How To Speak Australian, by Austen Tayshus Quiz

Answer: An Aboriginal throwing stick

Some boomerangs are designed aerodynamically so that they will return when thrown. These were mainly for fun or competition. Others are not made to return, but are used for hunting. These boomerangs are considerably heavier.

'Australiana' was released in 1983 by Austen Tayshus, and the routine was written by Billy Birmingham, well known for his 'Twelfth Man' cricket comedy skits.

Answer: Lizard and wild dog

The goanna is a large lizard, growing to over two metres long. If treated with respect, it will rarely be dangerous to humans. A dingo is an Australian native dog, similar in size to a Labrador.

Austen Tayshus's real name was Sandy Gutman, and he was born in New York, moving to Sydney, Australia as an infant.

Answer: Desert

The Nullarbor Plain is not technically a desert, but it sure looks like one. Very dry, very flat and very brown, it is shared by South Australia and Western Australia. The word itself comes from Latin, and means 'no trees', which is a very apt label. It covers about 200,000 sq km, only slightly smaller than the United Kingdom.

'Australiana' went straight to the top of the charts, and stayed there for many weeks. It is still one of the top selling singles in Australian history.

Answer: Wollongong

Wollongong is the third largest city in New South Wales, behind Sydney and Newcastle, and it is just south of Sydney. The Illawarra is a pretty area sandwiched between the ocean and the Illawarra Escarpment.

Austen highlighted a common misconception about Aussie fauna in this line. A koala is NOT a bear, and is not even closely related, as it is a marsupial, and not placental.

Answer: Wine

A coolabah is actually a type of gum-tree, great for climbing. In 1973, Coolabah Wines adopted the name and created another Australian icon, the wine-cask. 'Fair dinkum' means 'for real' or 'the truth' and dates back to the late 1800s- it is not in common use these days, which is a pity.

'Warra, ta' can be morphed into 'waratah', a large showy red flower that is the floral emblem of New South Wales. 'Ta' is just a lazy way of saying 'thank you'.

Answer: She does not have a swimsuit

'I haven't got my cossie, Oscar', is what she means. A cossie is simply a swimming costume.

The Riverina is the area bordering the Murray River in southern New South Wales, and where your author spent much of his childhood. Mt Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia.

Answer: Snow

Thredbo and Perisher are ski resorts in the winter months and are both to be found in the Snowy Mountains (snappy name, eh?). Lake Eucumbene is part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a huge engineering project designed to provide snow-melt water to the inland areas of New South Wales and Canberra.

'Wattle they care?' (what will they care?), relates to the wattle tree. One species, the golden wattle, is the floral emblem of Australia.

Answer: A small country town

Tenterfield in in northern New South Wales, not far from the Queensland border, and is probably best known for the Peter Allan song, 'Tenterfield Saddler'. It is named after a town in England, as many Australian locations are.

Answer: Tasmania

Tally Ho is a brand of cigarette paper, used for rolling your own tobacco (or other stuff!). 'Ho Bart' becomes Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, Launceston and Burnie are both cities in the north of the state, and because of its cool temperate climate, Tasmania is known as 'The Apple Isle'.

Answer: A tree

The jacaranda was introduced from Central America and is a large tree that flowers in late spring (October to November). A jacaranda in full flower is quite spectacular, with thousands of huge purple blossoms. Grafton in northern New South Wales is known for its Jacaranda Festival, but the tree can be found in most areas of the country.
Bass Strait is the body of water between Tasmania and the mainland state of Victoria.