Elementary My Dear Australian Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gold Coast

The area south of Brisbane was settled in the mid 19th century mainly due to cedar logging and farming interests. Later in the 1800s it became a holiday resort for the wealthy people of Brisbane. In the 1920s tourism took off and now the Gold Coast is a major tourism area in Australia attracting people from within the country and overseas. Attractions include the natural features such as beaches and subtropical weather, and theme parks such as Dreamworld, Seaworld. The area is now a large urban conglomeration extending into the hinterland and has become Australia's sixth largest city.

Why is it called the Gold Coast? Brisbane journalists began calling it that in the 1940s in response to the real estate boom. The name wasn't officially adopted by the local government body until 1958 when they changed the local council's name from South Coast Town Council to Gold Coast Town Council.

Answer: Calcium

For once the internet has let me down. I can't find much information about Calcium other than its postcode (4816), the existence of a railway station on The Inlander line and the fact that it's a bit less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the centre of Townsville. If anyone has any more information feel free to send it to me! :-) Calcium is well known for its role in tooth formation hence the request for you to flash those pearly whites for the photo! :-D
(looney-tunes replied to the request for more info:
"Calcium is actually a suburb of the community of Woodstock, and its name derives from the fact that they mine limestone (calcium carbonate) there. Not a lot of interest to see, unless you are into mining! Also, the Inlander does not stop between Townsville and Charters Towers, well to the southwest west of Calcium, according to the 2018 timetable. The line does run through the area."

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.

Answer: Silverton

Silverton is 25 kms (15 miles) northwest of Broken Hill in NSW. Silver was discovered there and a population moved in but richer pickings of silver, lead and zinc in Broken Hill meant Silverton was almost abandoned. Restoration work has taken place over the years and now there is more than one art gallery displaying the works of local artists. Well over 120 TV programmes, commercials and movies have been made in and around Silverton so you have probably seen the town or the surrounds. One TV programme made there was "The Flying Doctors".

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.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: Victoria

Adelaide Lead lies 174 km (108 miles) northwest of Melbourne and a few kms from Maryborough. The settlement saw a population of 6,000 at its peak during the gold rush in 1855. A couple of reefs were found and mined over the years but many miners merely scratched the surface of the area looking for alluvial gold. As other announcements of gold discoveries elsewhere were made, many miners left for hopefully richer pickings. The settlement only had a population of 405 by 1861 and by 1974 only 50 people called Adelaide Lead home.

So why you ask is it called Adelaide Lead when it's in Victoria rather than South Australia? One of the men who first found gold there, William Howard, was from Adelaide. The "Lead" in the town's name is pronounced to rhyme with "seed" rather than "shed". "Lead" in that sense is an alternative word for "lode" so in other words it was the "Adelaide Lode". Thanks very much to Ozzz2002 for enlightening me about that. Cheers!

Answer: Boron

If you add an "ia" to Boron you get Boronia. A Boronia is a type of Aussie native flowering plant. Boronia can also be found in the suburbs of Boronia (Vic), Boronia Heights (Qld) and Boronia Park (NSW).