Northern Territory Trivia

1. The city of Darwin occupies a key strategic location in Australia. Where is it situated?

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: On the northern coastline approximately halfway across Australia

Darwin is situated on a harbour in what is now the middle of the Australian northern coastline. It has been occupied for thousands of years by the Larrakia people who are the traditional owners of the land. The Larrakia people, unlike other indigenous nations on mainland Terra Australis, were avid traders with peoples from nearby countries. The Dutch had explored the northern part of the continent extensively as evidenced by the place names in the region such as Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt. However, there appears to be no record that the Dutch ever landed anywhere near what would become known as Darwin. Perth, Western Australia's capital is located on the western coast in the south. Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is located on the southern coast near the Gulf of St Vincent. Cairns, Queensland's fourth largest city is located on the north-eastern coastline on Trinity Inlet, adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Parap

A palindrome is a word or phrase spelled the same both backwards and forwards. Glenelg and Parap are both palindromes, but Glenelg is in South Australia not Darwin.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: Uluru

Uluru is the name given to Ayers Rock in most of the rest of Australia.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Casuarina Square

Casuarina Plaza is a small complex across the road from Casuarina Square. Hibiscus is a shopping centre in Leanyer, and there is no Orchid shopping centre in Darwin.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Melville Island

Melville Island is located off the North-West coast of the Northern Territory It is also the largest island in Australia (excluding Tasmania). Bathurst Island and Groote Eylandt are smaller islands and Kangaroo Island is located off the coast of South Australia.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: Ernest Giles

Although the first to actually see Ayers Rock, Ernest Giles was prevented from reaching it by the salt expanse of Lake Amadeus to the north. William Gosse was the first European to visit Uluru.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Science

Charles Darwin was the man who came up with the theory of natural selection, which is part of the theory of evolution.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: a lizard

The perentie lives in the desert and is traditional Aboriginal bush tucker.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: 465 km

The closest McDonalds is in Alice Springs. 22 km to Yulara then another 443 km to Alice Springs.

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: Roughly the top third of the Northern Territory

The Top End of Australia is vaguely defined but it essentially covers the northern part of the Northern Territory that is surrounded on three sides by ocean from Darwin in the west to the Gulf of Carpenteria in the east. It is at this north /south divide that the climate changes from tropical to the semi-arid desert like conditions seen in the interior known as the Red Centre.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: February 1942

Darwin was bombed twice on 19 February 1942 and over the next 21 months bombed a further 44 times.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: The Olgas

Known as 'Kata Tjuta' to the traditional custodians.

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: The Build-Up

Darwinians divide the year into three periods; "the dry" which lasts from May to September-ish, "the build up" from September when the humidity first begins to be noticed, to when the rains falls heavily in December, which is the start of "the wet season" which lasts until April. The indigenous Jawoyn people, who reside next to the Larrakia people south-east of Darwin recognise six seasons: The wet season in January and February called Jiorkk. The end of the wet season in March/April called Bungarung. Jundalk is the hot part of the dry season until May. Malaparr is the middle part of the dry that is cooler in June to August The humid period between September and October is called Worrwopmi. Wakaringding is the first part of the wet season in November and December. While the winter months are lovely, the minimum rarely dropping below 15C/60F, the summer temperatures seldom exceed 35C with Darwin having the lowest highest temperature (40.4C) of all the capital cities in Australia. The build-up, though, is uncomfortable with high humidity without the relief of subsequent rainfall to cool the city down.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Cyclone Tracy

During the cyclone, wind speeds were so fast that they were off the scale of the measuring instruments.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Alice Todd

Alice Todd was the wife of the man in charge of installing the Overland Telegraph Line, Charles Todd.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: 1150

Although 1,150 is the number of people who permanently reside in Yulara, 1.5 million refers to the average number of standard drinks they consume in a normal calendar year.

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: In 1942 the Japanese used planes to bomb Darwin during WWII

On 19th February 1942, the same Japanese Air fleet that bombed Pearl Harbor bombed Darwin extensively. 243 people were killed and the town essentially was destroyed. At the time, Darwin was a strategic placement of troops and supplies necessary to fight the war in Southeast Asia. Twenty military aircraft and eight ships in the harbour were destroyed as were most civil and military buildings. There was some forewarning that this was going to occur. Most women and children had been evacuated in December 1941 and January 1942. There were several more air raids of Darwin but not as severe, the last one occurring in November 1943. It was thought at the time that Japan was going to invade Australia. Today it is believed that the Japanese planned to destroy Australia's and the Allied Forces' air and sea defences in gain control of the Southeast Asia countries that would be able to supply Japan with much-needed resources.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Sturts Desert Rose

All of these can be found in the Northern Territory but it is the rose, a mauve five petalled flower that is the emblem.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: Place of the howling dingo

The Dingo is a native dog introduced ca. 5000 years ago.

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: A cyclone destroyed the city

Cyclone Tracy wiped out most of Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974. Seventy-one people were killed. Most of the 45000 people in the city were air-lifted to other major cities. It was the biggest airlift in Australian history and unlikely ever to be repeated. A song, "Santa Never Made It To Darwin" (1975) was an Australia-wide hit that raised funds for the victims. The town was rebuilt with much tougher building standards which will never be able to withstand the ferocity of another cyclone as strong as Tracy (a category five cyclone - the highest) but lives and property should be saved. A new city, Palmerston (ironic, don't you think) was built as a planned satellite city 20 km south to assist in the post-Tracy rebuild of Darwin. Palmerston is the second biggest city in NT (there are only three) and once held the title of the fastest growing city in Australia.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Northern Territory

Darwin is the biggest city in 'The Territory'.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Palmerston

Palmerston (as Port Darwin was known) became an important administrative centre but on 1 January 1911 control of the territory was passed from South Australia to the Commonwealth and Palmerston became Darwin.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: Anangu

Anangu means simply 'people'. 'Kalaya' refers to {emu;} Tilpi means old (wise) man. Kutchi Kutchi is a made up name.

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: Waratah National Park

Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk are all large national parks (Kakadu is half the size of Switzerland) but none of them are less than 100 km from Darwin. Each contributes heavily to the tourism dollar of the NT with most visitors reaching the parks via a Darwin entry point. Waratah National Park is a fictional national park in New South Wales (the waratah being the state floral emblem) that featured in the 'Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo' television series (1968-1970).

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Henley-on-Todd Regatta

The reason for its fame is because it is a dry river bed and the boats are 'rowed' with participants running the course. The Masters Games are held every two years, the Arafura Games are held in the top end, and the Camp Draft and Rodeo are held in Borroloola.

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: Mutitjulu

From Quiz Darwin: A Tropical City in Australia's Top End

Answer: The Ghan

The arrival of the Ghan in 2004 bought tourism and trade to Darwin. The construction of the railway from Adelaide to Darwin was considered the second biggest engineering feat in Australia behind the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The Ghan is actually a contraction of the Afghan Express, which in turn is named after the Afghani camel-handlers who accompanied the camels that were used in the Burke and Wills' trek to Northern Australia. (Australia now has the world's largest population of wild camels - all are descendants of the 1860 expedition). The route the train follows is roughly parallel to the route that Burke and Wills took, Burke and Wills leaving from Melbourne 600 km to the east. The rail line essentially runs alongside the Stuart Highway which runs the 3000 km from Adelaide to Darwin, with Alice Springs being almost exactly halfway between the two. The Indian Pacific Train runs between Sydney on the Pacific Ocean to Perth on the Indian Ocean. The Overland connects Adelaide to Melbourne. The Sunlander runs from Brisbane to Cairns.

From Quiz Basic Facts About Darwin

Answer: Charles Darwin National Park

The are great views of the city and harbour from the park. Kakadu NP is more than 200 km to the east, Litchfield NP is about 100 km to the south, and Wollemi NP is in New South Wales.

From Quiz Central Australia

Answer: Wedge-tailed eagle

From Quiz Ayers Rock and Yulara

Answer: ants

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Last Updated May 24 2025 5:47 AM

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