Question Booklet

2015 australian geography competition

I N S T R U C T I O N S

1 Fill in your name, school code (your teacher will give you this), school’s
postcode, your gender and age. You must fill in the ovals, not just write the
letters and numbers, as the computer only reads the ovals. For example, a
filled-in postcode (for some other school) would look like the sample on the
right. Also fill in an oval in the school assigned column if instructed to do so by
your teacher. Otherwise leave it blank.

2 If you are 13 years or under on 31 August 2015 complete Questions 1-30.

3 If you are 14 or 15 years old on 31 August 2015 complete Questions 1-40.

4 If you are 16 to 18 years old on 31 August 2015 complete Questions 16-50.

5 Answer all questions by filling in only one oval on the answer sheet
corresponding to the most appropriate answer for each question. If you
change your mind, you must erase the wrong answer so that only one oval is
filled in for each question.

6 You have 35 minutes to answer the questions. The time to fill in the
preliminary information is extra.

7 Do not mark the front or back of the answer sheet in any other way as this can
lead to errors in the computerised marking, or to your not getting a result.
Australian Geography Competition 2015

DARWIN
Weipa
Kalumburu
Millimetres
Katherine
Kowanyama 3000

Cairns 2000

Broome Halls Creek Normanton 1500

Tennant 1000
Townsville
Port Creek
Hedland Mount Isa 600
Telfer Mackay
400

Longreach 300
Newman Alice Springs Rockhampton
Giles 200
Birdsville
100
Carnarvon Charleville
Wiluna 50
Oodnadatta
BRISBANE 0
Marree
Geraldton Cook Bourke
Kalgoorlie-
Coffs
Boulder
Port Harbour
Ceduna Dubbo
PERTH Augusta

Mildura
ADELAIDE SYDNEY
Esperance Port
Lincoln CANBERRA
Albany
Horsham

MELBOURNE
Average rainfall Warrnambool
Orbost
Annual
Cape Grim
St. Helens
Strahan Based on a standard 30-year
Projection: Lambert conformal with climatology (1961-1990)
standard parallels 10oS, 40oS. c Commonwealth of Australia, 2010
HOBART

Figure 1. Australia’s average annual rainfall © Commonwealth of Australia

60
Start at Question 1 if you are under 16
years old on 31 August 2015. Start at
50 Total = 256 mm
Question 16 if you are older.
40
Rainfall (mm)

1 From Figure 1, what is Darwin’s average

annual rainfall? 30
A between 600 and 1000 mm
B between 1000 and 1500 mm 20

C between 1500 and 2000 mm

10
D between 2000 and 3000 mm
E above 3000 mm 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2 From Figure 1, which state or territory has

the driest climate overall? Figure 2. Rainfall at Horsham Airport, western
Victoria, for 2014 Source: Bureau of Meteorology
A New South Wales
B Northern Territory
3 From Figure 2, when did Horsham receive
C Queensland the most rain in 2014?
D South Australia A autumn and winter
E Western Australia B spring and summer
C summer and autumn
D summer and winter
E winter and spring

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

4 Using Figures 1 and 2, was Horsham’s 2014 7 Why does Dubai, in the United Arab
rainfall: Emirates, rely on the technology in Figure 3
A about average for nearly 99% of its water supply?
B above average A Dubai needs less water as tourist numbers
are falling.
C below average
B Dubai’s average annual rainfall is less than
D more than 400 mm above average
100 mm.
E more than 400 mm below average
C It is cheaper than taking water from rivers.
D It uses a lot of energy.
Sydney Water
Distribution E Rising sea levels flooded Dubai’s dams.
System
8 Which of these is a primary source of data
that could be used in a liveability study?
Seawater Pumping A census website
Intake Station
B climate graph
C interviews with local residents
Delivery Pipeline
Ocean

Pre-Treatment D newspaper article on local crime

Reverse Osmosis E population pyramid
Stage 1
Seawater
Concentrate
Outlet Reverse Osmosis European settlement started in the east of the
Stage 2
country and spread overland to the west. The
Post-Treatment country’s two most populous cities are on its east
coast and its west coast.
Water
Delivery
Storage
Tank
Pumps Figure 4. Settlement pattern

9 The text in Figure 4 describes the

settlement of:
Figure 3. Kurnell Plant, Sydney © SDP Pty Ltd
A Australia
B Canada
5 One benefit of the process shown in Figure
3 is that it uses: C Mexico
A fresh water D New Zealand
B ground water E United States of America
C melted ice
10 Which of these farming practices reduces
D salt water
soil erosion?
E water vapour
A leaving paddocks bare between crops
B ploughing down the slope of hills
6 What do some protesters see as a
disadvantage of the process shown in C removing vegetation beside watercourses
Figure 3? D retaining stubble after harvest
A It affects the marine environment at the E tilling the soil to remove weeds
waste outlet.
B It does not produce water suitable for 11 The consumption of coffee, tea and
drinking. chocolate in Australia has contributed to
C It takes unsustainable amounts of water the clearing of which type of vegetation in
from aquifers. other countries?
D Its production is greatly reduced in times of A grassland
drought. B rainforest
E all of the above C savannah
D tundra
E woodland

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

13
A 14
B 153°9´E
15
C 16
D 17

818
BRIBIE ISLAND SP261937
NATIONAL PARK
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TRADEWIND S

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Figure 5. Topographic map, 2015 © The State of Queensland © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

Legend 12 The area shown in Figure 5 is

CULTURAL FEATURES representative of which type of landscape?
Place of Interest ...........
Settlement Industrial Area ............................ ................ Major Commercial Centre
A arid
Built-up Area ........................
F ..................................................... Fire Station
B coastal
CITY C karst
Police Station ...................................... "
G
"
..................................... Shopping Centre
TOWN
!
D mountain
Rescue Facility ..........................
!
R ............. Educational Facility
!
(e.g. School, Childcare, E volcanic
VILLAGE University, Kindergarten)
State Emergency
G
!

SES ................................ Ambulance Station

Services Facility ............................
..................... Health Facility 13 What runs along the eastern boundary of
!

Racecourse ............................................................
........................................ Swimming Pool
Banksia Beach S.S. (B3 Figure 5)?
!

High Voltage .........................................

Transmission .................................... Recreational Area
!

Electricity Facility ................................. (e.g. Parks, Gardens,

Golf Courses)
A 4WD track
Sports Field .........................................................
................... Prohibited Area B high voltage transmission line
Airport ...........................
o (e.g. Correctional Facility,
Distorted Surface
(e.g. Mine, Quarry,
Detention Centre,
Military Facility)
C local road
Waste Station) ............................................
..................................... Building D major road tunnel
Transport E walking trail
Tunnel
Freeway / Highway ........ 4WD Tracks ...............
Tunnel
Major Roads .................. Walking Trail Bike
14 In which direction is the marina (A6) from
Connector Roads ..........
Trails ...................
{ Mountain Bike Horse
the Fire Station (C5)?
Zoomed In Zoomed Out Open Station / Siding
Local Roads ...................

Private Roads ................

Railway ..............
{ Proposed
!
@
Abondoned
A ENE
B NE
Cadastre Name Boundary / Region C SW
Locality ................ WI LSTO N .............................. Conservation Park D W
1 ............. Lot Number
Local Authority ... P A R O O RP71395 ... Plan Number E WSW
.................. Cadastral Line
D'AGUILAR
National Park ....... .................................................... State Forest
NATIONAL PARK
........... Easement 15 What is the distance across the water
State Border ....................................................
spanned by Bribie Bridge (B6)?
RELIEF MT ETON
MT ETON
A 330 m
104
104
Contour with value.................... 130
100
! ......................... Peak B 740 m
Cliff...........................................
C 830 m
Rock Outcrop..............................
D 1.4 km
Sand Dune........................................................................................................
.................................. Sand E 3.3 km
VEGETATION Sparse Dense
## ## ## ## ## ##
# # # # # # # # # # #...............................................
# Plantation
## ## ## ## ## ##
Vegetation .................................. # ## ## ## ## ## #
## ## ## ## ## ##
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ########################
! ! ! ! ! ! ! # ## ## ## ## ## #
Orchard ...........................................
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
## ## ## ## ## ##
# ## ## ## ## ## #
## ## ## ## ## ##
# ## ## ## ## ## #
## ## ## ## ## ## .................. Vineyard
Start at Question 16 if you are 16 to 18
HYDROGRAPHY
! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ........ Waterhole
years old on 31 August 2015. If you are
Swamp ......
Dam Wall / Weir ...... .................. Mangrove younger, continue answering questions.
Watercourse ..........................
Non-Perrenial
Perrenial
Lake ......................................
..............................................Subject To
Inundation 16 What is the scale of the map in Figure 5?
Saline Coastal Flat .................................... ......Intertidal Flat or Bank
A 1:2,500
................................................. Reef
Claypan ............... B 1:10,000
........................................... Shoal
Cultural Features relating F ................................ Wreck C 1:25,000
to Hydrography ........................ Offshore Rock
W

Marine Park ............................. D 1:50,000

Marina ..................................
Jetty/Wharf .........................
E 1:100,000
Breakwater .....................
Surf Life
Saving Club ............ !
< 17 What is located at grid reference 152064 in
Figure 5?
Grid North A lake
0 0.25 0.5 1
B national park
Kilometres C police station
D waterfront
 E Welsby Parade

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

19 Using Figures 5 and 7, what is located at ‘R’

Open this page out to see the map at the on the Landsat image?
same time. A Banksia Beach S.S.
B Cosmos Park
C major commercial centre
D marina
A E police station

20 What is the land cover at ‘Q’ in Figure 7

B likely to be?
A airport
C B beach
C built-up area
D D national park
E swamp

E 21 Compare the area in B4-C4 (Figure 5) with

X Y the same area in the 1994 image (Figure 7).
Which of these statements is correct?
Figure 6. Terrain and land-use sketches A The area is a good example of habitat
protection.
18 Which sketch in Figure 6 best represents B Fewer people now live in the area.
the terrain and land-use between points X C The mangrove community now occupies
and Y in Figure 5? more area.
A sketch A D There is an increased nursery area for
B sketch B aquatic species.
C sketch C E Urban development has replaced the
D sketch D wetland ecosystem.
E sketch E
Table 1. Effects of nitrogen fertiliser on yield of
canola in the Victorian Wimmera
Source: R. Norton & N. Wachsmann

Fertiliser applied (kg/ha) Grain yield (t/ha)

0 1.6
R 70 2.5
140 2.5
210 2.8

22 Which statement best fits the statistics in

Table 1?
A Applying fertiliser above the optimum rate
Q is wasteful.
B Applying fertiliser does not increase the
yield.
C Canola needs fertiliser to grow.
Figure 7. Landsat-5 satellite false colour composite
D Yield decreases at the same rate as
image of southern Bribie Island, 1994
fertiliser is applied.
© United States Geological Survey
E Yield increases at the same rate as fertiliser
is applied.

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Australian Geography Competition 2015

15,000
North (+ve)

10,000
m³/yr

5,000
South (-ve)

Summer Autumn Winter Spring Total

-5,000

Figure 8. Modelled transport of material under
Bribie Bridge Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council
23 From Figure 8, when is there likely to be the
smallest NET transport of material under
Bribie Bridge?
A autumn
B spring
C summer
D summer and spring are equal
E winter
24 Given the longshore drift shown in Figure 8,
which of these is most likely to form?
A a fringing coral reef around Bribie Island
B a sea cave at the northern end of Bribie
Island
C a sea cave at the southern end of Bribie
Island
D a spit at the northern end of Bribie Island
E a spit at the southern end of Bribie Island
25 The reasons why people migrate can be
classified as push or pull factors. Which of
these is a PUSH factor for people moving
from rural to urban areas in China?
A Cities are centres of culture and tradition.
B Cities have higher-priced housing.
C Rural areas have cleaner environments.
D Rural areas have limited employment
opportunities.
E Urban areas are drivers of economic
development.
Figure 9. © FreeBigPictures.com
26 The vegetation shown in Figure 9 is most
typical of areas with which climate?
A hot and wet all year
B long hot summer, mild winter
C short summer, very cold winter
D warm dry summer, mild wet winter
E warm wet summer, dry winter
Our island’s environment is facing serious
degradation due to over-exploitation by the ■■■
industry, according to activists. Garbage, water
scarcity, massive land conversions and traffic jams
have increased due to the island’s inability to manage
■■■.
Wayan Suardana, of the Indonesia Environmental
Forum, said the problems had resulted from massive
development in the ■■■ industry since the 1990s
that had changed from ‘cultural’ to ‘mass ■■■’.
The island’s limited natural resources have often led
to conflict, he said. “We used to be able to achieve
self-sufficiency in agriculture, but no longer.”
Figure 10. Stop over-exploiting environment
Source: adapted from Jakarta Post, 2 September 2011
27 In Figure 10, which industry’s name has
been blocked out?
A agriculture
B manufacturing
C mining
D retail
E tourism

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

28 With which country does Australia have the

most two-way trade? If you are under 14 years old on 31
A China August 2015 stop at Question 30. If you
B Japan are older, continue answering questions.
C Singapore
D South Korea 31 The Balinese worldview, Tri Hita Karana,
E United States of America focuses on living in harmonious balance
with people, nature and the gods. Which
Million geographical concept does this best
8
illustrate?
7 A change
6 B place
C scale
5
D space
4
E sustainability
3

2 Table 2. Australians’ life expectancy at birth, 2010-12

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
1
Cities and Outer regional
0 Population group
1973 1983 1993 2003 2013 2023 2033 2043 2053 inner regional and remote

Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth

Males

Figure 11. Estimated and projected populations for Indigenous* 68.0 67.3
Australia’s larger capital cities Non-Indigenous 79.9 78.5
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Females

29 From Figure 11, which city is projected to Indigenous* 73.1 72.3

have the highest growth RATE between Non-Indigenous 83.0 82.5
1973 and 2053?
A Adelaide * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
B Brisbane
32 From Table 2, in which population group
C Melbourne
is the gap between Indigenous and non-
D Perth Indigenous life expectancy greatest?
E Sydney A females living in cities and inner regional
areas
30 Governments need to manage rapid urban B females living in outer regional and remote
growth to: areas
A keep people connected through efficient C males living in cities and inner regional
transport links areas
B maintain the environmental quality of the D males living in outer regional and remote
city’s air and water areas
C preserve parts of the natural landscape for E there is no discernible gap
its recreational and spiritual values
D reduce differences in accessibility to
services in inner and outer areas
E all of the above

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

33 Which statement about influences on life 37 Which of these is a quantitative indicator of

expectancy is correct, based on the data in human wellbeing?
Table 2? A community vitality
A People’s indigenousness has more B cultural resilience
influence than where they live.
C good governance
B People’s indigenousness has no influence.
D life satisfaction
C Where people live has more influence than
E years of schooling
their gender.
D Where people live has more influence than
38 The serious outbreak of ebola in West
their indigenousness.
Africa in 2014 has severely affected Guinea,
E Where people live has no influence. Liberia and:
A Kenya
34 The data in Table 2 includes an example of:
B Morocco
A an anomaly
C Namibia
B random distribution
D Sierra Leone
C relative location
E Tunisia
D spatial association
E a trend 39 Which international organisation is
coordinating the response to the ebola
35 The most likely reason that people living in outbreak?
cities and inner regional areas can expect A IMF
to live longer is because they:
B UNESCO
A are more likely to have office jobs
C UNHCR
B have better access to medical services
D WHO
C lead more active lifestyles
E WMO
D live in environments with less air pollution
E none of the above 40 Which of these was NOT a factor in the
seriousness of the ebola outbreak?
A The disease spread to densely populated
cities.
B Ebola is very infectious as it is an air-borne
disease.
C The health infrastructure in the three
countries is very weak.
D Local cultural practices ensured physical
contact with the dead and dying.
E Tracking of cases across the three
countries was poorly coordinated.
1 2 3

Figure 12. Network models

Source: adapted from J. Willbanks

36 The three networks illustrated in Figure 12

are, from 1 to 3: If you are under 16 years old on 31 August
A centralised, decentralised, distributed 2015 stop at Question 40. If you are older,
B decentralised, centralised, grid continue to the end of the questions.
C distributed, grid, random
D radial, random, centralised
E random, radial, distributed

Page 9
Australian Geography Competition 2015

A B C D

Figure 13. Fire and regeneration A © Scouts Australia/J. Elliott; B © N. Carson; C and D © CSIRO, Forest Phoenix

In Australia the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is widely used to forecast the influence of weather on fire
behavior, and is a key tool for assessing fire danger. It is based on the temperature, wind speed and relative humidity
at mid-afternoon, rainfall in the previous 24 hours, and the Drought Factor. The Drought Factor represents the
influence of recent temperature and rainfall events on fuel availability.

Figure 14. McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index Source: adapted from Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research

20
15
Rainfall
(mm)

10

5
0
40
Temperature

30
(°C)

20

10
100
Relative Humidity

80
60
(%)

40
20
0
60
Wind Speed
(km.h-1)

40

20

0
10
8
Drought
Factor

6
4
2
0
19 Dec 29 Dec 8 Jan 18 Jan 28 Jan 7 Feb
2002 2002 2003 2003 2003 2003
Figure 15. Time series of FFDI components at Canberra for the days around the Canberra bushfires on 18
January 2003 Source: Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research

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 Australian Geography Competition 2015

44 What caused the subsequent wind shift

that made the Ash Wednesday fires so
dangerous?
A cold front moving east
B cold front moving west
C Coral Sea low pressure system moving
north
D Coral Sea low pressure system moving
south
E high pressure system moving west

45 Study Figures 14 and 15. Which weather

factors on 18 January 2003 contributed to
Figure 16. Synoptic chart for the Victorian Ash the Canberra bushfires?
Wednesday bushfires, 16 February 1983 A average rainfall, mild temperatures, low
© Bureau of Meteorology humidity, strong winds
B low rainfall, high temperatures, high
41 Which option puts the photos in Figure 13 humidity, strong winds
into the shortest appropriate time C low rainfall, low temperatures, low
sequence? humidity, moderate winds
A A, D, C, B D no rainfall, high temperatures, low
B B, A, D, C humidity, strong winds
C C, A, D, B E no rainfall, mild temperatures, low
D D, B, A, C humidity, no wind
E D, C, A, B
46 Which important factor in predicting fire
behaviour is missing from the Forest Fire
42 Which type of vegetation is shown in Figure Danger Index (Figures 14 and 15)?
13?
A fire-fighting personnel
A alpine woodland
B local government area
B closed scrub
C population density
C dry sclerophyll forest
D soil type
D open woodland
E topography
E wet sclerophyll forest
47 Using Figures 14 and 15, which of these
43 Which feature shown on the synoptic chart days had the most dangerous fire
(Figure 16) caused the very hot weather conditions?
during the Ash Wednesday bushfires?
A 24 December 2002
A high pressure system in the Tasman Sea
B 3 January 2003
B low pressure system in the Coral Sea
C 14 January 2003
C low pressure system in the Southern
Ocean D 30 January 2003
D steep pressure gradient in the Southern E 5 February 2003
Ocean
E trough extending from WA 48 A major aim of prescribed burning is to
mitigate the impacts of bushfires on life
and property, mainly by:
A altering vegetation types
B maintaining biodiversity
C preventing fires from starting
D reducing fuel loads
E researching fire behaviour

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Australian Geography Competition 2015

Table 3. Causes of bushfires in Victoria, 1976-77 to 49 Which of these statements is supported by

1995-96 Source: Dept. of Sustainability and Environment the data in Table 3 on bushfires in Victoria
from 1976-77 to 1995-96?
Average no. Average
Fire cause of fires per area burnt A More fires were from accidental causes,
year ha/yr than from natural or deliberate causes.
Lightning 149 53 096 B More fires were from natural causes, than
from accidental or deliberate causes.
Deliberate 145 15 649
C More fires were the result of arson, than
Agricultural 96 7 799 from natural or accidental causes.
Campfires 59 1 466 D Most fires were caused by farmers.
Cigarettes/matches 41 444 E Most fires were caused by tourists.

Cause unknown 37 2 974 50 Using Table 3, an individual fire from which

Miscellaneous (a) 26 10 009
Machinery/exhausts 15 2 551
Prescribed burn escapes 9 5 274
Public utilities (b) 7 16 256
Total 584 115 518
(a) Includes causes like burning buildings and fireworks
(b) Includes ignitions from trains and power transmission
cause is statistically most likely to burn the
greatest area?
A deliberate
B lightning
C miscellaneous (buildings, fireworks, etc)
D prescribed burn escapes
E public utilities

Thank you for taking part in the 2015

Australian Geography Competition.

Page 12
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Photo: Northwest coast, Tasmania © Redzaal; celebrating the

International Year of Soils