Australasian Pub Quiz Championships

Over the last few years, pub quiz in Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific nations has become more and more popular. A trivia night was even the focus of the Big Little Lies book, which is set in Australia. It’s so popular, in fact, that a new international quiz competition starts this month. Two bar trivia companies, TriviaWorks and Quizzing Australia, launched the Australasian Pub Quiz Championships, set to begin April 28. Venues in Sydney, Canberra, and Wellington will host games.

The Australian pub quiz community is tight-knit, and the continent is home to a number of quiz-centric businesses and organizations. Several companies promoting fun, competitive trivia nights have popped up in the country within the last decade, ranging from TriviaWorks, an alliance of independent quiz companies across the continent, and Quizzing Australia, which bills itself as an organization for serious trivia enthusiasts.

Australians often excel at geography questions because they’re well-traveled, says Mark Donehue, an education lecturer at Deakin University in Victoria who also runs his own trivia company. Donehue was profiled by Deakin last year and discussed bar trivia’s growing popularity, specifically in Melbourne. He also says, despite the competition, pub quiz can be a relaxing, unique social outing. Plus, as technology advances, so do trivia games.

“In this world of go-go-go, it is worth the time to enjoy ourselves and have a great time – trivia does this,” Donehue said.