Now... it's time for... How Much Do You Know About Australia!

[morgieb]

How much do you know about Australia?

Very easy
1. Who is the current Prime Minister? Julia Gillard
2. What is the formal title of the Queen's representative in Australia? Governor General
3. What is Australia's oldest continually inhabited city? Sydney
4. What two animals are on the Australian Coat of Arms? Emu, kangaroo

Easy
5. Sir Robert Menzies was Australia's longest serving Prime Minister, who is next on that list? John Howard
6. What is the name of Australia's capital city? Canberra
7. Who is the current Federal Opposition Leader? Tony Abbott
8. Australia is made of how many states and how many territories? 6 & 2

Mildly tricky
9. In what year did European settlement begin in Australia? 1788
10. If I said GABBA, WACCA and Subiaco - what would I be talking about? Sports grounds
11. What is Australia's longest river? Murray
12. Approximately what proportion of Australia's population reside in an area that is defined as 'urban' (I'll give points for 8% either side of the correct answer)? 90%

Tricky
13. In what year was the Commonwealth of Australia formed? 1901
14. Who was the first sitting Australian/British Monarch to visit Australia? Queen Victoria?
15 What year did this occur?
16. Who is the coach of the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team? Mal Meninga

Very tricky
17. What was the name of the event that is believed to have created the Labor movement in Australia?
18. In Question 4, I asked what two animals are on the Coat of Arms... there is a very specific reason for these animals being chosen, what is it?
19. Name the Prime Minister who disappeared off Cheviot Beach in December 1967? Harold Holt
20. What other country could join the Commonwealth of Australia if they passed a national referendum to do so... with very little Australia could do to stop it? New Zealand

Downright mean...
21. There has only been one serious attempt on the life of a Federal politician, who?
22. Who was leader of the Federal Labor Party from December 1977 to February 1983? Bill Hayden
23. Name the large irrigation program that was built in North-West Western Australia?
24. Name the seminal Australian novel, written in the early 1870s about life in a penal colony in Tasmania?

[morgieb]

I'll feel very disappointed if I get less than anyone not named Hugh tbh.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Afleitch - 50 b'gillion
Solopop - 17
Oakvale - 7
morgieb - 17

Answers will be unveiled shortly...

[morgieb]

Afleitch - 50 b'gillion
Solopop - 17
Oakvale - 7
morgieb - 17

Answers will be unveiled shortly...

Eh?

At least I beat every non-Aussie, so that's good.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Answer time, answer time!!

Very easy
1. Who is the current Prime Minister? - Julia Gillard
2. What is the formal title of the Queen's representative in Australia?- Technically it's His/Her Excellency the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.. but Governor General is perfectly fine.
3. What is Australia's oldest continually inhabited city? Sydney
4. What two animals are on the Australian Coat of Arms? Kangaroo and Emu

Easy
5. Sir Robert Menzies was Australia's longest serving Prime Minister, who is next on that list? John Howard
6. What is the name of Australia's capital city? Canberra
7. Who is the current Federal Opposition Leader? Tony Abbott
8. Australia is made of how many states and how many territories? 6 states and 2 territories

Mildly tricky
9. In what year did European settlement begin in Australia? 1788
10. If I said GABBA, WACCA and Subiaco - what would I be talking about? Sports stadiums
11. What is Australia's longest river? Murray River or Murray-Darling system
12. Approximately what proportion of Australia's population reside in an area that is defined as 'urban' (I'll give points for 8% either side of the correct answer)? 89% - which meant anyone with a answer within the range of 81% to 97% got a point

Tricky
13. In what year was the Commonwealth of Australia formed? 1901
14. Who was the first sitting Australian/British Monarch to visit Australia? Elizabeth II
15 What year did this occur? 1954
16. Who is the coach of the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team? Mal Meninga

Very tricky
17. What was the name of the event that is believed to have created the Labor movement in Australia? Hugh is correct that there is two correct answers for this - The Eureka Stockade or the Shearer's Strike
18. In Question 4, I asked what two animals are on the Coat of Arms... there is a very specific reason for these animals being chosen, what is it? They are the only Australian natives that cannot walk backwards.
19. Name the Prime Minister who disappeared off Cheviot Beach in December 1967? Harold Holt
20. What other country could join the Commonwealth of Australia if they passed a national referendum to do so... with very little Australia could do to stop it? New Zealand

Downright mean...
21. There has only been one serious attempt on the life of a Federal politician, who? Arthur Calwell, Leader of the Opposition
22. Who was leader of the Federal Labor Party from December 1977 to February 1983? Bill Hayden
23. Name the large irrigation program that was built in North-West Western Australia? The Ord River Scheme
24. Name the seminal Australian novel, written in the early 1870s about life in a penal colony in Tasmania? For the Term of His Natural Life

So, naturally, our top scorers were Australians...
Hugh - 21/24
Solopop and morgieb- 17/24...

But our top non-Australian scorer was... Velasco with 14/24.

[Platypus]

Bloody Calwell.

[Velasco]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

Yes, you got Q23 correct... but you would have had 15/24... but you hedged your bets on Q20... you put both PNG and NZ... but while you did put the correct answer, you didn't indicate which one of the two you thought was correct.

I'll write up a new one and see how you go with that one

[Platypus]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

Yes, you got Q23 correct... but you would have had 15/24... but you hedged your bets on Q20... you put both PNG and NZ... but while you did put the correct answer, you didn't indicate which one of the two you thought was correct.

I'll write up a new one and see how you go with that one

I'm happy to write a few questions too (ie, I'm happy to attempt to remove the dirty Sydneysider bias)

[morgieb]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

Yes, you got Q23 correct... but you would have had 15/24... but you hedged your bets on Q20... you put both PNG and NZ... but while you did put the correct answer, you didn't indicate which one of the two you thought was correct.

I'll write up a new one and see how you go with that one

I'm happy to write a few questions too (ie, I'm happy to attempt to remove the dirty Sydneysider bias)

Worst person.

Besides, Polnut doesn't even live in Sydney.

[Platypus]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

Yes, you got Q23 correct... but you would have had 15/24... but you hedged your bets on Q20... you put both PNG and NZ... but while you did put the correct answer, you didn't indicate which one of the two you thought was correct.

I'll write up a new one and see how you go with that one

I'm happy to write a few questions too (ie, I'm happy to attempt to remove the dirty Sydneysider bias)

Worst person.

Besides, Polnut doesn't even live in Sydney.

When I lived in Canberra, I was still a Melburnian, just as he will never be able to cleanse himself of being from NSW.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I'm the actual winner of this contest. You, Aussies, are playing with advantage. That's not fair

Seriously I'm a bit ashamed because I forgot that Harold Holt was the PM who dissapeared in 1967. Did you scored me response 23 as correct? I was the only who was somewhere near.

Yes, you got Q23 correct... but you would have had 15/24... but you hedged your bets on Q20... you put both PNG and NZ... but while you did put the correct answer, you didn't indicate which one of the two you thought was correct.

I'll write up a new one and see how you go with that one

I'm happy to write a few questions too (ie, I'm happy to attempt to remove the dirty Sydneysider bias)

Worst person.

Besides, Polnut doesn't even live in Sydney.

When I lived in Canberra, I was still a Melburnian, just as he will never be able to cleanse himself of being from NSW.

I'm happy and proud to be from one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities on Earth... as opposed to the city that keeps needing to tell itself how smart and clever it is... but that's by-the-by.

[Smid]

I have a suggested question:

Who was the PM who served the shortest time in that role?
How long did he serve? and
Many years later, in what role did his daughter-in-law serve in government administration?

Perhaps also something along the lines of:
Who was the only PM to have been born outside the British Commonwealth?
Prime Ministers have represented seats in every state except for one. Which state is this?
Two Prime Ministers have held that post while not being a Member of the House of Representatives. One was the first PM, who headed a caretaker government prior to the first election. Who was the other?
Who was Menzies reported as calling "magnificent"?