Thread: The Australian Quiz - Not for Australians

No slight meant to the good shaving people of the other 140- or so countries but I spent a lot of time in Australia and, excepting certain whingers, I never met a stranger. Australians can be genteel but, in a mostly kind way, they can also be rough on anyone (including each other). Informal yet traditional they have a nickname for everything and everybody. There seem to be an inordinate number of straight razor adherents in Australia so a lot of them show up here. They remind me that, as well as they know the history and culture of the United States, we in the US are poorly acquainted with The Land Down Under. I may be wrong so to find out, here is a quiz for non-Aussies only - simple things that most every Australian knows. I call this quiz:

THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER & AUSTRALIAN CULTURE EXAM (answers a few posts down)

1. When did "Waltzing Matilda" become the national anthem of Australia?
2. What is Matilda and what causes Matilda to waltz?
3. If you look up into a clear night sky from Adelaide in mid-winter, what is one thing are you sure to recognize?
4. What is BHP and what does BHP stand for?
5. Who or what got away from Old Regret?
6. About which person, place or thing is there nothing more lonesome, morbid or drear'?
7. What was the wild colonial boy's name and where was he from?
8. What is the Mundaring Weir and how did it change Australia?
9. Engineering genius C.Y. O'Conner took his life; did it involve a weir or an aboriginal curse?
10. Name the states and territories of Australia and their capital cities.

Bonus Questions -

a. Who was David Kirkpatrick and what was his professional name?
b. What is the map of Tasmania?
c. When The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, from which place had the man returned?
d. What is a kookaburra and how many legs does one have?
e. What is an echidna and would you put one in your pocket?
f. Where is the redback hiding?
g. Which is more toxic - a cane toad or a tiger snake?
h. Why did the tasmanian devil become extinct?
i. Are more Australians injured (not necessarily killed) annually by bites from sharks or tasmanian tigers?

The man from Snowy River - The Man From Snowy River - Reality Or Myth?

https://youtu.be/rW7rgnNqgjE

https://youtu.be/UORKwBTKWqw

https://youtu.be/WG48Ftsr3OI

I don't even need my exam checked. I am certain I got a perfect American score.

Zero

Zero here also

I am going to have a Foster's and watch :<0)

Originally Posted by Utopian

I don't even need my exam checked. I am certain I got a perfect American score.

Zero

Check w/ Jimbo for your penance.

ANSWERS:

1. When did "Waltzing Matilda" become the national anthem of Australia?
Never was, officially.

2. What is Matilda and what causes Matilda to waltz?
A matilda is a travellers gear in a sack; a swaggie (hobo) on the tramp is waltzing

3. If you look up into a clear night sky from Adelaide in mid-winter, what is one thing are you sure to recognize?
The moon; if you really know your stuff you might recognize the southern cross

4. What is BHP and what does BHP stand for?
Immense mining firm; Broken Hill Proprietary

5. Who or what got away from Old Regret?
Te colt (worth 1000-pounds)

6. About which person, place or thing is there nothing more lonesome, morbid or drear'?
A pub with no beer

7. What was the wild colonial boy's name and where was he from?
Bushranger Jack Doolan of Castlemaine

8. What is the Mundaring Weir and how did it change Australia?
With a series pumps bigger and more powerful than believed possible, water was collected in an immense reservoir (weir) and pumped to a mining area where water was only shipped in (about 600km); this capability opened up the modern inland extraction industry in Australia (aroud 1900)

9. Engineering genius C.Y. O'Conner took his life; did it involve a weir or an aboriginal curse?
Both. Aboriginals cursed him, for sure. After years of bitter struggle to build the weir and pumps and a heretofore impossible pipeline, the expected water didn't arrive at the mining town. Lengend has it that, after a couple of days without water appearing, O'Conner broke and killed himself. Legend has it, the water started flowing the next day.

10. Name the states and territories of Australia and their capital cities.
Look it up.

Bonus Questions -

a. Who was David Kirkpatrick and what was his professional name?
Folksinger; Slim Dusty

b. What is the map of Tasmania?
pm me if you really can't figure it out.

c. When The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, from which place had the man returned?
Gallipoli, Turkey

d. What is a kookaburra and how many legs does one have?
It's a bird. Two legs, like all the rest.

e. What is an echidna and would you put one in your pocket?
It's a cute peaceful little hedgehog critter with some porkypine type spikey quills. I wouldn't pocket one.

f. Where is the redback hiding?
A certain poisonous spider known in song to hide under the seat in the dunny (outhouse)

g. Which is more toxic - a cane toad or a tiger snake?
Tiger snake is the bad boy by far.

h. Why did the tasmanian devil become extinct?
Hasn't.

i. Are more Australians injured (not necessarily killed) annually by bites from sharks or tasmanian tigers?
Tasmanian tiger are extinct; sharks are doing fine.

That's not fair Moo, you studied . BTW , I can never visit OZ, their toilet water spins the wrong way, it would confuse me.

Originally Posted by Wirm

That's not fair Moo, you studied . BTW , I can never visit OZ, their toilet water spins the wrong way, it would confuse me.

SInce you're already upside down the backspin isn't noticeable.

I assumed the Tasmanian devils were not extinct, but figured it to be some sort of trick question. I did not realize it was such a simple trick.

My knowledge of Australia comes solely from the following.

1. I have often drank Foster's. Primarily when I have promised myself that I will only have one beer.

2. I have watched Crocodile Dundee 1 and 2 a few times.

3. I have watched The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert many more times.

That's it. That is the entire sum of my Australian education. I figure that it may be a bit lacking.

BTW, just in case you are not familiar with Priscilla...

I had 3.5 answers correct.