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50 Aussie Christmas trivia questions (with answers)

By the Sunburnt Santa team Published 8 min read

A quiz question about Christmas on a chalkboard with four coloured answer buttons in the True Blue Quiz.
Door 23, the True Blue Quiz: ten questions, four answers each, and a ten-second bar ticking down.

Here are 50 Australian Christmas trivia questions with answers, in five rounds of ten: summer weather, Christmas food, animals and plants, carols and history, and slang and customs. Every answer comes with a one-line explanation, and the facts are checked against sources such as the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Museum, the National Library and Cancer Council, listed at the bottom.

They work for a quiz night, a long car trip or the lull between pudding and the cricket. Answers are hidden, so tap or click "Answer" to reveal each one.

How to run it: split into teams, read each round aloud, and give a point per correct answer. For a tie-breaker, use question 15 and take the closest guess.

Round 1: Summer, sun and storms

1. In what season is Christmas in Australia?

AnswerSummer. The Southern and Northern Hemispheres have opposite seasons, so December is summer down under [[1]](#source-1).

2. What causes Australia's summer Christmas: (a) Earth being closest to the Sun, (b) the tilt of Earth's axis, or (c) the Southern Hemisphere having more ocean?

Answer(b) The tilt. In December the Southern Hemisphere leans towards the Sun and gets more direct sunlight [[1]](#source-1).

3. True or false: Earth is closest to the Sun in early January.

AnswerTrue. It's closest in January, during the northern winter, which shows distance isn't what causes the seasons [[1]](#source-1).

4. Which capital city has the highest average maximum temperature in December?

AnswerDarwin, with an average December maximum of 32.7°C (1981–2010 averages) [[2]](#source-2).

5. Which capital city has the coolest average December maximum?

AnswerHobart, at 20.4°C (1981–2010 averages), about 12 degrees cooler than Darwin [[2]](#source-2).

6. Which capital city gets the least rain in December, on average?

AnswerPerth, with about 6 mm, against roughly 276 mm in Darwin [[2]](#source-2).

7. Northern Australia's wet season runs roughly between which months?

AnswerOctober to April. In 2020 Darwin's official monsoon onset came on 19 December, about ten days earlier than the long-term average [[3]](#source-3).

8. In which year did Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin at Christmas?

Answer1974. It struck in the early hours of Christmas Day, and about four-fifths of the city was destroyed or severely damaged [[4]](#source-4).

9. Cyclone Tracy's strongest recorded gust was 217 km/h. Why wasn't a higher gust recorded?

AnswerThe anemometer, the instrument that measures wind speed, was destroyed [[4]](#source-4).

10. Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide: what do you slide on?

AnswerSunglasses (wraparound ones, ideally). Seek (shade) and Slide were added to the slogan in 2007 [[5]](#source-5).

Round 2: Christmas food

11. The pavlova is named after whom?

AnswerAnna Pavlova, the Russian ballerina, who toured both Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s [[6]](#source-6).

12. According to food historian Helen Leach, the first recipe everyone agrees is a pavlova appeared in 1929. In which country?

AnswerNew Zealand, in the *New Zealand Dairy Exporter Annual*. Australians still argue the point; the debate is far from settled [[6]](#source-6).

13. Australia's pavlova claim rests on a 1935 recipe by a chef at the Esplanade Hotel. In which city?

AnswerPerth [[6]](#source-6). For the full tug-of-war, see [who invented the pavlova](/christmas/who-invented-pavlova/).

14. Sydney Fish Market's Christmas trading marathon stays open for how many hours straight?

Answer36 hours. In 2023 it ran from 5 am on 23 December to 5 pm on Christmas Eve [[7]](#source-7).

15. In 2023, about how many tonnes of prawns were organisers expecting to sell during that marathon: 12, 120, 1,200 or 12,000?

AnswerAbout 120 tonnes, along with more than 100,000 customers through the doors [[7]](#source-7).

16. Roughly what share of Australia's mangoes does Queensland grow: about a quarter, about 43% or about 80%?

AnswerAbout 43%, roughly 22,000 tonnes a year [[8]](#source-8).

17. Which Far North Queensland district grows more than half of Queensland's mangoes?

AnswerMareeba and Dimbulah, which together produce 55% of the state's crop [[8]](#source-8).

18. When does the Queensland mango harvest begin?

AnswerLate October, in North Queensland. It finishes in southern areas in early April, which is why mangoes and Christmas go together [[8]](#source-8).

19. Which of these is not a mango variety: Kensington Pride, R2E2, Honey Gold or Bowen?

AnswerBowen. It's a growing region; the mango often called a "Bowen" is the Kensington Pride variety [[8]](#source-8).

20. Which coins were traditionally hidden in an Australian Christmas pudding?

AnswerA threepence, or a sixpence if you were lucky. The new decimal coins of 1966 were a poor swap (they could corrode or taste metallic), and the Royal Australian Mint now sells pudding coins to tuck into warm slices just before serving [[9]](#source-9).

Round 3: Animals and plants

21. What do adult Christmas beetles eat?

AnswerEucalyptus (gum) leaves. Their larvae live underground and eat grass roots [[10]](#source-10).

22. Roughly how many species of Christmas beetle are there: about 6, about 36 or about 360?

AnswerAbout 36, and all but one are found only in Australia [[10]](#source-10).

23. On the NSW Christmas bush, the red "flowers" aren't really petals. What are they?

AnswerCalyces (sepals). The small white flowers come in late spring, then the calyces swell and turn red in summer [[11]](#source-11).

24. True or false: the NSW Christmas bush is the floral emblem of New South Wales.

AnswerFalse. It's the waratah, proclaimed in 1962 [[12]](#source-12).

25. Western Australia's Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda, has bright yellow flowers in summer. What's unusual about the way it grows?

AnswerIt's a parasitic tree that takes some of its nourishment from other plants. It's also notoriously hard to grow in a garden [[11]](#source-11).

26. Which Christmas plant is Queensland's: Christmas bells, the Christmas orchid or Christmas bush?

AnswerThe Christmas orchid (*Calanthe triplicata*), with white flowers on a spike up to 150 cm tall in summer [[11]](#source-11).

27. The Australian magpie is a brilliant mimic. About how many other bird species can it copy: 5, 15 or more than 35?

AnswerMore than 35, plus other animals and sometimes even human speech [[13]](#source-13).

28. What does the southern cassowary of Far North Queensland mostly eat?

AnswerFruit that has fallen to the forest floor. In Australia it's listed as endangered [[14]](#source-14).

29. Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, was named on Christmas Day in which year: 1643, 1788 or 1901?

Answer1643, by Captain William Mynors of the East India Company, who sighted it on 25 December [[15]](#source-15).

30. Christmas Island's red crabs march to the sea each year to breed. Up to how many eggs can one female carry?

AnswerUp to 100,000, in a brood pouch. The migration starts with the first rain of the wet season, usually in October or November [[16]](#source-16).

Round 4: Carols, cricket and history

31. Carols by Candlelight began in 1938 in which city?

AnswerMelbourne. The first one, in the Alexandra Gardens, drew about 10,000 people [[17]](#source-17).

32. Who founded Carols by Candlelight?

AnswerRadio broadcaster Norman Banks. On Christmas Eve 1937 he saw an elderly woman singing along to carols alone by candlelight, and wondered how many others were spending Christmas alone [[17]](#source-17).

33. Since 1959, where has Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight been held?

AnswerThe Sidney Myer Music Bowl [[17]](#source-17).

34. Who wrote "Aussie Jingle Bells", reportedly on the back of a bus ticket?

AnswerColin Buchanan. He first recorded it in 1994, and it took off on the album *Aussie Christmas with Bucko and Champs*, made with Greg Champion [[18]](#source-18).

35. In which year was the first Sydney to Hobart yacht race, starting on Boxing Day?

Answer1945, with nine yachts in the fleet [[19]](#source-19).

36. Which yacht won the first Sydney to Hobart, on both line honours and handicap?

Answer*Rani*, skippered by Captain John Illingworth, who is said to have asked, "Why don't we make a race of it?" [[19]](#source-19).

37. A Test match has been played at the MCG over Boxing Day every year since 1980, except one. Which year?

Answer1989. Pakistan didn't arrive until Christmas week, so a one-day international against Sri Lanka was played instead [[20]](#source-20).

38. The Tea and Sugar train carried supplies across the Nullarbor from 1915 to 1996. Between which two towns?

AnswerPort Augusta and Kalgoorlie. Each year, on the first Thursday of December, Father Christmas rode along the line [[21]](#source-21).

39. Engine driver Alf Harris played Father Christmas on the Tea and Sugar train for more than 30 years. What was his nickname?

Answer"Sunburnt Santa" [[22]](#source-22). Yes, really. Read the full story of the [Tea and Sugar train Santa](/christmas/tea-and-sugar-train-santa/).

40. On Christmas Day 1788, the first Christmas in the new colony at Sydney Cove, who preached the sermon?

AnswerThe chaplain, the Reverend Richard Johnson. Afterwards the Governor had most of the officers to dinner, according to David Collins [[23]](#source-23).

Round 5: Slang and customs

41. What do Australians call a Christmas cracker?

AnswerA bon bon. The name echoes the French sugared almonds that inspired the first crackers [[24]](#source-24).

42. Who invented the Christmas cracker?

AnswerTom Smith, a London confectioner, who patented his first cracker device in 1847 and perfected the snap in the 1860s [[24]](#source-24).

43. Who added the paper hats to Christmas crackers?

AnswerWalter Smith, Tom Smith's son [[24]](#source-24).

44. What is a "thong" in Australia?

AnswerA flip-flop: the rubber sandal you wear to the beach, the barbie and, for many, Christmas lunch. In 1959 Dunlop imported 300,000 pairs from Japan [[25]](#source-25).

45. The thong's closest ancestor is a traditional Japanese sandal. What's it called?

AnswerThe zori, traditionally made from straw [[25]](#source-25).

46. In 1978, which state government banned schoolteachers from wearing thongs to work?

AnswerQueensland [[25]](#source-25).

47. In South Australia, what are the fluffy, floating seeds of some plants called?

AnswerFather Christmas. In New South Wales and Queensland they're a Santa Claus [[26]](#source-26).

48. What is "Chrissie" short for?

AnswerChristmas. Aussies shorten everything: a Chrissie prezzie is a Christmas present. More in our [Aussie Christmas slang dictionary](/christmas/aussie-christmas-slang/).

49. The Slip, Slop, Slap campaign launched in 1981 with a cartoon bird in board shorts, a t-shirt and a hat. What was his name?

AnswerSid the Seagull [[5]](#source-5).

50. What is an esky?

AnswerA portable cooler, the box that keeps the prawns and drinks cold at a Christmas picnic.

Scoring

  • 45 to 50: True blue. You could run the quiz at the school fete.
  • 35 to 44: Fair dinkum (genuine) Christmas expert.
  • 20 to 34: Not bad for someone who's still recovering from lunch.
  • Under 20: Have another mango and try again next year.

Play the quiz version

Door 23 of Sunburnt Santa is the True Blue Quiz: ten questions about Christmas in Australia and around the world, four answers each, and a ten-second bar ticking down. A right answer scores 500 points plus 50 for every second left, three right in a row doubles the next question, and wrong or too slow scores nothing. The questions in the game are different from these, so this page is practice, not a cheat sheet.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. What Causes the Seasons?, NASA Space Place
  2. World Weather Information Service: official climate normals for Darwin, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, World Meteorological Organization, with data from the Bureau of Meteorology
  3. Northern Australia wet season lives up to its name, Bureau of Meteorology
  4. The devastation after Cyclone Tracy, 1974, National Museum of Australia
  5. Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide, Cancer Council Australia
  6. The great pavlova debate, The Canberra Times
  7. 36-Hour Seafood Marathon returns to Sydney Fish Market, City Hub
  8. Mango industry in Queensland, Business Queensland, Queensland Government
  9. How decimal currency (almost) ruined Christmas, SBS Food
  10. Christmas Beetle, Australian Museum
  11. Australian Christmas plants, Australian National Botanic Gardens
  12. NSW floral emblem, Australian National Botanic Gardens
  13. Australian Magpie, Australian Museum
  14. Southern Cassowary, Australian Museum
  15. History, Christmas Island National Park, Parks Australia
  16. Red crab migration, Christmas Island National Park, Parks Australia
  17. Our history, Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight
  18. Colin Buchanan's Aussie Jingle Bells song hits 30 years old, Farm Online
  19. Why don't we make a race of it?, Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia)
  20. Almanac Cricket: The Boxing Day MCG Test turns 50, The Footy Almanac
  21. Tea and Sugar Christmas, National Library of Australia
  22. When Santa rode the railway, Australian Geographic
  23. Christmas in the New Colony, First Fleet Fellowship (quoting David Collins, An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales)
  24. The Christmas cracker, Victoria and Albert Museum
  25. Flip flop: the un-Australian history of the rubber thong, The Conversation
  26. Christmas slang coming down your chimney tonight, Macquarie Dictionary