Exploring Australia and Explorers from Australia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1999 who was the Australia's youngest person to circumnavigate the world in a yacht?

Answer: Jesse Martin

Jesse Martin's youngest feat was matched in 2010-2011 by Laura Dekker. Laura's journey took at lot longer than Jesse's, though. To comply with the rules you must circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted.

2. British explorer of the Brisbane River and, more importantly, he established the first British colony in Western Australia.

Answer: Edmund Lockyer

British explorer Edmund Lockyer came to Australia in 1825. His first assignment directed by the Governor of Sydney was to explore the Brisbane River. He managed to go further than anyone else before discovering more than 250 kilometres of river, reporting on the local terrain, animals, coal deposits and other minerals, and of course the natives.

In 1826 Lockyer was sent to Western Australia to establish a settlement as there were rumours the French intended to. Once the settlement was established the British would then be able to claim the whole of Australia as their territory. In 1827 Lockyer had established a settlement, including erecting buildings and growing crops. This settlement became what is now known as Albany.

3. A British explorer and botanist who undertook extensive exploration of Australia and collected thousands of plants, giving them to Kew Gardens in London.

Answer: Allan Cunningham

Allan Cunningham was primarily a botanist who came in Australia in 1817. Cunningham extensively explored New South Wales, circumnavigated Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. He spent ten years in Australia collecting and cataloguing thousands of plants. Returning to England in 1827 with his collection which was displayed at Kew Gardens.

A number of native Australian plants have been named after him, for example Bangalow palm is called Banksia cunninghamii.

4. Known for underwater documentaries, this woman with her husband Ron, is _____?

Answer: Valerie Taylor

Ron and Valerie Taylor started their careers in spearfishing, winning awards and titles, coupled with an interest in film making. By 1960 Ron and Valerie were deeply involved in underwater documentaries, especially relating to sharks. They moved from killing sharks to be advocates for their conservation.

They came up with the idea of the shark cage and made a tourist attraction of diving with the sharks.

5. Who was the first Australian woman to circumnavigate the world solo by yacht?

Answer: Kay Cottee

Kay Cottee completed the first single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world in 1988. Kay took only 189 days to complete the task.

6. British explorer and surveyor of the eastern coast of Australia during the 1830s and 1840s.

Answer: Thomas Mitchell

Major Mitchell undertook four expeditions on the eastern coast of Australia for the purpose of surveying the land to plot roads and bridges throughout the area. The first and second expeditions were in New South Wales, the third New South Wales and Victoria, and the fourth from New South Wales to Queensland.

7. British explorer in the late 1820s who undertook three explorations that concentrated on Australia's river systems and the inland sea.

Answer: Charles Sturt

Charles Sturt arrived in Sydney in 1827. In 1828 Sturt's first exploration was of the Macquarie River in New South Wales. In 1829 Sturt's second exploration was of the Murray-Darling River, which is the border of New South Wales and Victoria. Due to health reasons Sturt went back to England and he returned to Australia in 1838. Sturt's third exploration was to find the inland sea that was rumoured to be in the centre of Australia.

Although Sturt succeeded in traveling over 3,000 miles (4,800 kms) he did not reach the centre nor discover any inland sea.

8. Australian explorer and conservationist, who unfortunately died on one of his trips.

Answer: Steve Irwin

Much loved Steve Irwin was many things, star of his own television series "The Crocodile Hunter", documentary maker, explorer and most of all a conservationist, with his own zoo. Steve was killed by a stingray whilst making a documentary off the Queensland coast.

9. A Dutch explorer from the 17th century who landed in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

Answer: Dirk Hartog

Dirk Hartog was employed by the Dutch East India Company and was going to Batavia (now Jakarta) in Indonesia for the much sought after spices. This journey started in 1616. After leaving the Cape of Good Hope Hartog either was pushed off course or made a navigation error, ended up on islands near Shark Bay. Hartog explored the area and continued up the coast from Shark Bay but recorded that he did not find anything of interest.

10. Dutch explorer of the 17th century noted for the exploration of Van Diemen's Land.

Answer: Abel Tasman

In the 1640s Tasman's first explored Tasmania, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on his way to Batavia (now Jakarta), Indonesia. The second voyage undertaken by Tasman concentrated on the northern part of Australia, through Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Tasmania is named after Abel Tasman, and the strait between Australia and New Zealand is the Tasman Strait.

Source: Author ClaudiaCat

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Questions		Choices
1. In 1999 who was the Australia's youngest person to circumnavigate the world in a yacht?		Dirk Hartog
2. British explorer of the Brisbane River and, more importantly, he established the first British colony in Western Australia.		Allan Cunningham
3. A British explorer and botanist who undertook extensive exploration of Australia and collected thousands of plants, giving them to Kew Gardens in London.		Thomas Mitchell
4. Known for underwater documentaries, this woman with her husband Ron, is _____?		Charles Sturt
5. Who was the first Australian woman to circumnavigate the world solo by yacht?		Valerie Taylor
6. British explorer and surveyor of the eastern coast of Australia during the 1830s and 1840s.		Edmund Lockyer
7. British explorer in the late 1820s who undertook three explorations that concentrated on Australia's river systems and the inland sea.		Steve Irwin
8. Australian explorer and conservationist, who unfortunately died on one of his trips.		Jesse Martin
9. A Dutch explorer from the 17th century who landed in Shark Bay, Western Australia.		Kay Cottee
10. Dutch explorer of the 17th century noted for the exploration of Van Diemen's Land.		Abel Tasman

This quiz is about explorers exploring in Australia or Australians who are exploring.