Special Sub-Topic: Aussie Trivial Allsorts Authored by: cricky Sub-topic of: Australia

Which Gold Coast singer faked her own kidnapping in 1989?

Fairley Arrow. Intended as a publicity stunt, she achieved approximately 15 minutes of fame and hasn't been heard of since.

Which of these NSW country towns is the furthest north?

Lismore. Named after a Scottish island, Lismore started to develop as a town in the 1870s although the area had been inhabited by the Bundjalung people for thousands of years.

Which of these notes is most common in Australian circulation

$50. According to the Reserve Bank, there are 294 million $50s in circulation or 38% of all Australian notes.

Arthur Stace achieved fame for himself by writing one word repeatedly on the footpaths of Sydney. What word was it?

Eternity. It's estimated that between 1930 and Stace's death in 1967, he wrote the word "eternity" in his elegant copperplate around half a million times.

Which of these Australian cricketers does NOT have the middle name Keith?

Doug Walters. Dougie's middle name is ... Douglas. His first name is actually Kevin.

When it was bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 1973, 'Blue Poles' by Jackson Pollock was the most expensive painting ever bought in Australia. How much did it cost at the time?

A$1.3 million. Although it was a controversial purchase at the time, its value has escalated since and it is one of the most popular works in the gallery.

Which former Australian soapie star had a number one hit in 2001 with the song "Can't Get You Outta My Head"?

Kylie Minogue. Kylie was in "Neighbours" from 1986 to 1988. Imbruglia and Valance also used Neighbours as a platform for a singing career while Monk came to fame from the reality soap "Popstars".

Which jockey rode Media Puzzle to victory in the 2002 Melbourne Cup?

Damien Oliver. The win was an emotional one for Damien as his brother Jason died in a race fall the week before.

On a side roof of the NSW State Library is a statue of a cat called Trim. Trim was the companion of which explorer?

Matthew Flinders. Trim travelled extensively with Flinders, including his circumnavigation of Australia. He disappeared in suspicious circumstances in 1803 while Flinders was being held captive by the French.

Following the death of John Gorton in 2002, who became the oldest living former Prime Minister of Australia?

Gough Whitlam. Whitlam was born in 1916, Hawke in 1929, Fraser in 1930 and Keating in 1944.