Whale Trivia

Whale Trivia Whale Trivia is a fun quiz night hosted by me, 'Simmo' Whale, at the North Strathfield Hotel each Tuesday! It usually runs for 1 and a half to 2 hours.

I am also available for private, corporate or charity shows as well as public speaking and presentation training, perfect for students. Whale Trivia began in 2004 as a one off show on Melbourne Cup day at the Bald Rock Hotel which then became a monthly show. Soon, locals demanded a weekly show and since 2005 Whale Trivia has been a regular event each week virtually all year round. These days, I do

two shows a week:
- Tuesdays at Cookies Lounge Bar, North Strathfield - 7pm (app.) Since 2011
- Thursdays at the Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle - 7:30pm (app.) Since 2004

About the show:
The show consists of two halves of 20 questions with a weekly jackpot questionnaire at the end. There are regular voucher prizes for the teams that come 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 2nd last (that's right, 2nd last, you've got to at least try!) Plus there is my patented (not actually patented) "Special Bonus Floating Prize" that could go to any of the other ranked teams on the night. Plus there are other chocolate and voucher giveaways during the night! About the host:
Simon 'Simmo' Whale has spent almost his entire working life in some form of customer service. In 2002 he began hosting the weekly trivia show for FAME Trivia at the Commercial Hotel in East Balmain (now The East Village Hotel). But, due to his popularity and professionalism, that one night soon became 2, then 3 and once Whale Trivia began, 4 nights a week. Some other venues he hosted for a length of time are; the North Annandale Hotel (for FAME Trivia), the Mortdale Hotel (for FAME Trivia), Bar Cleveland, Surrey Hills ('09-'10), The Pine Inn, Burwood ('17-'21) and The Dry Dock Hotel ('08-'21), Balmain. His association with FAME Trivia came to an end in 2008 and since then he has worked almost purely as Whale Trivia.

27/05/2026

"Four (in) the (team), I was sure, that (we) would (win tonight)
We'd (oi) a little (more), (win) a little (choc)
Four (in) the (team), I was sure, never seeing clear
(We) could have it all, if only you('d turned up)"
{ - Four To The Floor by Starsailor - 2004 - From the UK, Starsailor formed in 2000, their first three singles reached the top 20 and up until late 2006, all their singles made the UK top 40. But then things dropped off and they disbanded in 2009. They have since reformed and released a couple of more albums. 'Four To The Floor', from their 2nd album, reached 24 on the UK charts but was #1 in Belgium and France. The songs 'Thin White Duke Mix' was ranked #70 in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2004 and got to #5 on the ARIA charts making 'Four To The Floor' starsailors most successful song internationally}

A rare, very quiet night at the North Strathfield Hotel with only 7 teams coming along this week. And after what happened, a number of regulars will be very disappointed they didn't come along.

Hope to see everyone back soon!

We had two teams tied for the lead at the break and it went right down to the wire but it was "F**k Queensland!!!" 🖕🏻🐸 utilising their regular annual State Of Origin team name who got one more correct and claimed victory.
Not really bothered about coming second were "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Tabasco" 🧑🏻🤩🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣🔴🌶🌶, and you will find out why later!
Trouble was in third place, well at least that's how "The Dithering Delinquents" 😫🥱😤🤔🤬 saw themselves last night and they were very happy with the result.
Given the small number of teams, a quick rundown of everyone else would be appropriate...
4th - "Sefton Mojito" 🤏🏻🏘🍸 with most regulars abandoning the team, a ringer was brought in to help the last remaining member.
5th - The "Trout Sniffers" 🐟👃🏻 who were just a little too smart for their own good. I think my attempt at humour after the show slightly missed the mark, but it is great to see a duo evolve into a much bigger team all having a great time!
2nd Last - "Rummy Mummy" 🥃🤰🏻 were also stoked to score a prize getting a $10 voucher.
Meanwhile, the Special Bonus Floating Prize, in a rare occurrence, went to the team opposite to first, the appropriately named "FAAAHH!" 🤬👉🏻.

The Jackpot 💸 was at 💸💸 $350 💸💸 in vouchers and was won! Thanks to Michelle Yeoh, "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Tabasco" 🧑🏻🤩🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣🔴🌶🌶 got all seven correct and thus next week, we see the Jackpot return to $100 in vouchers. 💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! ☕🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

20/05/2026

"She's into new sensations
New kicks in the candlelight
She's got a new addiction
(Whale Trivia every Tuesday) night"
{ - Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin - 1999 - This was Ricky Martin's English language debut and it came from his fifth album. It was massive hit worldwide reaching #1 in over 20 countries. It is generally considered to be the song that brought Latin pop to the mainstream and paved the way for other Latin pop stars such as J-Lo, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, and Enrique Iglesias. But it also revived careers for other Latino artists and pioneers such as Santana and Gloria Estefan.}

We were lucky last night as we had 13 teams at the North Strathfield Hotel. We also learnt some things that maybe we should just leave there and try not to bring up again in the future... or at least until the next time 'Honest Juan' is in attendance!

A tight race at the break saw two teams tied for the lead, but as has often been the case of late, it was "Livin' La Vida Tabasco" 🎉💃🏻🕺🏻🇵🇷🌶🌶 who got a couple more correct and scored another victory!
Putting in an awesome effort this week, especially when they were missing a few regulars, "Conference Final Mojito" ⛹🏻‍♂️🏅🍸 did their best but had to settle for second place.
It was Birthday time and a lovely cake was had, with some very nicely flavoured icing, and maybe that was why "Lad, I Was Elided From The Iliad!" 🧓🏻💬👉🏻📜🏛 had such a good time but came in third.
The Special Bonus Floating Prize was won by ""2140"" 2️⃣1️⃣4️⃣0️⃣! It looks like their specialty was definitely used to a 'T'!

The Jackpot went West for a theme but was not completed by any teams this week, so, it climbs to $350 in vouchers next week. 💰💲💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🍶🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

13/05/2026

"(Simmo Whale, Oi! Simmo Whale
Simmo Whale, Oi! Trivia
Simmo Whale, Oi! Simmo Whale)"
{ - Doctorin' The Tardis by The Timelords - 1988 - The story behind this song is an interesting one. 'The Timelords' were made up of 'Time Boy', 'Lord Rock' and 'Ford Timelord' aka Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty who were 'The KLF', and Cauty's 1968 Ford Galaxie American Police Car which featured heavily in the film clip for the song. The duo claimed 'Ford' was the talent in the band and the songs writer. They later stated they were deliberately trying to write a number 1 house song using the Doctor Who theme but it wasn't working and they realised they had a glam rock beat and added samples from 'Rock n Roll Part 2' by a now disgraced musician and 'The Sweets' single 'Blockbuster'. The result saw it hit #1 in the UK, #2 in Australia and the top 100 in the US. As UK Sounds magazine put it "a rancid reworking of ancient discs... a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny". No wonder I loved it!}

A deceptive looking crowd was in the house at the North Strathfield Hotel last night. And by that I mean the room did not look that full but we ended up with a dozen teams! And the best part was we had two new teams who had a blast and will definitely be back... and apologies to the team who did all that research on Whales!

As for the quiz itself, it was a familiar tune. With several regular teams being a little less frequent these days, 'Tabasco Supernova' 🌶🌶🌌💥 once again led from start to finish. Looks like I have some work ahead!
When I saw their name I was dreading the possibility of them getting on the podium, but "75 Mojito's" 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸 🎂did just that as they finished in 2nd place... Happy Birthday!
Completing the aforementioned podium were "Jim's Mowing Down Capital Gains" 🧔🏻🚜📈 who got a good pop for their name and finished in third place.
The "Disco Divas" 💃🏻🕺🏻🤩 won the Special Bonus Floating Prize... and given that was what they were aiming for, they were extremely happy! It's not all about coming first when you play Whale Trivia!

The Jackpot very nearly went off but that means next week it climbs to $300 in vouchers! 💰💲💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🥃🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

06/05/2026

"We are the people that rule the (quiz)
A force running in every (Tuesday night)
All rejoicing in the world
(Is what we want, but they just cry)"
{ - We Are The People by Empire Of The Sun - 2008 - This was the second single from the debut album for Australian electronic duo Empire Of The Sun and saw reasonable success here and in the UK. The band had/have a strange relationship with the US though. Their debut single, 'Walking On A Dream' didn't chart in the US till 9 years after its release when it was used in a car commercial. And 'We Are The People' only charted in the US in 2024 when they released their first single in 8 years.}

We had a good crowd in for trivia last night with the place also seeing a good number of regular customers as well. Thank goodness we are done with the long weekends for a while!

Running out to a three point lead in the first half meant it was going to be a big job to catch "Come To Brazil Tabasco" 😁👐🏻👉🏻🇧🇷🌶🌶 and it turned out to be too big as they ended up winning by 2 points.
They had some friends in this week and "Pegasus" 🧚🐴🧚 put them to good use. A strong first half, and the equal best second half score, saw them finish in second place.
The other strong finishing team were "Somehow Related" 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️👩🏻‍🦰🧬👩🏻 who for some reason were not really there, and it seemed to raise more questions than answers based on their team name. They finished third.
A last minute arrival and late receipt of answers sheets were an ominous start for "Sumner" 🧓🏻⚗🔬, but a lot of fun was had and in the end they got to take home the Special Bonus Floating Prize!

The Jackpot did not go off despite some very close attempts, so next week it climbs again to $250 in vouchers. 💰💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🥂🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

29/04/2026

"I (listen) in, now move out - Hands up, now hands down
Back up, back up - Tell me what (did he ask?)
Breathe in, now breathe out - Hands up, now hands down
Back up, back up - Tell me what (to say) now
Keep (oin', oin', oin', oin' - Simmo!)
Keep (oin', oin', oin', oin') - Come on
Keep (oin', oin', oin', oin' - Oi)
Keep (oin', oin', oin', oin' )"
{ - Rollin' by Limp Bizkit - 2000 - Off the back of their controversial set at Woodstock '99 that was the catalyst for the riled up, ripped off crowd, to go into a violent riot that destroyed the festival, LImp Bizkit released Rollin' as their second single from their third album. While one of their better known songs, and their best charting, it also copped criticism with VH1 ranking it as one of the 50 "Most Awesomely Bad Songs". In the US it only reached 65 on the Billboard charts, 11 here in Australia but #1 in the UK and Ireland.}

It was a quiet night at the North Strathfield Hotel following the ANZAC Day weekend, right on the back of the Easter long weekend too. We had 9 teams and quite a lot of players but with all the regular traffic missing, it was eerily peaceful at times. Luckily I hosted trivia and filled the place with noise and fun!

At the break it looked like it was all over with one team running out to a two point lead and the rest strung out behind. Oh, but how wrong would you have been!
In the end we had 4 teams tied in first place. We had a tie breaker and "Magic Mario" 🔮🇮🇹🧙🏼, who had struggled in part 1 but were one away from perfection in part 2, continued that momentum and were closest to the correct answer for the win.
Second closest were the early leaders, "Pokémon Tabasco Red & Tabasco Green" 🐹🌶🌶🔴🌶🌶🟢, so at least they still got a decent reward.
Third furthest away were "Undrafted Mojito" 📝✖🤷🏼‍♂️🍸, who outlasted a few teams to complete the podium.
Kudos to "A Return To Tilting Windmills" ↪️⚔🌬🏭 for giving themselves a shot at glory but falling a little short.
The Special Bonus Floating Prize was met with trepidation by its winners, "Deep" 👇🏻🌊🐋🐟🐙🌊, but when they found out what it was, they left with a sweet smile!

The Jackpot did not go off and so climbs to $200 in vouchers next week! 💰💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🍷🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

22/04/2026

"I see a bad moon rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today
(Time to go out) tonight
(Before), it's bound to take your life
There's a (quiz on at the North Strathfield)"
{ - Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival - 1969 - CCR's 6th single, the first off their third album. It surpassed 'Proud Mary' as their best charting single and is probably their best overall, just. John Fogerty wrote the lyrics after watching a 1941 film in which a town is destroyed by a hurricane and used that as the imagery of the doom heading for us. It was only once they got into the studio and started recording the song, that he realised the dichotomy of the happy melody and gloomy lyrics.}

A busy night at the North Strathfield Hotel but not a lot of trivia teams this week. Even though, we still had a lot of fun!

The field was strung out at the break with every team on a different score apart from two that were tied. Our early leaders, "Runaway Richard Tabasco" 🏃🏼‍♂️🤓🌶🌶 were bolstered with some extra guests this week which forced star quarterback Richard onto the sidelines... at least he got his steps up dashing between tables!
After a few stumbles in the first half, "Yeah Mate! Happy Birthday Simmo!" 👍🏼👷🏼‍♂️🎂🐳 had to fight past a few other teams to end the night in second place... it's hard to keep things quiet when someone shares your birthday... it wasn't yesterday btw... and happy birthday right back!
Another team that featured a number of added extras... including the one from Melbourne... "On The Buses" 🚏🚌🚌 completed the podium this week finishing third.
Back after a brief hiatus and also bringing in some heavy hitters, were the "Flander-ers" 👨🏼👩🏼🧒🏼👦🏼. And they scored one of the most popular Special Bonus Floating Prize staples... no it wasn't staples!

The Jackpot did not go off this week, so it starts to climb again and hits $150 in vouchers next week. 💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🍸🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

15/04/2026

"Everyone's feeling pretty
It's hotter than July (- funny that it's Sydney and it's April - )
Though the world's full of problems
They couldn't touch us even if they tried
From the ('North'), I hear rhythms
(Simmo's) hot on the box
Tonight, there will be (quizzing)
On (George Street, North Strathfield)"
{ - Master Blaster (Jammin') by Stevie Wonder - The song is an ode to Bob Marley, with the reggae sound and references to Marley in the song. It was a huge hit for Wonder, #1 in the reggae loving New Zealand, #2 in the UK and Australia and #5 in the USA.}

Back up to 15 teams this week at the North Strathfield Hotel... hmm it seems we have either had 10 or 15 teams each week this year?!?! Can't remember a different team number total so far.

A week in training saw "Strait Open, Strait Closed, Strait Open, Strait Closed" 🚢👍🏻🚢✋🏻🚢👍🏻🚢✋🏻 return and dominate. They led by three at the break and stayed three clear to secure victory!
"There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Tabasco" 👵🏼👄🌶🌶 were down on numbers a little and interrupted by a bit of shopping, so it is not surprising they couldn't catch the leaders and settled for second.
Also down on numbers, third place saw the "Original Recipe Mojito" ☝🏻📖🥣🍸 prove why they were driving force, the ultimate keepers of knowledge and the strongest members of their team... please note the members of "Original Recipe Mojito" have NOT approved this message!
They felt bad about ruining one of my current affair questions in the second half, so when "I'm Glad Justin Bieber Had YouTube Premium" 😀😥👨🏼‍🎤💻☑ won the Special Bonus Floating Prize, again, the look of joy and relief of being forgiven was clearly visible!

The Jackpot 💸 had been creeping up 💸 and reached 💸💸 $400 💸💸 in vouchers... it won't climb any more 💸 after "Strait Open, Strait Closed, Strait Open, Strait Closed" 🚢👍🏻🚢✋🏻🚢👍🏻🚢✋🏻 rubbed it in everyone's faces 💸 when they showed off their Iberian knowledge 💸 and took home the Jackpot 💸. So next week it reverts back to it's starting position of $100 in vouchers. 💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🍸🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

08/04/2026

"Pure (quizzing)
Pure (quizzing)
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who'll (quiz) is better
Our thoughts compressed, which makes us blessed
(But) makes for stormy weather
A friend in need's a friend indeed
A friend who (Oi's) is better
My friend confessed, she passed the test
(But right she is,) never (ever)"
{ - Pure Morning by Placebo - 1998 - Hopefully no-one from the band reads this as they nicknamed the song 'Pure Boring'. The song reached #4 in their native UK, but surprisingly, hit #40 in the US. It sparked the bands strong and determined push to get into the US market, but it never eventuated. The song became so disliked it was removed from their live sets in 2005 and didn't return until 2016. They play it as their opening song... maybe so they can get it over and done with.}

The North Strathfield Hotel is looking like the place to be on Tuesday nights for a fun night of trivia! And remember, if you want to save some fuel, it's easy to get to using public transport. With buses on Parramatta Road and the nearby North Strathfield Station.

We had 10 teams in the house with almost all of them in contention at the halfway mark.
But it was the early leaders, "Extra Strength Mojito" 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🍸, who just managed to stay there... even though the reason for the extra strength claims he had food poisoning and couldn't make it!
Being stuck in the corner for the first time in a while must have shaken "No One Puts Tabasco In The Corner" 😤🤬👉🏻🌶🌶📐 as a couple of early missteps saw them fall just short in 2nd place despite finishing the strongest.
We were not too sure which one they were on last night, but "Peptides And Pesticides" 💊🧴💨🦟🕷 were on enough of whatever it was as they finished in third place.
Returning to the Special Bonus Floating Prize for the first time in a while was "Pegasus" 🧚🐴🧚 who will be right for both summer and winter starts to the day in the near future!

The Jackpot did not go off this week, so climbs to $400 in vouchers next week. 💰💲💲💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🥃🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

01/04/2026

"Not gonna get you a diamond ring
That sort of gift don't mean anything
Not gonna get you a fancy car
Girl, you gotta know you're my shining star
Not gonna get you a house in the hills
A girl like you needs somethin' real
Wanna get you somethin' from the heart
Somethin' special girl
It's (a booking for Whale Trivia)! (Simmo at North Strathfield), girl"
{ - Dick In A Box by The Lonely Island ft Justin Timberlake - 2009 - Originally a digital short created by The Lonely Island for Saturday Night Live for the 2006 Christmas episode with Justin Timberlake who was host and musical guest. The video quickly went viral and earned its writers, including Timberlake, an Emmy for 'Best Original Music and Lyrics'. The song was released in 2009 as a digital single and on the groups first album. It spurned two sequels; 'Motherlover' which featured Patricia Clarkson and Susan Sarandon in the film clip in 2009 and they reprised their roles in the 2011 final instalment '3 Way (The Golden Rule)' which also featured Lady Gaga.}

We just managed to get to double figures in regards to teams, but once again most were quite decent in size. This saw quite a good number having a bit of fun this week at the North Strathfield Hotel.

One team led by a couple of points in the first half but the rest were pretty tightly packed.
It was a team that was 3 behind at the break who had a perfect second half, and that is how "Hot Cross Mojito" 🔥✖🍸 went from equal third to winning by a single point.
Despite their brilliant start, "Tabasgard" 🌶🌶🏰⚡🦹🏻 could only sit and watch as their opponents hit the nitrous at the right time and sailed past them right at the line.
Another rare privilege, a visit from "Pink Lemonade" 🌸🍹🌷, another third place for the experienced duo... who had a friend this time!!!
A bit reluctant at first, "EDS" 🦅🦆🦢 eventually sent up a team member to collect the Special Bonus Floating Prize and thankfully he stuck around to collect all of it.

The Jackpot did not go off this week and climbs to $350 in vouchers next week. 💰💲💰

Cheers! See you next time, and please, have a Wonderful Week! 🍹🙋🏻‍♂️🌈🐳

Address

7 George St North Strathfield
North Strathfield, NSW
2137

Opening Hours

Monday 7pm - 9pm
Tuesday 7pm - 9pm
Wednesday 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:30pm - 9:30pm

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