Weekly Quiz 14 December 2023 - Australiana

Welcome to your Weekly Quiz 14 December 2023 - Australiana

Two native animals appear on Australia’s Coat of Arms. These two were chosen from among the many weird and wonderful species of the continent because they cannot walk backwards, and thus symbolise forward-progress. The animals in question are an emu on the right side, and which other Aussie icon on the left?

Australia’s most famous international tourism campaign was a series of television ads in which actor Paul Hogan invited the world to “Come and say G’day” and (more memorably) offered to “slip an extra shrimp on the barbie”. The ads became even more popular when, two years into the campaign, Hogan starred in which 1986 movie that leaned heavily into national stereotypes?

April 25th is a public holiday in Australia, honouring the wartime efforts and sacrifices of Australian and New Zealand soldiers (ANZACs) throughout history. The date commemorates the Anzac landing at Gallipoli in 1915, which was Australia’s first significant military contribution. In which country is the Gallipoli peninsula (now locally known as Gelibolu)?

One of the most recognisable icons of Australia is a large red sandstone formation found at almost the very centre of the country. European explorers in 1873 named the landmark Ayers Rock, but in recent decades it has been more commonly called by its original five-letter indigenous name – what is that name, given to the rock by the Pitjantjatjara people long before the arrival of Europeans on the continent?

A certain movie released in 1999 broke new ground in cinematography and CGI. Warner Brothers has stated that this film likely never would have made it through production due to high costs, if not for the sibling filmmakers managing to shave one-third off their budget by choosing to film in Australia instead of in the USA. Whilst the movie itself has an unnamed setting, Sydney locals can easily spot many familiar sights in the outdoor scenes. What is the name of this movie that has now grossed over US$466.6m?

In recent years, the (now-former) State Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk spearheaded a bid for Australia to host the Olympic Games once again. It was formally announced in Tokyo in 2021 that the bid was successful, and as a result the city of Brisbane is preparing to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic games in what year?

Whilst Ms Palaszczuk claimed that the Olympics would “Put Brisbane on the world stage”, it seems the world is already falling in love with Brisbane thanks to the cartoon ‘Bluey’, which centres on a playful blue heeler puppy. Millions around the world now know the name Bluey Heeler, but only true fans know she gets her middle name from her Nana, who was in turn named for creator Joe Brumm’s mother (who voices Nana). What is Bluey’s middle name?

Australia had an international sports team decades before it had a parliament! Known by the names of Johnny Mullagh, Bullocky, Sundown, Dick-a-Dick, Johnny Cuzens, King Cole, Red Cap, Twopenny, Charley Dumas, Jimmy Mosquito, Tiger, Peter, and Jim Crow, a group of talented Aboriginal men toured England for six months in 1868, successfully holding their own in social matches against local teams. Which sport did these men play?

Australian-born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson is affectionally known by some of her countrymen as “Our Mary”. After an encounter with a prince in an unassuming Sydney pub during 2000, Mary started a long-distance relationship, and in 2004 married into royalty. She is now best known around the world as Mary, Crown Princess of which nation?

10.

Many well-known innovations originated in Australia, with the country being responsible for the invention of such things as electric drills, black box flight recorders, cochlear implants, pacemakers, and even Wi-Fi. Which product in Google’s suite of applications was also famously created in Australia in 2004 and 2005 by Noel Gordon, Stephen Ma, and brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen?