Way Out West Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kings Park

Kings Park is the largest inner city park in the world, being a little over a thousand acres. Some of the park consists of large expanses of lawn with botanical gardens, but most of it is natural bushland. The park was originally named Perth Park and was officially opened in 1895. It was renamed Kings Park in 1901 in honour of King Edward VII's ascension to the British throne.

Answer: Notting Hill

This is the original park bench from the movie "Notting Hill". It is inscribed "For June who loved this garden, from Joseph who always sat beside her" and "June Wetherby 1917-1992." It now bears an additional plate which indicates that the bench was purchased by a local resident who anonymously donated the bench to the City of Perth.

The IMDb website includes this piece of trivia in their summary of the movie "Notting Hill" and states "it now *really does* live in a beautiful garden that is locked at night". On the back of the bench is the inscription "Rodd and Nicole 2002". I have been unable to discover the significance of this and I assume they have some connection with the anonymous donor. Queens Gardens is a popular venue for weddings and it is where I got married.

Answer: Swan River

Eliza stands in the Swan River where she commemorates the site of the famous Crawley Baths, which opened in 1914 and were demolished in 1964. Perth had no public swimming pools until 1962 so this was where generations of West Australian children took their swimming lessons (including myself).

In its time, it was the largest enclosed body of water in the Southern Hemisphere. This is a rare shot of Eliza with no "accessories". People seem to take great delight in swimming or rowing out to her and dressing her. Hardly a week goes by without her sporting some new outfit, much to the chagrin of the authorities.

She certainly is a point of interest on my drive to work each day. For example, she sported a colourful bra for Breast Cancer Awareness Week and an Australian flag skirt for Australia Day. Students at the nearby University of Western Australia are believed to be the main culprits.

Answer: London Court

London Court is a Tudor-style pedestrian arcade built in 1937. The clock tower is modeled on London's Big Ben; above the clock are four mechanical knights who come into action every quarter of an hour (known as the "Tournament of Armoured Knights"). You can always pick the tourists - they are the ones with cameras standing around patiently and looking up, waiting for the quarter hour so they can film the tournament.

Answer: The GPO (General Post Office)

Legend has it that the kangaroo and the emu were chosen for our Coat of Arms to symbolise the nation moving forward, and based on the common belief that neither of these animals can move backwards easily. This particular version is located over the entrance to the GPO (the main, or general post office) in the heart of Perth. Allegedly, the kangaroo is looking back over his shoulder towards Parliament House because the maker of this shield had not been paid for his work so he made the kangaroo look accusingly towards those who owed him money.

Answer: The Barracks Arch

The Arch is all that remains of the Pensioner Barracks which were built to house the soldiers (and their families) of the Enrolled Pensioner Guards. They were sent to WA to guard the convicts who were transported to the colony from 1850 to 1865. By the 1960s, the buildings were in poor condition and crumbling.

The government started to demolish the Barracks to make way for the new Parliament House and the Mitchell Freeway, however, while most of the Barracks were torn down, vigorous protest from the public resulted in the Arch being retained and restored, thus spoiling the politicians' view down St Georges Terrace (which is where I am standing on the median strip taking this photo).

There were no "brickies" in WA with the skills needed to restore this type of structure, so my great-uncle was brought over from South Australia to help accomplish the job. So naturally I have a soft spot in my heart for the Arch.

Answer: Hay Street Mall

The inscription plate for the statue reads: "Percy Button was a local street entertainer and one of Perth's best known faces from the 1920s to the 1950s. Performing somersaults and handstands, Percy entertained people for a few shillings while they waited to see films, newsreels and theatrical performances at the theatres that were concentrated in what is now the Hay Street Mall, the Theatre Royal, the Ambassador and His Majesty's Theatre. Percy was renowned for his grubbiness and in November 1929 local newspaper, The Mirror, dressed Percy up in a long-tailed suit and ran a front page competition asking readers to guess the identity of the cleaned up man.

The Mirror offered a guinea's worth of goods for the first opened letter giving the man's name.

The newspaper later asked Percy to write the 1929 Centenary Christmas Message. This artwork celebrates the spirit of the street."

Answer: Mundaring Weir

The pipeline from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie is believed to be the longest water pipeline in the world. The lake created by the Mundaring Weir is named Lake O'Connor after Charles Yelverton O'Connor, the engineer responsible for the ambitious and costly project. Public criticism over the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme drove O'Connor to commit suicide in 1902.

However, more than a century on, Kalgoorlie still obtains its water from Mundaring Weir.

Answer: Swan Valley

The Swan Valley is famous for its numerous wineries but there are many other attractions including a number of micro-breweries and distilleries, a chocolate factory, a nougat factory, lots of restaurants and road-side stalls where you can buy locally grown fruits and vegetables, and handicrafts.

Answer: The Avon Descent

The Avon Descent is held each year on the first weekend in August. It is a white water event involving both paddle craft (kayaks and surf skis) and small motor boats. It runs from Northam to Perth along the Avon and Swan Rivers, a distance of about 133 kilometres (83 miles).

There are many hazards, including numerous white water rapids, treacherous rocks and some spots where there may be no water at all, depending on how much rainfall we've had that winter. This photograph was taken towards the finish line in much calmer waters.