Cook's Tours of the Pacific - Australia Quiz

Answer: Cairns

Cook mapped the area in 1770 although Cairns was not established until over 100 years later, initially to service the Hodgkinson River goldfield lying to the west. Tourism and the sugar cane industry have become the biggest earners. Cairns is one of the main centres for access to the Great Barrier Reef.

Answer: Brisbane

Matthew Finders carried out the initial exploration of this area in 1799 and the first settlement in 1824 was a penal colony. Non-convict settlement started in 1838 and Brisbane is now capital of Queensland. The city takes its name from the river running through it, which was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, one-time Governor of New South Wales.

Answer: Newcastle

Newcastle is a major coal-exporting port with coal being the main reason for the city's establishment. It was named after its UK namesake. The location was discovered in 1799 by Lieutenant John Shortland who was chasing escaped convicts. The city sits at the mouth of the Hunter River, which was named after a one-time Governor of New South Wales.

Answer: Canberra

Canberra is, of course, the capital city of Australia. It was purpose-built with the site being chosen as a compromise between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, who were vying for the honour of becoming the capital city themselves. The Molonglo river was dammed to form Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin, which was named after the American architect who designed the city.

Answer: Fremantle

Captain Charles Fremantle, an English naval officer who helped establish the settlement in the area, is the source of the city's name. Fremantle sits on the Swan River, which is named after the black swans of the area. The Fremantle Doctor is a cooling sea breeze.

Answer: Darwin

Darwin was named after Charles Darwin, the naturalist who sailed to the Galapagos Islands on HMS Beagle. It was the crew of HMS Beagle during a later voyage which first came across the harbour in 1839. Massive lightning storms are a feature during the wet season. During one storm in 2002, 1,634 strikes were recorded.

Answer: Hobart

Hobart is the state capital of and largest city in Tasmania. It was established in 1803 as a penal colony. The often-snowy peak is Mount Wellington and it was Commodore John Hayes visiting in 1793 who named the river after its Cumbrian namesake. James Cook visited Adventure Bay on Bruny Island to the south of Hobart's location, in 1777. Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle visited the town in 1836 after the Galapagos Islands.

Answer: Geelong

The name of the city is derived from the Aborigine names for the area (Jillong). It was established as a town in 1838. The gold rush at Ballarat saw the population increasing to 22,000 in the 1850s. The latter half of the 18th century saw it becoming a major manufacturing centre.

Answer: Gold Coast

The origins of the name 'Gold Coast' are not clear however it has nothing to do with the metal gold and probably more to do with building speculators. The name became official when a local government area was renamed in 1958. Cook sailed along this part of the coast in 1770. With its waterways, surfing beaches and theme parks, tourism is a major earner here.

Answer: Alice Springs

Originally called Stuart after John McDouall Stuart, a famous Australian inland explorer, the name of the town was changed (perhaps optimistically) to Alice Springs in 1933. Alice Springs sits on the Todd River, a usually dried-up river bed, which takes its name from Sir Charles Todd, a former Postmaster General of South Australia. Alice was the wife of Sir Charles Todd. Alice Springs is the nearest large town to Uluru or Ayers Rock.