Write Around Australia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing

Written by Australian crime fiction author Gabrielle Lord, "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" is about a murderer preying on prostitutes in Sydney's Kings Cross. Part of the perpetrator's M.O. (modus operandi) is to pick up a prostitute in his car. The song on the radio at the time of the first-mentioned kidnap was Chris Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing".

(Question by Parra_Chick)

Answer: A B 'Banjo' Paterson

Two very different poems, but both are superbly redolent of the outback hard-riding Australian horseman's life. In "The Man From Snowy River", Paterson graphically tells of the ride of a slightly-built horseman with a stock whip who takes off through the bush among other riders after an escaped thoroughbred which has joined a pack of wild horses. His breakneck ride down a steep incline is the stuff of legend. "Clancy Of The Overflow" is the musings of a fellow stuck in a city office, who dearly wishes that he could swap places with his mate Clancy who is droving cattle in Queensland. Paterson's lyricism has a uniquely Australian style. Ironically, his work is known internationally through the much lighter verse, "Waltzing Matilda".

(Question by Airmale)

Answer: The Secret Of Hanging Rock

"Picnic At Hanging Rock" was authored by Joan Lindsay and first published in 1967. It tells the story of a group of school girls in 1900 that went on an outing to a formation known as "Hanging Rock", from which some never returned. The original version of the book did not reveal what became of the girls, however, in accordance with Lindsay's wishes, the final chapter of the book entitled "The Secret Of Hanging Rock" was published in 1987; this was three years after her death. This chapter offered a mystical ending to the fate of the girls.

(Question by emmco)

Answer: Contest

After a series on knock-backs, Matthew borrowed money from his family to privately publish 1000 copies of "Contest". He talked a bookstore into putting a display of them in the front of their store, and he himself rode buses and trains while reading his novel, always with the cover and title showing. A book publisher saw the novel and immediately signed Matthew to a book deal. His novel "Temple" was released first, while "Contest" underwent a re-write before it too was published.

The story of "Contest" is a battle to the death between seven contestants from all over the galaxy. In this "Third Presidian", Earth is chosen as the host planet and the site is the New York State Library.

(Question by Leith90)

Answer: Unknown

The identity of the invading nation in the "Tomorrow" series is never actually revealed. Indeed, the characteristics of the invading force could describe any number of nations. This was no doubt deliberate on the part of John Marsden, perhaps to avoid attaching any stigma to one particular nation in a series of books aimed at adolescents and young adults. Incidentally, the only nation that can be assured of being innocent of the invasion is New Zealand.

(Question by sky_beau)

Answer: Jessica

South African born, naturalized Aussie Bryce Courtney wrote "Jessica" about a tomboy growing up in rural Australia before the First World War. The mini-series of the same name was first aired in Australia in 2004.

Courtney had three children, one of whom was born with haemophilia and died after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion. Courtney's book "April Fool's Day" relates this heartbreaking story.

Courtney's first novel, "The Power Of One", became one of Australia's best selling novels, and the tale was made into a movie in 1992. The novel has also been adapted into a children's version.

(Question by Leith90)

Answer: Josie became school captain

The novel followed Josie's journey of discovering her identity while in her final year of high school. Her family played an important part in her self discovery when her father returned to her life after a 16 year absence and her Nonna revealed that she had a lover that was in fact Josie's maternal grandfather. One of her friends and the boy she had a crush on committed suicide during the novel which proved a difficult event for Josie to deal with. The story also explored Josie experiencing love for the first time and the relationship that she had with her mother.

In 2000 a movie version of the novel was released, for which Marchetta wrote the screen play and Australian actress Pia Miranda starred as Josie.

(Question by emmco)

Answer: Fetish

Drawing on her own Canadian/Australian dual citizenship and international modelling experience, Tara Moss writes about a Canadian model who goes to visit her friend in Australia on a working holiday. When she gets there, the friend is missing and later found dead. This is the first book of the series of the "Stiletto Murders".

(Question by thefisho)

Answer: For The Term Of His Natural Life

Marcus Clarke turns actual historical events of penal colonies in Australia, mostly in Port Arthur, Tasmania, into an acclaimed work of fiction, first published in 1874. The main character has been falsely accused of murder in England and the punishment was to be sent to prison in Australia "...for the term of his natural life". The book gives some idea of the harsh lives the convicts endured in penal colonies, with some of the incidents based on actual events.

(Question by Parra_Chick)

Answer: Power Without Glory

Frank Hardy's best known work explores criminal activity, particularly political corruption and gambling in Melbourne in the early 20th century. Many of his characters are loosely based on leading political or criminal figures of the era. The suburb of "Carringbush" was based on Collingwood and Abbotsford, where a number of buildings (eg a library and a hotel) are named after Hardy's fictitious suburb. In the 70s, the novel was made into an award-winning TV mini-series.

"The Power And The Glory" is a novel by English author Graham Greene; the other two are song titles.

(Question by McTavish99)