Simply and Utterly Australian! Quiz

Answer: Two-Up

The origins of Two-Up are a little obscure, however, the game became a pastime for miners during the gold rush of the 1850s. It was even more popular with the Australian troops during WWI.

Kip is the small piece of wood on which two coins are placed before being thrown up. The Spinner is the person who throws the coins in the air. The Boxer is the person who manages the game. Finally, the Ringy(or Ring keeper) is the person who looks after the coins once they are tossed, and acts as the referee in case of a dispute.

Answer: Melbourne

The Melbourne Cup has run annually since 1861. It is the premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and over, covering a distance of 3,200 metres. It is referred to as "the race that stops a nation". It was gazetted as a public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne in 1877. The race is run annually on the first Tuesday in November.

Answer: Aussie rules football

Aussie rules football is commonly referred to in the USA as "no rules". The earliest credited evidence of the game is around 1841, however the first recorded game actually took place in 1858. The original purpose of the game was to keep cricketers fit during the winter period.

Former Victoria cricketer Tom Wills is credited as the founder of this football code, which is a mixture of rugby and soccer. The finale to each AFL season is the Grand Final played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which holds in excess of 100,000 spectators.

Answer: Don Bradman

Arguably the finest batsman the cricketing world has known, Don Bradman (1908-2001) was born in Cootamundra (NSW). He played Test cricket from 1928 to 1948, and finished with a career average on 99.94. Throughout his entire first-class career, he scored a century (100 runs or more) at every third time he went to bat.

Don Tallon was an Australian Test cricketer in the '40s and '50s. Don Cordner played Aussie Rules for Melbourne FC in the 1950s, and Don Talbot was an Australian Olympic swimming coach.

Answer: Chips Rafferty

Chips Rafferty MBE (1900-1971) was born in Broken Hill (NSW). He appeared in many Australian productions but also appeared opposite Richard Burton in "The Desert Rats" (1953), opposite Robert Mitchum in "The Sundowners" (1960) and opposite Marlon Brando in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962).

His most bizarre performance was in "Double Trouble" (1967) starring Elvis Presley. He also acted in an episode of the TV series "Gunsmoke", as well as in the "The Big Valley". His British commercials were made during the 1950s. Hogan, Taylor and Flynn are all well-known Australian actors.

Answer: Dame Nellie Melba

Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931) was born in Richmond, Victoria. She was a famous international operatic soprano in the Victorian era who traveled the world. The dish Peach Melba was invented by a French chef in her honour at the Savoy Hotel while she was appearing in London in 1892/93.

Both Dame Sutherland and Bronhill were well-known world opera sopranos, while Dame Edna was a character created by comedian Barry Humphries.

Answer: ANZAC Day

Held on 25th April each year, ANZAC Day is in remembrance and honour of the Australian and New Zealand troops who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire in WWI. It was the first battle of WWI that the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) forces were involved in. It was the brain wave of Winston Churchill, but was ultimately a disaster.

Answer: The Seekers

The Seekers were formed in Melbourne in 1962 with Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger. Their hits included "I'll Never Find Another You", "Georgy Girl", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival Is Over", and many more classics. Although they started their careers in Queensland and on Australian TV, the members of the Bee Gees were all born in the UK.

The Delltones and Men at Work are purely Australian groups with the former starting in 1958 and the later in 1978.

Answer: Goodbye or see you later

When is English not English? Only in Australia. This can also be spelt "ooroo" and pronounced with or without the H. Thank you is ta, hello is g'day, and how are you going is 'ow ya goin'.

Answer: Vegemite

In the 1920s, young chemist Dr. Cyril P. Callister developed a new spread from brewer's yeast. Initially it was not well-received and sales were slow, but in 1939 The British Medical Association endorsed it for doctors as a Vitamin B-rich, nutritionally balanced food for patients.

The Victa motor mower was the invention of Mervyn Victor Richardson in 1952. Hills Hoist clothes line was introduced by Lance Hill in 1945, and the Wine Cask by Thomas Angove in 1965. They are all Australian inventions.