Special Sub-Topic: The Suburbs of Sydney, Pt I Click Here To Play: The Suburbs of Sydney, Pt I

Like most large cities, Sydney has some weird and wonderful suburb names. Which of the following groups of suburbs are NOT in Sydney?

Indooropilly, Inala, Woolloongabba. The incorrect suburbs are all in Brisbane. Woolloomooloo is just east of the CBD (Central Business District), The Spit Bridge joins the North Shore region to the Northern Beaches, and Maroota is a semi-rural area near Wiseman's Ferry, in the far north of the city sprawl. Freeman's Reach is just north of Windsor, and is often cut off from the rest of Sydney by flooding on the Nepean River. Lilli Pilli (named after a native plant), is on Port Hacking south of town. Dharruk was named after the local Aboriginal tribe, the Darug, and is in the Western Suburbs 'mortgage belt'. Cobbity is south of Penrith, near the banks of the Nepean River and is known for its small winery, Yarramundi is north of Penrith, and Bobbin Head is in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, and was where the 1960s TV series "Skippy" was filmed.

Which of these is a beachside suburb of Sydney?

Curl Curl. Curl Curl (aka 'Curly') is located in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, and is not very far from Manly, one of our best known surf beaches. The other three suburbs mentioned are all a considerable distance from the ocean. Raby and Bow Bowing are near Campbelltown in the south-western suburbs, and the semi-rural Pitt Town Bottoms is in the north-west.

Sydney is the national capital of Australia.

F. Whilst Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and capital of the state of New South Wales, it is not the capital of Australia- Canberra is. Prior to 1927, Melbourne was the interim capital after Federation in 1901.

I have decided to take a short holiday away from Sydney for the weekend, and am travelling north on the F3 freeway. Which regional city am I heading to?

Newcastle. The F3 heads north from Sydney, and is part of the Pacific Highway. Newcastle is the second largest city in New South Wales, and is about two hours drive north of Sydney. If I stayed on this road for about 12 hours, I would end up in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. The F6 heads south, through Wollongong, and would eventually end up in Melbourne, but the preferred route to the Victorian capital would be Highway 31, the Hume Highway, which is also the best way to get to Canberra. The M4 goes due west through Penrith, where it joins with the Great Western Highway. I might need another driver if I wanted to get to Adelaide or Perth- they are both many hundreds of kilometres away.

Sydney has an extensive rail network, with about 200 stations. Which stations are closest to the southern and northern ends of the Sydney Harbour Bridge?

Wynyard and Milsons Point. Wynyard is part of the City Circle, a loop that goes under the city and consists of six stations, and Milsons Point is the first stop north of the harbour. Just a short walk from there is another Sydney icon, Luna Park.

There is an island in Sydney Harbour that goes by the informal name of Pinchgut. What is its official name?

Fort Denison. Fort Denison started life as a maximum security prison during the days of settlement in Sydney, and was fortified during the Crimean War, to withstand a Russian invasion that never happened. It is now a part of the Harbour National Park and houses a museum, a café and various navigational equipment. It is about 600 metres north-east of the Opera House. Garden Island is no longer an island- it was joined to Potts Point just after WWII, and is now part of a large Australian Navy base. Goat Island is the largest island in the harbour, and is just west of the Harbour Bridge. Tasmania is nowhere near Sydney, but is in fact our smallest state, some 1500 kilometres south of the Harbour.

Three of these 'overseas country' suburb names are real, but one is a figment of my imagination. Which one?

China Grove. Frenchs Forest has no connection to France, but was named after the settler John Ffrench, who had a farm there in the 1860s. Scotland Island is about 30 kms north of the Sydney CBD, and is only accessible by boat. It was named by an early resident, Andrew Thompson, after his homeland. Canada Bay is a harbourside suburb, about 10 kms west of the city, and was named after the Canadians who were deported to there in 1837 for taking part in an attempted rebellion in Quebec. 'China Grove' is the name of a song released by the Doobie Brothers in 1973.

What do these suburbs have in common? Randwick, Rosehill, Hawkesbury, Warwick Farm and Canterbury.

All have a horse racing track. Royal Randwick hosts major races such as the Sydney Cup, The Derby and The Doncaster, whilst Rosehill Gardens boasts the Golden Slipper, the Guineas and the Tancred Stakes. Canterbury and Warwick Farm are smaller, and Hawkesbury only hosts a handful of meetings each year.

When the First Fleet arrived in Sydney in 1788, they stepped ashore at this spot, now a mecca for tourists and locals alike.

The Rocks. The Rocks should be the first stop on any tour of Sydney, and the area is loaded with history. There are small museums everywhere, the Harbour Bridge is overhead, many harbour cruise lines are based there (there is NOTHING like a Christmas party on a harbour cruise ship!), and the pubs are always packed. Art galleries, street markets, buskers, and all within ten minutes walk to the centre of the city!

Which direction would you travel to get from Sydney CBD (Central Business District) to Eastern Creek International Raceway?

West. Eastern Creek runs northwards from Hoxton Park, in the west of Sydney, and eventually meets up with the Hawkesbury River. The Raceway was opened in 1990 and Australia's first 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix was held the following year. The track now accommodates many different types of motor sport, ranging from touring cars to dragsters.