spring, Mullewa is home to some unique wildflowers. It is also part of a heritage trail paying tribute to the architecture of Monsignor Hawes, a priest/architect who was responsible for the construction of numerous buildings in the region.

9. This town was derived from the original station name, which used a local Aboriginal word meaning 'red soil thick scrub'. What is the name of this town which has survived solely because of its location on the main road from Brisbane to Cairns?

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Gin Gin

Even though you might think they would have one, Gin Gin doesn't actually have a distillery as there aren't too many juniper bushes about the place. It does however have a number of small wineries. Gin Gin Wines, Norse Wines and Wonbah Winery.

10. Name the town on the edge of Lake Macquarie and 121km north of Sydney.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Wangi Wangi

Australian painter Sir William Dobell lived here from the 1940's until his death in 1970. His house is now a museum.

11. Which South Australian town was a source of iron ore for almost 100 years? The mines around this town fed Whyalla's steel works with iron ore until it was closed in 1998.

From Quiz Elementary My Dear Australian

Answer: Iron Knob

An iron ore deposit was found in the Eyre Peninsula in 1894 and a mining industry began. Iron Knob (the town) grew up between two mines called Iron Knob and Iron Monarch. They aren't the only areas with "Iron" in its name. In the same region you'll find mines called Iron Baron, Iron Prince and Iron Queen. Mining finished in Iron Knob in the 1990s with fears that the town would die but there has been a resurgence in people wanting to move there. The population still only numbers around 200. Iron mining has again started in the area with the Iron Duke mine opening about 50 kms (31 miles) south of Iron Knob.

12. What is the meaning of the word Yalguru, from which the place name Yalgoo is derived?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Place of blood

"Yalguru" is the name of a type of bush that grows in the area and has dark red sap, hence the reference to blood. Yalgoo is about two hours drive from Geraldton, and was once a major area for gold mining. Other tourism attractions include farm stays on working sheep stations and great wildflowers in spring.

13. In far north Queensland near Cairns you can turn off the Bruce Highway at Innisfail and follow the Palmerston Highway to me. I'm on the Atherton Tablelands.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Millaa Millaa

I'm in the middle of the waterfall circuit which includes Millaa Millaa Falls, Ellinjaa Falls, Mungalli Falls, Zillie Falls and many more. My Aboriginal name means "plenty of water".

14. Between the east coast of Tasmania and Maria Island is a body of water with a metal in its name. That metal was named after a figure in Roman mythology. Which body of water am I asking about?

From Quiz Elementary My Dear Australian

Answer: Mercury Passage

Mercury Passage was named after a boat, the HMS Mercury, which was used to map the region in 1789. Mercury Passage sees some aquaculture in its midst with commercial quantities of oysters, scallops, abalone and the like being grown and harvested there.

15. Aboriginal for 'place of good water' or 'lots of good water', this place is actually a sheep station, halfway between Wallabadah and Tamworth in the northern, New England region of New South Wales.

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Goonoo Goonoo

Pronounced Gunna Gannoo - it's just one of those place names that can be used to confound overseas visitors when telling them how we Aussies pronounce different things. Goonoo Goonoo has never really developed, most likely due to being highly flood prone given its proximity to the Peel River.

16. Located 554km south west of Sydney, NSW, near the Victorian border north of Albury/Wodonga.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Walla Walla

The town of Walla Walla was established in 1868-69 by German settlers who moved there from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.

17. An area to the northwest of Adelaide was founded because of mining a particular mineral. Centred around the towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo, which area can be found on the Yorke Peninsula?

From Quiz Elementary My Dear Australian

Answer: Copper Coast

The Copper Coast is found on the Yorke Peninsula north of Adelaide. Mining for copper started there in the 1860s largely by Welsh miners. The area claims to hold the largest Welsh festival in the world every two years. The economy of the area is now mostly reliant on grain production, especially of wheat and barley.

18. What is the meaning of the town name Meckering?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Moon on water

In 1968, the town of Meckering suffered severe damage at the hands of an earthquake. It was virtually destroyed but over the ensuing years was rebuilt. The town is located about 130 kilometres east of Perth, and there is a display of memorabilia from the time of the earthquake located in a park in the centre of town.

19. Located near Cooroy in the corner of Noosa Shire in south-east Queensland, this small village with an old and famous pub called the Country Life Hotel is the Aboriginal name for a small black ant.

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Kin Kin

Kin Kin timber was once famous throughout Australia. In recent years new plantations have been created specifically for growing furniture quality timber. However more interesting than that is the collection of hats in the Kin Kin pub. Locals who have passed away have their hats placed in the pub's museum.

20. Eighty-five km north of Sydney and eight km south of Gosford, I am located via the Newcastle Freeway.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Woy Woy

The name Woy Woy comes from the Aboriginal language of the Guringgai meaning "much water" or "big lagoon".

21. On the north coast of Tasmania between the towns of Burnie and Penguin lies a small town with an element in its name. I'm not sure if there is a fire there but there seems to be some brimstone. What town am I asking about?

From Quiz Elementary My Dear Australian

Answer: Sulphur Creek

Sulphur Creek in Tasmania has a population of about 350 people. It lies 11kms (7 miles) east of Burnie on the Bass Highway. Burnie has a population of over 19,000 and is Australia's fifth largest container port. The nearby town of Penguin has a population of nearly 3,000.

22. This is a two word town that forms the first two-thirds of the traditional name of the hill where Jesus' crucifixion took place. Aboriginal for 'meeting place', this it is located near the Murray River across from Mildura in Victoria.

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Gol Gol

Situated on the Murray River, Gol Gol Wharf was a staging point where the river boats used to stop, bringing supplies for the town and surrounding areas of Euston and Robinvale. The major attraction in Gol Gol is the Fish Hatchery where you can tour the Yabbie Farm and even catch live yabbies when they are in season.

23. The name Bindoon means "a place where what grow"?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Yams

Bindoon is located on the Great Northern Highway, about 90 minutes north of Perth. It is a citrus and grape growing area, and a large agricultural college is located in the district. Bindoon is on the way to New Norcia, where there is a monastery, art collection, and some unique architecture.

24. Dandaragan is a small town in the northern Wheatbelt. What is the meaning of the name?

From Quiz Western Australian Place Names #3

Answer: Good kangaroo country

Dandaragan is located west of Moora, and not far off the Brand Highway. Part of the Dandaragan Shire includes the fast growing coastal town of Jurien Bay and the nearby tourist attraction of The Pinnacles.

25. Meaning 'hot' or 'very hot' this small farming village is located in the Narrandera Shire of the southern Riverina region of New South Wales.

From Quiz Aussie Place Names

Answer: Grong Grong

The name Grong Grong is also thought to be another Aboriginal term meaning 'bad camping ground' or 'very bad camping ground'.

26. Situated on the Sturt Highway and Olympic Way about halfway between Sydney, NSW and Melbourne, Victoria.

From Quiz Double Name Places

Answer: Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga was named by the Wiradjuri Aborigines. Wagga means crow and repeating it makes it plural. Thus the name means "place of many crows".

27. Lastly, my postcode is 5575, which means South Australia. I'm situated between Stansbury and Coobowie. I'm down on the Yorke Peninsular practically opposite the SA capital, Adelaide, across the Gulf of St. Vincent.

From Quiz Australian Place Names

Answer: Wool Bay

My last interesting fact really is interesting. Wool Bay started out as the town of Pickering in 1876 and changed its name in about 1940 because the jetty was wide enough to roll a bale of wool down. The name became Wool Bay Jetty, then just Wool Bay, which makes this town the only one in my quiz that has anything to do with wool.

This is category 23038
Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:54 AM
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