Beautiful Brisbane Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brisbane

The Brisbane River is the longest river in the south east of the large state of Queensland. This lovely old river is rather slow moving as it meanders its way down to the sea. Unless it's in flood of course. Then it's a thing of terror. The Brissy river, as it is fondly named by the locals, was once noted for its gracious scenery, its fish and the beautiful wild birds that inhabited its banks.

Although the scenery and the birds still exist, the fish are possibly gasping for breath by now. The waters aren't exactly blue and pristine looking.

It's a capital city though, and all that entails. Catamarans, barges and ferries ply its length on a regular basis, and water skiers delight in its non-threatening waters. The odd shark or two still ventures up its length now and then as well.

Answer: No

In 2017, the population of Brisbane's metropolitan area numbered 2.4 million. Sydney, however had a populations of 4.6 million, with Melbourne a close second with 4.2 million. Brisbane came a distant third - but we like it that way. Mostly of European descent, particularly in its earlier days, the nature of Brisbane's population in more modern times is beginning to evidence elements of the United Nations here and there.

In 2016, 32% of its residents were born overseas. People flock to this lovely city for its lifestyle, for employment, and for its comfortable non-threatening environment.

Answer: Mount Coot-tha

Though given the honorary title of a mountain, Mount Coot-tha is more of a hill really. You can easily drive to the top, or ride a pushbike if you're feeling energetic. It only rises 287 metres above sea level, which, for some peculiar reason, always embarrasses me if I have to give its height, BUT there's a wonderful advantage to its stubbiness.

There are glorious views right out over Brisbane, far more intimate than those of a much taller mountain - and at night, that view all over the glittering wonderland below, is just breathtaking. Mount Coot-tha is known for its parks, the odd waterfall or two, and its television and radio towers.

Answer: City Hall

Brisbane City Hall is a gracious old sandstone building with hints of Greek architecture in the many columns adorning its façade. It is located right in the heart of the city in King George Square, and is valued for its historical significance. The crème de la crème of both Brisbane society and important official visitors from overseas simply must be seen there, my dears, having lamingtons and cups of tea.

These include royal receptions of course. But the hall is more than this. It is also home to orchestral concerts, pageants, school graduations, flower shows even - you name it, and Brisbane's gracious old City Hall, in keeping with its egalitarian roots, is host to them all.

Answer: Moreton Bay

Brisbane spreads over a very large area of land. It could never ever be described as a rabbit warren, but is home to wide, tree lined streets, roomy suburbs, beautiful, just BEAUTIFUL, old colonial type homes, many of which are located around the lovely Moreton Bay.

The port of Brisbane is also located on this bay, and large ships, cargo vessels, liners, smaller boats and ferries are so common in this area that they're like seagulls hovering over picnic tables. In spite of this, the Bay retains a type of unsullied innocence. Birds abound, it teems with sea life, it has a wide range of plant life, including those stunningly lovely Moreton Bay fig trees, its waters are shallow enough in part for visitors to see much of its under surface life and it is home to large herds of dugongs - the only place in Australia where those pudgy submarine shaped creatures regularly gather.

Answer: True

Brisbane is located not terribly far east of Australia's Great Dividing Range, and remnants of this range can be seen in the various gently rising small hills on the outskirts of the city, but the city itself sprang up, like many older cities did, around the banks of the nearest water supply. That was the Brisbane River - and that river has a wide flood plain, as the residents of the city have learned to their misfortune from time to time over the past 200 years. Those flood waters can rise in a remarkably short space of time if the river is in the mood. I woke up once to see my furniture bobbing around in a foot of water.

It had been raining for a couple of weeks prior to this of course, and the system just couldn't cope, that's all. But that's Brissy's only fault.

Answer: City Botanic Gardens

Once known as the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, this place is just lovely. Located on Garden Point in the centre of the city, and established in the early 1800s, the gardens are surrounded by many of Brisbane's gracious old government buildings, a few uppity but classy high rise structures and a campus of one of the State's universities. Now heritage listed, the gardens are home to palms, ferns, trees from all over the world, lovely floral displays, small waterfalls, discreet kiosks, wide and inviting stretches of shaded grass areas, or warm sunlit patches, and roses, roses, roses. If you ever wish to fill your heart with serenity, the old Brisbane Botanic Gardens is the place to go.

Answer: Queen Street

Brisbane's Queen Street was named after the ever fascinating Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It's an absorbing and oddly restful place to go, mainly because of its pedestrian malls, arcades, large plazas, the main Brisbane Square, and many of the still remaining gracious old historical buildings, shops and emporiums. You can relax in Queen Street, instead of feeling you must rush through your shopping experience. And, as an added bonus, it isn't that far from the lovely Brisbane river as well, with its beautiful tree lined banks.

Answer: Convicts

The Old Windmill in Spring Hill, Brisbane, was not just a windmill. This quaint old building which looks more like a lighthouse than a mill, was also utilised by the early settlers to this region as an observatory as well. Now heritage listed, this is the oldest surviving convict-built structure in Queensland.

When the old Moreton Bay Penal settlement was first established there, the convicts were used to construct the mill and then forced to carry out the processing of the grain crops from the area.

The mill came with a treadmill used to punish recalcitrant convicts on days when no wind stirred the sails of the mills to keep those gears grinding. The tower was also used to pass signals from the port at the mouth of the river to the residents of the town; as a time device for settlers to mark their working days; as an observatory; as the first home of the Queensland Museum; as a point from which surveys were made of the surrounding areas, and even once, sad to relate, as a site of the execution of two criminals.

Answer: Treating severe tropical diseases

Those cases of severe tropical diseases of course were in addition to the hospital's normal case loads. Because of a merging with the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital (babies etc), the RBH, as it was once commonly known, is now known by the wordy title of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

This structure is absolutely HUGE, extending over many blocks, and is the largest hospital by far in Queensland, and once, it was believed, in the southern hemisphere. It was once a dirty soot covered forbidden structure, frightening in the extreme to a child, but is now a state of the art, efficiency plus, every hair in place, top of the field health facility designed to impress even the most critical of medical minds.

But I still get sick in the stomach whenever I go by it.