What Do I Do on Australian Television? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'Outback Truckers' tells the stories of truck drivers in the more rugged and lonely parts of Australia. Their deadlines are tight, the roads are awful, the trips are mind-bogglingly long and the isolation is oppressive, but it has to be done. The trucks are huge but what are they called?

Answer: Road trains

Several episodes of the show were made and they profile the drivers, the trucks, the loads, the roads and even the scenery. The journeys are long, and the work is hard.

Various combinations are allowed under state laws, with three trailers being the more common, although four-trailer road trains are also not unusual. They can weigh well over 100 tonnes and the speed limit for these monsters is 100kph.

A pantechnicon is an enclosed truck, like a furniture van, 'triple trailer' is the American term and the other answer is just made up.

2. John Wood played a magistrate in a Sydney suburban court in the 1980s and 90s. What was the name of the series?

Answer: Rafferty's Rules

A very popular actor, Wood received two Logie Awards for playing Michael Rafferty in 'Rafferty's Rules'. His courtroom was located in Manly, on Sydney's northern beaches. After the show finished, he joined the cast of one of Australia's best-loved cop show, 'Blue Heelers', staying there for the full 13-year run. He also had a few guest spots n the soapie, 'Neighbours'.

'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' is a Beatles song.

The photo is a giant gavel outside the Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus.

3. 'Wentworth' is a continuation of a long-running series that concluded in 1986. What occupation did several of the stars of both series have?

Answer: Prison warders

'Wentworth' was a rebadging of the classic series 'Prisoner', with many of the original characters returning (although with different actors). It is the story of the tough life within the walls of Wentworth Detention Centre, a women's prison in Melbourne.

A 'screw' is a slang term for a prison guard in Australian gaols.

4. This is a police car, and would obviously be used in a police show. In which of these television series would it be unlikely that you would see a vehicle like this on a regular basis?

Answer: Hot Property

'East West 101' was a shortlived series about crime and race relationships in Sydney's western suburbs. 'Bluey' was a rough-and-tumble cop and a bit of a loose cannon, and 'Kalgoorlie Cops' is a documentary series set in the gold-mining city of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

'Hot Property' is not a show about stolen goods- it is about buying and selling real estate!

5. A favourite of mine when I was a kid was 'Skippy the Bush Kangaroo', who was probably the planet's smartest marsupial. He lived in Waratah National Park, with his extended human family. The pilot of the helicopter was Jerry King, but which actor played Jerry?

Answer: Tony Bonner

Garry Pankhurst played Sonny Hammond, Skippy's best friend and evidently the only kid that can speak fluent kangarooish, and Clancy was a teenage girl who lived with the Hammonds. Paul Hogan was not in the show.

The helicopter used was a Bell Model 47, the same make of aircraft that featured in 'M*A*S*H'. (Thanks to FunTrivia player deputygary for that snippet!).

6. The slouch hat is synonymous with Australian soldiers. 'ANZACS' was a hard-hitting miniseries produced in 1985, and told the tale of a group of young soldiers in WWI. Many lost their lives on the beaches of Gallipoli, which is in which country?

Answer: Turkey

The attack on the beaches at Gallipoli in 1915 was a shambles, and many of the Australian, French and British soldiers died before they even got to land. Those that survived were under constant attack from the Turks, defending a thin strip of land for eight long months.

The miniseries started with Gallipoli, and continued through other famous battles, including the Somme, Ypres, Pozieres, Amiens and Nieppe Forest.

7. One of the longest running shows in Australian television history, 'Blue Heelers' ran for 13 years and 510 episodes. Julie Nihill played Chris Riley, the publican of the hotel in Mt Thomas. What was the name of her pub?

Answer: Imperial

The Imperial also provided accommodation for several of the officers when they arrived in town, and after the police station, was where much of the action took place. Nihill was only one of two actors that appeared in every episode, the other being John Wood who played Sergeant Tom Croydon (the boss).

The Rover's Return is in the English soap, 'Coronation Street' and The Cutter Bar is the watering hole of the cops in 'Water Rats'. The Chevron was a real hotel, located in Potts Point, and was home to many major concerts and celebrity guests. Some of the clientele included The Rolling Stones, Englebert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra. US servicemen on R & R from the Vietnam War also used it as a base.

8. 'Kath and Kim' was a hilarious Australian sitcom, debuting in 2002. Kath Day-Knight and her daughter Kim are the stars, but Kath's husband Kel manages to steal a few scenes, too. What does Kel do for a job?

Answer: Purveyor of fine meats

Kel is really just a butcher, but he is a very good one! His shop in Fountain Gate Shopping Centre does a good trade, as Kel considers himself as a bit of a ladies' man.

The show has introduced a few phrases to the Aussie vernacular, 'Look at moy, Kimmie!', 'It's noice, different, it's unusual', and it probably boosted the sales of chardy, (chardonnay), immensely.

The stars were also the writers, with Jane Turner and Gina Riley being two of the best comediennes in the country. Magda Szubanski, Peter Rowsthorn and Glenn Robbins are also mainstays on the comedy circuit.

9. In 2011, a show about court prosecutors hit the airwaves on the ABC channel. It follows a group of newly-graduated lawyers, working in the court system in New South Wales. What was the name of the series?

Answer: Crownies

'Crownies' are Crown Prosecutors, responsible for representing the law in criminal cases. The show was mainly filmed in Parramatta, in western Sydney, and only 22 episodes were made.

'The Block' is a lifestyle show about home renovations, 'Insiders' is a political talk-show, and 'Who Do You Think You Are?' looks at celebrities tracing their family trees.

10. 'The Dismissal' was a miniseries about a unique incident in Australian history. Which specific occupation was the majority of the major players involved in?

Answer: Politics

1975 was a big year in Australian politics, with the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, being sacked, the first time that the Governor-General had used his vice-regal powers for more than the usual ceremonial duties.

The picture is of the opening of the 'new' Parliament House in 1927. It is now known as the 'old' Parliament House. The new 'new' Parliament House opened in 1988.

Source: Author ozzz2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Can you identify the professions from the pictures? Most of the questions relate to Australia television over the years.

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