What's The Rush? Quiz | Australia

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "What's the rush?" my husband asked as I was crazily packing my suitcase for this town in northern Western Australia. "I want to buy some pearls and relax with a walk down Cable Beach before I head off for my next destination", I told him. Where did I suggest to my husband that I was travelling?

Answer: Broome

Broome is right up near the top of Western Australia, approximately 2200 kilometres north of Perth. Broome is known for its beaches, pearling industry and beautiful, holiday weather. Cable Beach, probably the best known beach in Broome, stretches for 22.5km, with tides up to nine metres. During certain months of the year, the water isn't very pleasant to swim in due to the number of box jellyfish in it.

There is also the occasional crocodile sighting. In the early 1900s Broome was known as the pearl capital of the world (this was prior to the development of artificial and cultured pearls).

2. "What's the rush?" my husband asked when I was on my way to the airport. "I bought those pearls, so now I need something to set them in. I'm a gonna go a pannin' for gold," I told him in my best country accent. I'd better buy a heap of water, as well ,because there isn't much of it where I'm going next. Where am I going next?

Answer: Kalgoorlie

Kalgoorlie is 'THE' gold mining town in Western Australia. It is home to the largest open pit gold mine in Australia, which was opened in 1989. Kalgoorlie is 595 kilometres east of Perth and was founded in 1893. As Kalgoorlie is nowhere near any naturally flowing water (either salt or fresh), a pipeline was constructed between 1896 and 1903 to deliver potable water to the area from the Perth hills area.

The legend of CY O'Connor (the man who devised the pipeline) is taught to all school children in Western Australia.

His story is particularly sad as he took his own life prior to seeing his dreams of a completed, working pipeline fulfilled.

3. "What's the rush?" my husband asked as I zipped away from the airport at my next destination. "I have the gold and pearls, but tradition says I need some diamonds to be a part of the setting for luck, I'm going diamond shopping." Which region in Western Australia will I find the world famous Argyle Diamond Mine?

Answer: Kimberley

The Argyle Diamond Mine is located in the Eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia (the far northern part of the state). Exploration in the region started in 1972 yet the decision to establish the mine wasn't made until 1983, with construction of the mine beginning in 1984. The mine was commissioned in 1985 with an operating schedule of 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
The Argyle Diamond Mine has produced more than 760 million carats of diamonds since 1985 and is known as one of the world's largest suppliers of diamonds.

4. "What's the rush?" my husband asked, "you're not due home until tomorrow". "I have my diamonds, pearls, and gold, but I need to get them set. I've made such good time that I'll even get some time to spend with you before you leave for your fishing trip." To get my stones set, I'll need to be in the capital city of Western Australia which is what?

Answer: Perth

Perth, the capital city of Western Australia (and my home town), was established in 1829 on the banks of the Swan River. It is the one of the remotest capital cities in the world. Perth has beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and enjoys a very laid back atmosphere, to the point where WA has been (affectionately) thought to mean 'wait awhile'.

5. "What's the rush?" I asked my husband as he ran out the door. "The boys and I decided to leave early, so we can take advantage of the great weather up north. Before we go fishing we have decided to go swimming with the whale sharks". Where in Western Australia can my husband swim with whale sharks?

Answer: Ningaloo Reef

The towns of Exmouth and Coral Bay (the north and south 'extremities' of Ningaloo Reef) both offer whale shark watching and snorkeling tours during the months of March to July. Whale sharks are the largest known species of fish and regularly move through the Ningaloo Marine Park off the north west coast of Western Australia.

Shark Bay is slightly further south than Ningaloo Reef and the sharks that swim there are probably a bit more dangerous than the whale sharks at Ningaloo! Margaret River and Esperance are too far south (and too cold) for whale sharks to swim, although regular humpback whale watching tours run from both these regions between September and November.

6. "What's the rush?" I asked my husband as he jumped in the car after his swim with the whale sharks. "I'm off fishing and I'm in a hurry to get there before dark. We need time to set up camp although I'm hoping there'll still be a fair bit of light because we are going to the westernmost point on the Australian mainland". Where is my husband going fishing?

Answer: Steep Point

Steep Point is the westernmost point on mainland Australia and is only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle. There are no resorts, hotels, motels or bathroom facilities, so if you want to stay at Steep Point, you must take your own tent, food, water and medical supplies - the nearest nurse's station is three hours away (mostly via an unsealed vehicle track). There are some beautiful cliffs in the area and it's also great for fishing while still having small coves which are safe to swim in - except of course for the usual nasties found in Western Australian waters!

If you are into four-wheel-driving (and driving in general - Steep Point is approximately 700km from Perth), camping, fishing and generally being with nature, then can I suggest you visit Steep Point sometime in the future?

7. "What's the rush?" I asked my husband as he was packing up camp. "The fish aren't biting so we're thinking of going out on a charter boat to catch some big fish. We're going out to the islands." The phone lost reception before I could ask which islands he was going to. He could be going to any of the following islands/island groups except which one?

Answer: Fraser Island

Dirk Hartog Island is 'just across' the water from Steep Point and the Abrohlos Islands lie 60 kilometres west of Geraldton, in a south-west direction from Shark Bay. Both islands are part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. The Montebello islands are off the coast of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, slightly north of Exmouth and west of Dampier. All three Western Australian islands are well-known for their beautiful weather and deep sea fishing charters in the surrounding areas.

Fraser Island is a World Heritage listed island off the coast of Queensland - the Eastern side of Australia. Fishing charters also run in the general vicinity of Fraser Island (as for the three Western Australian islands given as incorrect answer options).

8. "What's the rush?" I asked my husband. "Can't you drop in to visit on your way past?" "Nope", he answered. "My mate has to be back at work in a few days and we NEED to catch some fish. We're going to try 'down south' and catch some Bream. There's got to be some in the Blackwood River. Chat soon..." If my husband is going fishing in the Blackwood River, which of the following south-west towns would he definitely NOT be going to?

Answer: Esperance

The Blackwood River begins near Quelarup then runs through Bridgetown and Nannup before discharging into the Southern Ocean near Augusta in the far south-west corner of Western Australia. Esperance is several hours from the closest part of the Blackwood River and nearly half-way between Augusta and the South Australia/West Australia border.

The Blackwood River is known for its black bream fishing with several fishing competitions being held along its length throughout the year.

9. "What's the rush?" I asked my husband (again). "There's a fishing competition on so the Blackwood River is closed. We've got one day of our holiday left so we're trying somewhere a little closer to home. I just hope we don't catch any quokkas with our stray bait casting". Where in Western Australia would my husband be able to fish for some reasonable size fish and (in his mind) catch a quokka?

Answer: Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is located only eighteen kilometres west from Perth yet can only be accessed by boat or air. Ferries, helicopters and light aircraft fly to the island daily transporting hundreds of people to and from one of Perth's favourite holiday destinations. Quokkas are small macropods (similar to kangaroos and wallabies) that are only found in Western Australia with the largest population found on Rottnest Island. Rottnest Island was actually named for the quokka by Willem de Vlamingh who described the quokka as a large rat.

He named the island 'Rattenest' meaning 'rat's nest'.

10. "What's the rush?" our kids asked us as we rushed out the door. "We need to recover from our holiday exploits and spend some time together. We're going where there's a chocolate factory, cheese factory, fudge factory, a few wineries and some world-class surfing". Where are we going for our holiday recovery holiday?

Answer: Margaret River

With more than 60 wineries in the region as well as the Margaret River Chocolate Factory, Margaret River Cheese Factory and the Margaret River Fudge Factory, Margaret River is a definite 'foodies' delight. Originally known as a laid-back surfing town, Margaret River has grown to be one of Western Australia's top tourist destinations and, being less than four hours from Perth, it will make a great weekend getaway for my husband and I.

Source: Author lones78

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

What's The Rush? Trivia Quiz

My husband and I live in Western Australia, and are lucky enough to have ten holidays booked for this year. To get all that relaxing done, though, we're going to be rushing a bit. Can you figure out where in Western Australia we'll be holidaying?

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