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Quiz about Alphabetical Australian Place Name Origins
Quiz about Alphabetical Australian Place Name Origins

Alphabetical Australian Place Name Origins Quiz


Australia is a relatively young country (by European standards). Following is an A-Z selection of Australian place names. What are their origins?

A multiple-choice quiz by barrywlj. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
barrywlj
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
312,986
Updated
Jul 28 22
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
18 / 25
Plays
934
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
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Question 1 of 25
1. What does the name 'Australia' roughly translate as? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. From what does Brisbane derive its name? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. What was Canberra named for? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Darwin in the north gets its name from Charles Darwin, the scientist.


Question 5 of 25
5. From what source did the Endeavour River get its name? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. From where does the Franklin River get its name? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. The town of Goondiwindi derives its name from the Aboriginal language. What does it mean? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. For whom is the city of Hobart named? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. Mt Isa derives its name from where? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. Captain James Cook named Port Jackson after Sir George Jackson. Who was he? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. The small town of Katoomba is named after an Aboriginal word. What does it mean?
Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. Where does Launceston gets its name from? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. You have all heard of Melbourne, haven't you? For whom is it named? Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. After what is Newcastle named? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. A strangely-named township called Oodnadatta derives its name from what? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. The town of Proserpine gets its name from whom? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. The town of Queanbeyan gets its name from what? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. How did Rottnest Island get its name? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Captain Arthur Philip named the first settlement in honour of this man. Name him. Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. Taronga Zoo gets its name from what? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. There aren't many easy place names or references in Australia starting with 'U'. Ulladulla is (another) one derived from the Aboriginal language. Meaning? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. You're nearly there! After whom is Victoria named? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. Woomera is named for what? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. No 'x' word, but where does the word 'Yarra' as in Yarra River, come from? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. How did the town of Zeehan get its name? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What does the name 'Australia' roughly translate as?

Answer: South Land

Australia is shown on early navigation maps as 'Terra Australis', being Latin for 'Great South Land'. It is both a country and a continent.
2. From what does Brisbane derive its name?

Answer: An early governor

Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, lies on the Brisbane River. Its site was discovered by John Oxley in 1823. The city and the river are named for Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, who replaced Lachlan Macquarie as New South Wales Governor in 1820.
3. What was Canberra named for?

Answer: An Aboriginal word meaning 'meeting place'

Canberra is, of course, the capital of Australia. This was declared in 1913 after rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney could not be resolved. Walter Burley Griffin was commissioned to design the city, which exists on a site split by the lake that bears his name in the Australian Capital Territory.
4. Darwin in the north gets its name from Charles Darwin, the scientist.

Answer: True

Charles Darwin lends his name to the capital of the Northern Territory. He is remembered for his voyage on the 'Beagle' and his theories on the 'Origin of the Species'.
5. From what source did the Endeavour River get its name?

Answer: A ship

Captain Cook landed on the river in 1770 to repair his ship 'Endeavour', after holing it on the reef. The town of Cooktown stands at the mouth of this river in far North Queensland.
6. From where does the Franklin River get its name?

Answer: Sir John Franklin, a former state governor

The Franklin River is located in Tasmania, and is named after Sir John Franklin, a former governor of that state. Franklin was at the centre of an environmental controversy over whether a dam should be built there, being in a wilderness area.
7. The town of Goondiwindi derives its name from the Aboriginal language. What does it mean?

Answer: resting place of the birds

Goondiwindi is a relatively small but important town on the Queensland/New South Wales border. It lies about 300km west of the coast. The famous racehorse Gunsynd, known as the 'Goonidwindi Grey', was based there.
8. For whom is the city of Hobart named?

Answer: Lord Hobart, Colonial Secretary of the time

Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, is named for Lord Hobart, Colonial Secretary (1801-1804). Originally a penal settlement (the second in Australia), from 1803 it became home to the most hardened convicts from the first settlement in Port Jackson.
9. Mt Isa derives its name from where?

Answer: A Western Australian goldfield

Mt Isa is a mining centre in Western Queensland, where silver, lead, zinc and copper are mined. Mount Ida is a gold-mining centre in Western Australia.
10. Captain James Cook named Port Jackson after Sir George Jackson. Who was he?

Answer: Admiralty Commissioner

Port Jackson is the site of the first Australian settlement in 1788, having been preferred to Botany Bay. It has one of the best natural harbours in the world and the city of Sydney lies on it.
11. The small town of Katoomba is named after an Aboriginal word. What does it mean?

Answer: shining falling water

Katoomba is a town in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. It is best known for tourism, particularly 'The Three Sisters' rock formation.
12. Where does Launceston gets its name from?

Answer: A town in England

Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania (est 1806). Launceston, England is in Cornwall.
13. You have all heard of Melbourne, haven't you? For whom is it named?

Answer: A British Prime Minister

The 2nd Viscount Melbourne (William Lamb) was a British Prime Minister, and Melbourne was named in his honor. Melbourne is situated on the Yarra River and is the capital of Victoria. It is best known for the Melbourne Cup.
14. After what is Newcastle named?

Answer: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Newcastle is a large coal-exporting port about 160 km north of Sydney. It has an excellent harbour and was originally a penal colony for some of the worst convicts.
15. A strangely-named township called Oodnadatta derives its name from what?

Answer: An Aboriginal word meaning 'mulga blossom'

Oodnadatta is a small township north of Adelaide in South Australia. It is reachable by road from opal-mining centre Coober Pedy.
16. The town of Proserpine gets its name from whom?

Answer: the Greek Goddess Persephone

Proserpine is named for the Greek Goddess Persephone, otherwise known as Proserpina. It is a town in central, coastal Queensland in a sugar-growing district. It is known as 'The Gateway to the Whitsundays'(a group of holiday islands).
17. The town of Queanbeyan gets its name from what?

Answer: Aboriginal for 'clear waters'

Queanbeyan is a fast-growing town on the border of the Australian Capital Territory in New South Wales, home of Canberra. The word derives from the Aboriginal word 'Quinbean', which means clear waters.
18. How did Rottnest Island get its name?

Answer: From a Dutch word meaning 'rat's nest'

Rottnest Island is off the coast of Western Australia. The early Dutch explorers noticed the rat-like Quokka living there and named it from the Dutch 'rattenest', meaning 'rat's nest'. Quokkas add to the tourist attractions today.
19. Captain Arthur Philip named the first settlement in honour of this man. Name him.

Answer: English Home Secretary

Home Secretary Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, received the honour(?) of having Australia's first convict settlement named after him in 1788. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is Australia's largest city.
20. Taronga Zoo gets its name from what?

Answer: Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful view'

Taronga Zoo indeed has beautiful views of Sydney Harbour. It can be reached by ferry from Circular Quay and is a must-see tourist attraction.
21. There aren't many easy place names or references in Australia starting with 'U'. Ulladulla is (another) one derived from the Aboriginal language. Meaning?

Answer: safe harbour

The origin is the Aboriginal 'Nulladulla', which means safe harbour. The town itself is a location on the coast of New South Wales.
22. You're nearly there! After whom is Victoria named?

Answer: Queen Victoria of Britain

Victoria is a state in south-east Australia (capital Melbourne). Queen Victoria also graciously allowed another state to be called Queensland.
23. Woomera is named for what?

Answer: An Aboriginal spear-throwing implement

Woomera is an RAAF testing centre in outback South Australia. The name is appropriate, given that the rockets launch from their base in Woomera.
24. No 'x' word, but where does the word 'Yarra' as in Yarra River, come from?

Answer: The Aboriginal 'Yarra Yarra'

The obvious is sometimes the right choice, especially in trivia. The Yarra is the river on which Melbourne lies and the name is actually a mistranslation of the Aboriginal 'Birrarung'.
25. How did the town of Zeehan get its name?

Answer: from the name of a mountain

A round-about naming, Mount Zeehan was named by Bass and Flinders after the ship of Abel Tasman. The town of Zeehan takes its name directly from the name of the mountain nearby.
Source: Author barrywlj

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