Australian States and Capitals Quiz
Practise the capital city of every state and territory, then redo the ones you missed.
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How to use the Australian States and Capitals Quiz
- Open the ‘Questions’ menu and choose 5, 10, 20, 30 or 50 questions. Start with 5 if you are new to the capitals.
- Press the Start button.
- Read the question and choose one of the four options.
- Read the ‘Correct answer’ line and the ‘Why’ note that follows it.
- Press Next to move to the following question.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 until the quiz ends.
- Read the final ‘Score: x of y’ line.
- If you missed any questions, press the button to practise the questions missed. This gives you another run through the ones you got wrong.
- Press ‘Run again’ to start a fresh round.
The Questions menu sets how long each round is, so a short round is useful for a quick check before you sit down with a longer one. Practising the missed questions is the fastest way to fix the gaps the score shows you.
Short runs are easier to repeat, so start with 5 or 10 questions and increase the number once your score stays high. After a run, open the missed questions straight away while the explanation is fresh. Your progress panel shows how many questions you have seen, how many were right or wrong and how many are waiting for review, and it stays in this browser only.
What are the capital cities of the Australian states and territories?
Each of Australia’s six states and two mainland territories has its own capital city. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart are the state capitals, Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, and Canberra is the national capital in the Australian Capital Territory.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Capital | Bank item |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales (NSW) | State | Sydney | au-052 |
| Victoria (Vic.) | State | Melbourne | au-053 |
| Queensland (Qld) | State | Brisbane | au-054 |
| Western Australia (WA) | State | Perth | au-055 |
| South Australia (SA) | State | Adelaide | au-056 |
| Tasmania (Tas.) | State | Hobart | au-057 |
| Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | Mainland territory | Canberra (national capital) | au-051, au-059 |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Mainland territory | Darwin | au-058 |
Canberra is easy to confuse with Sydney, but Sydney is the capital of New South Wales. Sydney is the nation’s largest city, while Canberra is the national capital. The ACT lies between Sydney and Melbourne, and the Northern Territory is tropical in the north and dry red desert in the south.
Size gives you another way to remember the states. Western Australia is the largest state, Queensland is the second largest, and Tasmania is the smallest. On the mainland, Victoria is the smallest state, because Tasmania is an island separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait.
Icons help too. The Great Barrier Reef runs along Queensland’s eastern coast, and Uluru is a Northern Territory icon. Pairing each capital with one landmark gives you two cues to recall it. When the ‘Why’ note names the state or territory for a capital you missed, note that pairing and return to it in the practise-missed round.
Sample questions and answers
Ten questions from this section of the bank, in booklet page order.
| Question | Correct answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| How many states does Australia have? | Six | Australia has six states and two mainland territories. |
| Which is Australia’s largest city? | Sydney | Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is the nation’s largest city. |
| Which state is described as having a rugged coastline and many famous wine regions? | South Australia | South Australia is described as having a rugged coastline and well-known wine regions. |
| The Great Barrier Reef runs along the coast of which state? | Queensland | The Great Barrier Reef runs along Queensland’s eastern coast. |
| How does the book describe the environment of the Northern Territory? | Tropical in the north and dry red desert in the south | The Northern Territory is tropical in the north and dry red desert in the south. |
| Where is the Australian Capital Territory located? | Between Sydney and Melbourne | The ACT lies between Sydney and Melbourne. |
| Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon are icons of which state or territory? | The Northern Territory | These are listed as Northern Territory icons. |
| What is the capital city of Victoria? | Melbourne | Melbourne is the capital of Victoria. |
| Which state or territory is home to Canberra? | The Australian Capital Territory | The Australian Capital Territory is home to the national capital, Canberra. |
| What is the capital city of South Australia? | Adelaide | Adelaide is the capital of South Australia. |
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Every fact on this page comes from Our Common Bond (Home Affairs, testable section) or the Home Affairs citizenship pages named below, checked on 2026-10-26. Practice questions are original, adapted from Our Common Bond (CC BY 4.0), and are not the official test questions.
Sources
Check yourself: common questions
How many states and territories does Australia have?
Australia has six states and two mainland territories, which makes eight in total. The two mainland territories are the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
What is the capital of Australia?
Canberra is Australia’s national capital. It is in the Australian Capital Territory, which lies between Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is often assumed to be the capital, but it is the capital of New South Wales.
Which state is the largest in Australia, and which is the smallest?
Western Australia is the largest state and Queensland is the second largest. Tasmania is the smallest state, and Victoria is the smallest state on the mainland.
Which state or territory is home to Canberra?
The Australian Capital Territory is home to Canberra. Parliament House and the High Court of Australia are both in Canberra.
Can I redo only the questions I missed?
Yes. After a run, press the button to practise the questions you missed. They are saved in this browser only, and ‘Clear my progress’ removes them.
How many questions are in this quiz?
The states and territories section of our bank holds 33 questions. Run the quiz several times and use the table in the guide to check the pairs you keep missing.
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