Mixed Sites in Oceania Trivia

1. What was the name of the English-born architect who was transported to Australia as a convict for the crime of forgery in 1814?

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Francis Greenway

Francis Howard Greenway was born in Bristol, England in 1777 and died in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1837. He was sentenced to 14 years transportation to Australia for the crime of forgery. Because of his skills, rather than being used for labouring jobs as was the case for most transported convicts, he worked for the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, as Australia's first government architect. Greenway is commemorated on the Australian $10 note, and is thought to be the only convicted forger in the world so honoured.

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: Launceston

Built in 1845 and once used as a private school, Franklin House is located in Franklin Village, Launceston.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: The Banks Peninsula Track

You can book this walk from the Akaroa Visitor Centre and is not available to the public in any other way. Wonderful scenery and good accommodation with baths under the stars. On cloudless nights the Southern Cross is easily seen - but it is not a name for a walkway. Mount Difficulty is actually in Otago and more known for its wine. Puff 'n' Puff is just made up

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

The Royal Exhibition Building with its surrounding Carlton Gardens was designated a World Heritage Site because of its "historical, architectural, aesthetic, social and scientific (botanical) significance". It was created by Joseph Reed and completed in 1880. It was once the tallest building in Melbourne, with the central dome influenced by the design of Florence Cathedral in Italy. The citizens of Melbourne wanted to make their city more prominent in the world, so they hosted two World Fairs there. The first of these in 1880 attracted more than 1.3 million people during an eight month period, and the second in 1888 attracted even more. The building today is one of the oldest remaining exhibition halls in the world. The Royal Exhibition Building is surrounded by the beautiful Carlton Gardens, designed during the Victorian period. It features many exquisite European trees, including oak, elm, cedar and poplar. The wildlife couldn't be more different to an English country garden however, as it is a natural habitat for Australian animals such as possums and kookaburras, just to name a few. And of course, the odd bunyip or two.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: Mt Herbert

Mt Herbert (Te Ahu Patiki) 919m is the highest point on Banks Peninsula and affords stunning views of the Canterbury Plain, Southern Alps (including Mt Cook/Aoraki) and the Pacific Ocean. Mt Ruapehu is in the North Island, French Hill is on the peninsula but nowhere near Orton Bradly Park and Mt Wilson is probably somewhere - but not on Banks Peninsula.

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Granite

There are two 89-metre-high (292 feet) concrete pylons at each end of the bridge's arch. They are faced with granite and were designed by the Scottish architect Thomas Tait.

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: The history of Latrobe and the surrounding areas

The Latrobe Court House Museum was built in 1882. Here, you can learn all about the history of Latrobe and the surrounding areas through colourful displays and large photographic collections.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Kakadu

Kakadu is enormous at almost 8,000 square miles or 20,000 square kilometres. Comparatively speaking, it's half the size of Switzerland. Included in its boundaries are four river systems, major landforms, and (for which it is most famous) an astounding variety of beautiful wild life. Some of these include almost 300 species of Australia's lovely wild birds, 1,600 different plant species and 60 different species of mammals. It's also replete with thousands of aboriginal cultural sites dating back over 40,000 years. These represent for all Australians today a link between the past and the present. Unfortunately, Kakadu contains large deposits of uranium, gold and other minerals as well. These proved an overwhelming lure for large mining companies which had a devastating effect on parts of this beautiful site over the years. Though only one uranium mine still remains, tourists have now discovered Kakadu and come there in their thousands from all over the world. Though less dramatic, they too have an impact on the land. Fortunately the fear of crocodiles, huge poisonous snakes and death adders are somewhat of a deterrent. Don't go in the water!

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: volcanoes

Two huge volcanoes erupted for 8 million years and after they became dormant about 11 million years ago, more of natures forces eroded the crater rims until about a half of their original size today. Rising seas broke through in two places and formed the now scenic harbours of Lyttetlon and Akaroa. This volcanic landscape, now tempered with native bush is the wonderful walking playground for many trampers (walkers). The views from the Summit roads are just stunning.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Western Australia

Of course we could be facetious and say every state in Australia has bays full of sharks, but fortunately, not all are listed as world heritage sites The bay is full of dolphins, dugongs, sharks, manta rays, whales (don't tell the Japanese!), turtles, a huge variety of fish, and the largest seagrass bank in the world. The immediate surrounds include 250 species of birds, 26 species of mammals and - shudder - 150 species of reptiles. Hamelin Pool, located within the bay, contains the "world's most diverse and abundant colony of living stromatolites, providing some of the earliest records of life on earth". Wow! The coastline of this striking area is over 1,500 kilometres long. Overlooking 300 kilometres of this are haunting limestone cliffs. And what do you think the population numbers are in this entire area? Fewer than 1,000 - so the area is relatively untouched by man. Isn't that impressive? The entire bay is dotted with beautiful islands. One of these is the historic Dirk Hartog Island, so named because of the landing there in 1616 by the Dutch explorer of the same name. Just to keep that in perspective for you, Captain Cook didn't land in Australia till 1770. However, from Cook's visit sprang Australia's settlement by Europeans. All that sprang from Hartog's visit was a pewter plate which he nailed to a tree, marking his landing. And since then, the Dutch have taken that back. The nerve of them. Our first piece of crockery too.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: Furthest point south that Nikau Palms grow

The little valley that the Nikau Palms reside in has a small microclimate that protects them from the worst weather in the winter. Warm weather and wind don't really affect these palms, but frost certainly does, so the further South you go in New Zealand, the chances of frost strike increase. This gully is southernmost point that these trees grow.

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: A tram shed

The Fort Macquarie Tram Depot - housing what Americans call streetcars - was built on Bennelong Point on the site of an old military station called Fort Macquarie. The depot was constructed in the style of a fortress with ramparts in in reference to the history of the site. The depot closed on 22 October 1955 and was demolished in 1958 to make way for the construction of the Sydney Opera House.

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: Devonport

Home Hill is located in Devonport. It was built in 1916 and contains historic mementos of Tasmania's only Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, and his wife, Enid.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Timber

Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant historical sites from the days of early European settlement. It's a strange and eerie place to visit today. It only existed as a timber station for three years. Then, from 1833 to 1853, it became the site to which Australia's most hardened and vicious convicts were sent. Build along the lines of English philosopher Jeremy Bentham's ideals of welfare and the abolishment of physical punishment, Port Arthur was the exact opposite of those ideals. Located on a narrow peninsula, it was fenced off and guarded by soldiers and vicious half-starved dogs. The building itself was a model design, but within its walls, it was renowned for a chilling new method of punishing convicts - that of psychological torment and torture. Known as the "Silent System" of punishment, prisoners were hooded, isolated and deprived of all light and sound for months at a time. Many were driven insane as a result. Though held up as the model prison system of the time, Port Arthur's inmates were also treated more harshly than in any of the many penal colonies dotted around the nation, with the daily lash never ceasing. Even more pitiful today, located on a tiny islet not far from the prison, are the remains of the unmarked graves holding all that is left of all the prisoners who died there in that terrible time. It's called the Isle of the Dead. Port Arthur totally closed down in 1877. If you listen carefully today, as you walk through its dark, eerie and deserted stone corridors, you can still hear the despairing cries of its inmates echoing around its walls.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: The Russians in the 1900's

The Russian threat in the early 1900's motivated New Zealand to build many defensive fortresses around her coastline. Across the harbour from Godley Heads is Ripaka Island that housed four "disappearing" guns (another quiz). these defences were improved for both WWI and WWII. We love the Aussies, so defence is needed!

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Jørn Utzon

The Sydney Opera was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, following his selection as winner of an international design competition. Work began in 1958 under Utzon's direction but a series of disagreements and arguments between architect and government led to his resignation, and the building was completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: Native bush and trees

All answers can be experienced on Banks Peninsula, but Hinewai is a magical walk through native bush and towering podocarps. This area is how Banks Peninsula used to look before the timber was taken to develop nearby Christchurch in the late 1800's. Fortunately, the "greening" of Banks Peninsula is underway and many groups are active in bush restoration. Visitors to Banks Peninsula can get native trees planted to neutralise their carbon footprint.

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

The Sydney Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia on 20 October 1973.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: Motukarara

The Rail Trail follows the old railway line from Hornby (Christchurch) to Little River, but not all sections are open yet. From Motukarara (great race day in January) to Little River is just 30 kms and is a good cycle toute as well as a walking route that skirts Lake Ellesmere. Akaroa is a place to visit after doing the trail and Kaiapoi is north of Christchurch

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: Richmond

Located approximately 25kms north of Hobart and standing above the Coal River, the Richmond Bridge was built from blocks of sandstone by convicts in 1825.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Rapanui

Easter Island is the most south eastern point of the Polynesian triangle, and technically is one of the external territories of Chile. Some 887 of its magnificent statues can still be seen there today. Several of these weigh over 80 tons, and each one represented the dead patriarch of a family line. The Rapa Nui people who build these mysterious guardians of their island were a Stone Age people, but very considerably advanced on other Stone Age groups world wide of the same period. In addition to their mighty monuments, they also constructed large public buildings of stone as well, and residential houses, complete with chicken coops out the back! But even more amazingly, this so called Stone Age people, the Rapa Nui, had even developed their own script. Now that is really astonishing for that time period, and on an island so far away from all other known civilisations. Let's not get too enraptured by these early civilised people though. At one stage they were also cannibals. The history of the Rapa Nui people degenerated over time as one disaster after another hit the island and its inhabitants. Today all that remains of perhaps one of the most developed advanced early people of the world are its frightening statues glaring menacingly out over the ocean. The island, with its intriguing and mysterious history, has been described on the world sites listing as "a remarkable cultural phenomenon". And indeed it is.

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Southern Cross

Redevelopment of Spencer Street station commenced in October 2002 and was completed in late 2006, in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The design featured an undulating wave-shaped roof, a new entrance and concourse, a new coach interchange, new food court, a bar and restaurant, retail outlets inside the station and a connection to the shopping complex between Bourke and La Trobe Streets.

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: Hobart

Built in 1870 and standing 58 metres tall, this tower held the record as Tasmania's tallest building for 100 years, until the building of the 61-metre-tall ABC Tower.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Bennelong Point

Bennelong was the name of an aboriginal man whom our first governor, Arthur, had kidnapped, so that he could act as an interlocutor between the first European settlers and the native population. He and Governor became good friends along the way, but that still didn't stop Bennelong eventually escaping and having Phillip speared in the shoulder. Done in the friendliest way possible of course. UNESCO has described the Sydney Opera House as "one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing art centres in the world". Designed in 1957 by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon, following an international competition to do so, it took the arguing bureaucrats of our nation almost another twenty years to come to a decision about it and commence the building. It was completed in 1973, but by then the architect was so fed up with us that he had resigned in disgust. Apparently, because of the building's unique roof design, which is said to be in the shape of sails blowing in the wind, this uniqueness was so confusing that the builders tried to install them back to front. Quite possibly this is an urban legend, and Australians do love to pull a leg or two, but at any rate, it still makes a good yarn. The first performer at the still incomplete building was the American great, Paul Robeson. That was in 1960 and why they had the poor man performing in half a building is anybody's guess. Gosh, designed by a Dane, first performed in by an American, dyslexic builders, arguments galore between the committees, the architect and the builders, a kidnapped aboriginal spearing the first governor - can you guess the name of the first opera performed there? It was Sergei Prokofiev's "War and Peace". Very appropriate.

From Quiz Walking Banks Peninsula

Answer: Kaitorete

The crashing waves of the beach and the lure of finding gem stones bring many walkers to the Kaitorete Spit. Lake Ellesmere is on the other side of the beach and Lake Forsyth/Wairewa is the lake blocked by the spit. DO NOT swim at this beach, the undertow is too powerful, even on calm days.

From Quiz Australian Architecture

Answer: Eureka Tower

At just under 300 meters in height, Eureka Tower was the tallest building in Melbourne and the second highest in Australia at the time of its construction, an accolade it still held in 2021. It was also at one time the tallest residential building in the world. Named after the Eureka Stockade rebellion of 1854, it contains 556 apartments spread over 84 floors and has an observation deck on the 88th floor.

From Quiz Historic Tasmania

Answer: A prison

Built in the early 1830s, Penitentiary Chapel was originally used as a prison for male convicts.

From Quiz Oceania World Heritage Sites

Answer: Cremation

This area comprises 2,400 square kilometres in size, and is located in the south west of the state. It's dry, dry, dry. All the lakes are dry. The Lake Mungo remains are three sets of fossilised skeletons - almost 40,000 years old - said to be the "oldest anatomically modern human remains found in Australia". And they were cremated. On the death of one poor fellow, he was firstly burned, then cooled off, smashed up, and burned again. This was to ensure he didn't come back to haunt his people. I'd say that was a certainty by the time they finished with him. Two unusual features about his skeleton that surprised archaeologists when it was found, were his age (quite old), and, at 6 foot 5 inches, his unusual height for that period of time. Because it is believed by scientists today that all mankind descended from a common ancestry in Africa that eventually spread all over the world, here is something even more interesting: DNA testing of the bones found indicate that Mungo Man was not a distant ancestor of modern Australian aboriginal, or any of the human race anywhere in the world, but an entirely DIFFERENT sub-species that existed prior to us all. Oh my goodness, and what a controversy this has caused!

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Last Updated Dec 06 2025 5:51 AM

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