Love Letters to Europe Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gold Coast

In the south east corner of Queensland is the Gold Coast, a tourist hot spot and the most populous area outside the capital cities of the country. Why it was named the Gold Coast is unclear although it was thought to be after the sun and golden beaches. The city extends from Logan City in the north to the state boundary with New South Wales in the south and west to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. It covers some 57 km of coastline, including some of the most popular surfing spots in the country.

In the last fifty years the Gold Coast has grown from what was once a secluded holiday destination to become one of the largest cities in Australia. Its major industry is tourism with over 10 million visitors from all over the globe flocking to the coast every year.

Answer: Brisbane

A new penal colony was established in Redcliffe in 1824, but moved south a year later to a place on the banks of the Brisbane River, so named for the then NSW governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane. The new city was originally called Edinglassie, but its name was changed to Brisbane to match the river.

The Brisbane business district centres around Queen Street and the pedestrian precinct of the Queen Street Mall. All the surrounding streets were named after various members of the British royal family, with the parallel streets named for female members and the perpendicular streets for the males.

While the Commonwealth Games in 1982 was a sporting success, it failed sadly when it unleashed Matilda, a giant mechanical kangaroo, upon the world.

The novel bridge is the Storey Bridge, spanning the Brisbane River from Kangaroo Point to the city heart.

The city is situated on a floodplain and so floods are not unheard of. Brisbane suffered a devastating flood in 2011 and while it didn't reach the same level as the 1974 floods, damage was greater and more widespread due to population growth and development. The worst damage was caused by a surge of water that swept through Toowoomba and Grantham, bypassing the Wivenhoe dam.

Answer: Cairns

Cairns, named after the then Governor of Queensland, William Cairns, was founded in 1876 to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfields. Later it became a major port for exports of sugar, gold, minerals and other items to surrounding coastal areas.

Cairns enjoys a tropical climate, complete with a monsoon season, which runs from November to May. The airport opened in 1984 and Cairns is now a major international tourism centre giving easy access to the Great Barrier Reef.

Answer: Darwin

Darwin, thanks to having to be rebuilt after Cyclone Tracy in 1974, is one of Australia's most modern cities. It was originally named Port Darwin by John Wickham, who sailed HMS Beagle into Darwin harbour in 1839. It was later renamed Palmerston, but was renamed again in 1911, when it became Darwin. Like most of the far north of Australia it has a tropical, monsoon climate. Situated on the Timor Sea it is a gateway into Asia, and tourism is a mainstay of the economy of the city.

Answer: Broome

Cable Beach was so named in 1889 when an undersea telegraph cable was laid linking Broome to Singapore, connecting then to England. The local pearling industry dates back to the 1880s, when people came and harvested the oysters. Back then they wanted the mother-of-pearl but over the years the industry changed into the modern cultured pearl industry of today.

During WWII, Broome was bombed five times, with the worst air raid killing 88 people, most of whom were civilians.

Answer: Alice Springs

Alice Springs was originally inhabited by the Arrernte people; now it's a busy town mostly lived in by Aborigines, but with many other races and nationalities too. It's situated in the Red Heart of Australia on the Todd river, and has mining and tourism amongst its industries. As this is the nearest town to Uluru, it is well served by airlines, coaches and trains.

The famous Ghan train provides a twice-weekly service in each direction on the Adelaide to Darwin railway. The Simpson desert with its gigantic red dunes lies to the east.

Answer: Glenelg

In 1836 the first ships, sent by the South Australia Company to form a new a new British colony, landed at a beach in the sheltered waters of Gulf St Vincent. The settlement was named after Lord Glenelg, who was then the Secretary for the Colonies. At first there was only a tent city, but as the more affluent colonists had brought furniture and household goods with them they had some degree of comfort. Soon wooden houses were built by the tradesmen and labourers, who had obtained free passage in return for providing a 'respectable' workforce for the those who had bought land before they left England and would become the local aristocracy.

It is now a popular seaside suburb for the capital, Adelaide, although somewhat marred by the high-rise apartment buildings which have been built on the seafront obscuring the view and changing the whole ambiance of the area.

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Kangaroo Island

The discovery of stone tools and shell middens suggest that Kangaroo Island was settled at least 10,000 years ago by indigenous Australians at a time when it was joined to the mainland. Climate change and rising waters led to the deterioration of the resources there and the last original settlers are believed to have died out 2,500 years ago.

In the early 19th century, Kangaroo Island was settled by sealers before South Australia officially became a colony. The island lies only 13 kilometres off Cape Jervis, at the foot of the Fleurieu Peninsula. There is a sea link connecting it to Kingscote, the principal town. It is a very popular place for tourists to visit as most of the island is either farming land or a national park where native animals can be seen in their natural habitat. There are some good beaches and spectacular cliffs and rock formations. The main attraction is Seal Bay, where it is possible to walk among the animals sunbathing, grooming, then slipping off into the sea.

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Canberra

Rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney, Australia's two largest cities, was the impetus for the creation of a distinct, separate national capital. The site was chosen in 1908 and is situated between the two cities, although it is closer to Sydney than Melbourne. The then government organised an international contest for architects to plan and design the city. Construction began in 1913, and the lake was named for the designer, Walter Burley Griffin.

Canberra is also home to The National Institute of Sport, the National Gallery, Museum and Library, the Royal Military College and the Defence Force Academy.

Answer: Sydney

Sydney, in New South Wales, with its iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, was the first British colony in Australia. Founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Philip, it is surrounded by places that are household names, such as Botany Bay and Bondi Beach, and has been rated one of the top ten best places to live in the world.

Mrs Macquarie's chair is a stone bench carved out of the sandstone by convicts in 1810 for Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of the governor, and it stands on the peninsula known as Mrs Macquarie's Point.