Trivia Week: Australian Trivia

Continuing a week of trivia.

Today: Oz Triv

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Australia is as wide as the distance between London to Moscow.

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The biggest property in Australia is bigger than Israel. 

Anna Creek Station has an area of roughly 6,000,000 acres (24,000 km2; 9,400 sq mi) which is slightly larger than Israel. It is 1,977,000 acres (8,000 km2; 3,089 sq mi) larger than its nearest rival, Alexandria Station in the country's Northern Territory and over seven times the size of the United States' biggest ranch, King Ranch in Texas, which is 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi). The station is currently owned by Williams Cattle Company. The nearest township is William Creek (which is surrounded by the Anna Creek station), but the nearest town for freight is Coober Pedy.

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More than 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast.

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Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman, earns $1 million every half hour, or $598 every second.

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Australia was the second country in the world to allow women to vote (New Zealand was first).

Australia's first female political candidate, South Australian suffragette Catherine Helen Spence (1825-1910). South Australian women won the vote in 1894 and Spence stood for office in 1897.

Edith Cowan (1861-1932) was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1921 and was the first woman elected to any Australian Parliament.

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In 1856, stonemasons took action to ensure a standard of 8-hour working days, which then became recognised worldwide.

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Bob Hawke downs a yard of ale, watched by PM Gough Whitlam.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke set a world record for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds whilst at Oxford.. Hawke later suggested that this was the reason for his great political success.

In his 1994 memoirs Hawke stated that it happened at University College at Oxford:

“A system operated at dinner in the Great Hall under which if an offence was committed - in my case coming to dinner without a gown - one was 'sconced'. This meant having to drink two-and-a-half pints of ale out of an antique pewter pot in less than 25 seconds.”

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In 1838 the Governor of Van Diemen’s Land )now Tasmania) visited the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart. The Governor addressed the women from an elevated dais. Then:

"the three hundred women turned right around and at one impulse pulled up their clothes showing their naked posteriors which they simultaneously smacked with their hands making a loud and not very musical noise. This was the work of a moment, and although constables, warders etc. were there in plenty, yet 300 women could not well be all arrested and tried for such an offence and when all did the same act the ringleaders could not be picked out." This cheeky behaviour 'horrified and astounded' the Governor and the male members of the party. As for the ladies in the Governor's party, it was said, in a rare moment of collusion with the Convict women, 'could not control their laughter'.

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Australia is one of the only countries where we eat the animals on our coat of arms.

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In 2005, security guards at Canberra’s Parliament House were banned from calling people ‘mate’. It lasted one day.

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Oz bonus . . . 

Aussie Love Poem

Of course I love ya darlin'
You're a bloody top notch bird
And when I say yer gorgeous
I mean every single word

So ya bum is on the big side
I don't mind a bit of flab
It means that when I'm ready
There's somethin' there to grab

So your belly isn't flat no more
I tell ya, I don't care
So long as when I cuddle ya
I can get me arms 'round there

No sheila who is your age
Has nice round perky breasts
They just gave into gravity
But I know ya did ya best

I'm tellin' ya the truth now
I never tell ya lies
I think it's very sexy
That you've got dimples on ya thighs

I swear on me nanna's grave now
The moment that we met
I thought you was as good
As I was ever gonna get

No matter wot ya look like
I'll always love ya dear
Now shutup while the footy's on
And get another beer

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