Western Australian Wonderland Quiz | Western Australia

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Keeping the promise we made to ourselves on our South Australian trip, we're approaching Western Australia (WA) from the east along the seemingly-endless Eyre Highway. With the Nullarbor Plain to the north and the Great Australian Bight to the south, we keep driving west before taking a detour inland. Our first stop is a town for whom mining is the driving force, being at the centre of the WA gold rush in the late 19th century. What is the town's name?

Answer: Kalgoorlie

Kalgoorlie (formally Kalgoorlie-Boulder) was born in 1893 when three Irishmen discovered gold in the spot and registered a claim. When it became known that gold was to be found, men came from all over the world to seek their fortune, turning the Kalgoorlie region into the economic heart of the state. Since that time, the WA goldfields have produced over 990 tonnes of gold and mining continues in the region today. About 50 mines are still operating today, 25 of which are gold mines.

Other mines in operation include copper, nickel, silver and granite.

2. Phew! I don't know how those gold miners cope - it's so hot! Back into the car and onto our next destination, this time in the much more temperate south. Almost due south of our last stop, this coastal town is set amid beautiful scenery and boasts kangaroos sunbathing on its beaches!

Answer: Esperance

Whoops, duck! That kangaroo must have some place to be! Esperance offers breathtaking coastal scenery and excellent beaches perfect for surfing, sailing and fishing. Wildlife also abounds; besides kangaroos, there are emus, seals, dolphins and whales inhabiting the region.

The Recherche Archipelago is situated a little way offshore and teems with marine life, providing a paradise for snorkelers and divers. You can take a cruise of the islands in the bay, and even spend the night on Woody Island and take your time exploring the scenery.

3. Hugging the coast, we travel west to reach our next destination. This town, settled in 1826 and overlooking the Southern Ocean, is a place where you can indulge in activities from whale-watching to wildflower-admiration. Where are we going?

Answer: Albany

The harbour on which Albany is situated was discovered by Captain George Vancouver in 1791 and the coastline was mapped in 1801 by Matthew Flinders; settlers arrived in December, 1826. Before the establishment of Fremantle, the town was a port that serviced mail steamers on their way to the UK.

The whale-watching (the old whaling station is now a museum) and wildflower seasons coincide and run from August to October. The coastline of the area provides some spectacular scenery, including a large section of granite eroded to form a natural arch as well as numerous blow-holes, which spurt water high into the air while making hissing noises.

4. Our next stop is even further west, and still along the coast. The town we're heading for gives its name to a region known for making very fine wines. What is the town's name?

Answer: Margaret River

The Margaret River Wine Region has become known for producing world-class wines. The town (and river) were named in 1831 after Margaret Wyche, who was a cousin of the founder of the WA town of Busselton. Besides excellent wine, the coast around the Margaret River area is renowned for its excellent surfing breaks (with some waves reaching up to 20 feet high), attracting surfers from all over Australia and the world. About 21 kilometres south of the town is Mammoth Cave (so named for its enormous size).

The cave, which was first discovered by European settlers in 1850, features fossils up to 35000 years old and has been open to the public since 1904.

5. Northwards bound now, we're headed for the state's capital, Perth. Situated on the banks of the Swan River, Perth is a modern, spacious city and claims to be the most isolated capital city in the world (Adelaide, in South Australia, is the nearest capital city 2200 kilometres to the east). We've done some wandering around Perth and decide to take a day trip to an island just off the coast best-known for being a haven for quokkas. What is this island's name?

Answer: Rottnest Island

Seventeenth-century Dutch explorers thought the quokkas (small marsupials similar to forest wallabies and tree kangaroos) scurrying over the island were giant rats, and hence named the island "Rotte-nest", meaning "rat's nest". The central "e" was dropped from the name's pronunciation, giving the modern "Rottnest".

The island is one of WA's most popular tourist destinations, giving visitors the choice of swimming, surfing and diving as well as providing the opportunity for a look at those cute little quokkas - now a protected species on the island.

6. Sticking to a wildlife theme, we leave Perth and head north, following the state's west coast, en route a place now world-famous for giving visitors the chance to meet and swim with its resident dolphins.

Answer: Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia is situated in Shark Bay, a World Heritage area, on the mid-north coast of WA. Dolphins have been visiting the beach at Monkey Mia for over 30 years. Besides the dolphins, the Shark Bay area is also home to many other species of wildlife, including the endangered dugong (sea-cow).

The dolphins of Monkey Mia are well-known and can be identified by their distinctive dorsal fin markings. Between 7am and midday on most days, the dolphins visit the beach and can be hand-fed by visitors under the close supervision of the park rangers.

The feeding requirements are very strict, with only freshly-caught fish being used, as well as making sure that no more than a third of the dolphins' daily food requirement is given to them, thus preventing the animals becoming dependent on the food given to them by humans.

A separate area has been set aside where people can swim with the dolphins. The area is also an important dolphin research centre; scientists have been studying dolphins at Monkey Mia since 1984.

7. Reluctantly leaving the dolphins, we're nevertheless excited about visiting the next town on our itinerary, which is only a bit further north and located right on the doorstep of a magnificent marine wildlife park as well as Western Australia's largest coral reef.

Answer: Exmouth

Exmouth's location between Ningaloo Marine Park to the west and the mountainous Cape Range National Park to the east means that there is always something to see. It is also Australia's newest town; despite the area having been charted by the Dutch in the 17th century and explored further by European settlers in the 1800s, no official settlement was made until 1963 when construction of a naval base was begun.

The Ningaloo Marine Park is home to whale sharks, the world's largest fish, and diving tours are held daily for people who wish to swim with these harmless animals who feed mostly on plankton.

The marine park encompasses Ningaloo Reef, which provides a home for 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. The reef can be swum to from the beach, and as well as the beauty of the coral formations, dolphins, sharks and manta rays can also be spotted swimming in the shallow waters.

8. Back into the car again (this is one big state we're driving around!), we point the car northwards once more on the way to a town that is home to both industrial and natural wonders. This town really came into its own in the 19th century when increasing exports from the nearby goldfields led to the building of a jetty and an eight-kilometre causeway making this town the region's major port. What is its name?

Answer: Port Hedland

Port Hedland, named after the man who explored the region in the mid-19th century, is a blend of the industrial, which drives the town's economy, and the naturally beautiful. The town is at the heart of a mining region and BHP, an Australian mining company, have a huge iron ore processing plant located there.

There are numerous natural attractions bringing visitors to the Port Hedland area, such as Eighty Mile Beach, an unbroken stretch of pure white sand, and Karijini National Park, whose gorges, rock pools and waterfalls provide breathtaking scenery. If you're into whale-watching, you can do that at Port Hedland too, with humpback whales frequenting the waters from July to October.

9. We're really in the far north of the state now, well into the tropical region. Nearing the end of our trip, our next stop is often in the path of tropical cyclones and is known as the pearling capital of the world.

Answer: Broome

Broome's existence is due to the discovery in 1861 of the world's largest pearl oyster shell in what is now Roebuck Bay. The town's two industries are pearling and tourism. The pearling industry was at its height in the years before World War I; between World Wars I and II, the pearling industry was severely depressed.

The town is now home to a cultured pearl consortium, which was established in 1956; by the 1980s this industry was earning in excess of A$50 million for Broome annually. Besides gaping at the size of some of the pearls for sale in town (seeing marble-sized pearls is not unusual!), you can take a camel-train ride along Cable Beach, visit vibrant Chinatown for a coffee in one of its many cafes, or take time for a walk around the Japanese cemetery, which is the final resting place for the many Japanese divers who lost their lives in Broome during the perilous early days of pearl-diving.

10. Our final destination is in the Kimberley region in the far north of the state. We've already seen an example of Western Australia's mineral wealth in the form of gold mining in the south; our next stop, the Argyle mine, is famous for producing which gemstone?

Answer: diamonds

Despite being located in Western Australia, the nearest major city to the Argyle Diamond Mine is Darwin, some 550 kilometres away in the Northern Territory. The diamond deposit was discovered in 1979 and at one point, the Argyle mine was the largest single producer of diamonds in the world (the mine produced more than 600 Mct (that's 600000 carats!) of diamonds over its lifetime).

The mine was closed in November 2020. Most of the diamonds produced by the mine were used for industrial purposes, but the Argyle mine also produced some beautiful coloured diamond specimens, including champagne and pink diamonds. Well, we've come to the end of yet another Australian adventure - I'm going to stay around here for a while to admire all these gorgeous diamonds; I'll see you next time!"

Source: Author NatalieW

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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Western Australian Wonderland Trivia Quiz

The state of Western Australia ranges from temperate in the south to tropical in the north with sandy tracts of desert in between. Jump into the four-wheel drive for a spin around Australia's largest state.

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