About Australia (Travel Information)
Gay and lesbian in Australia
Year by year Australia grows in popularity as a Queer destination. Even as far back as 1832 a Select Committee of the British Parliament noted the popularity of “alternative lifestyles” among the colonists. Today, the beautiful people flock down under, lured by the conducive climate and laidback lifestyle and eager to hang out with the homeboys on balmy beaches and sun-kissed city streets.

Despite its reputation as a macho culture, Australia revels in a large and active scene: you’ll find an air of confidence and a sense of community that is often missing in other countries – and, what’s more, it’s friendly and accessible.

The colonists transported English law to Australia, but in 1972 South Australia was the first state to enact decriminalization, followed the next year by the ACT and Northern Territory. Surprisingly, Victoria and New South Wales (generally thought of as liberal states) delayed similar legislation until the 1980s. Less surprisingly, Queensland took the plunge only in 1991 while it took a decade of constant petitioning from the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group, and pressure from the Federal Government and the UN Human Rights Committee for the law to change in Tasmania in 1997. In Western Australia there’s still an age of consent of 21, whereas the ages of consent in ACT and Victoria (both 16), SA and Tasmania (both 17), are the same as the heterosexual age. In the Northern Territory and NSW, the homosexual age of consent is 18.

In Queensland, the age of consent for homosexuals depends on the sexual act practised, with anal sex outlawed until 18 but otherwise 16. Sex between women is either not mentioned in state laws or is covered by the heterosexual age. The foreign partner in a de facto gay relationship can apply to immigrate to or permanently reside in Australia, a much better situation than in many countries, but the current battle Australian gay and lesbian lobby groups are waging is to make same sex relationships completely equal in the eyes of the law as heterosexual ones, in terms of marriage, next of kin rights, superannuation and age of consent.

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Today, Australia is testimony to the power of the pink dollar, and there’s an abundance of gay venues, services, businesses, travel clubs, country retreats and the like.

Australia is definitely the place to watch Men At Work – and at play. Aussie boys get a lot of sun and sport – although the scene is a lot more diverse than simply tan and toned muscle, and the community is so large that there’s bound to be something for everyone. One thing’s for certain: you won’t be bored. Just remember to pack your trunks, snorkel and fins, your clubbing gear and some barbecue tongs.

Australian dykes are refreshingly open and self-possessed – a relief after the more closed and cliquey scene in Europe. The flip side of their fearlessness is the predominance of S&M on the scene. Maybe the climate has something to do with it, but you’ll see a good deal of tattoos and pierced flesh around.

Dyke scenes are nothing if not mercurial, and Australia is no exception. We’ve done our best to list bars, clubs and meeting places, but be warned that venues open, change their names, change hands, shut for refurbishment, get relaunched at a new address and finally go out of business with frightening rapidity.

AIDS
Australia is, by and large, very AIDS aware. Safe sex has a prominent place on the scene and you’ll probably find that you have an amazing variety and quantity of safe-sex gear thrust upon you as you travel around. Australia responded early to the AIDS threat and the federal government and most state governments have been relatively progressive, funding a range of AIDS organizations.

As you might expect, Sydney has the majority of Australia’s AIDS cases, and the support networks are well established here and in the other major cities.

Where and how to go
Sydney is the jewel in Australia’s luscious navel. Firmly established as one of the world’s great gay cities – only San Francisco can really rival it – it attracts lesbian and gay visitors from around the world. And if this can be overwhelming at times (the gossip alone has been known to drive people to the other side of the continent), Australia has plenty more to offer. Melbourne closely follows the scene in Sydney, but for a change of pace, take a trip to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Perth, Adelaide and Darwin all have smaller, quieter scenes.

Away from the cities, things get more discreet, but a lot of country areas do have very friendly local scenes – impossible to pinpoint, but easy to stumble across. Australians on the city scene are a friendly bunch, but in a small country town they get really friendly, so if there’s anything going on you’ll probably get invited along.

The Outback covers the vast majority of the Australian continent and is, in European terms, sparsely populated. Mining and cattle ranching are the primary employers and they help to create a culture not famed for its tolerance of homosexuality. Tread carefully: bear in mind that Ayers Rock may be 2000km from Sydney as the crow flies, but in many ways it’s a million miles away in terms of attitudes.

The Australian Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association (AGLTA) is a dynamic organization dedicated to turning Australia into the premier destination for gay and lesbian tourists from all over the world. They give their seal of approval to accommodation, resorts, travel agents and promoters that provide the attitude or atmosphere that today’s gay globetrotter demands – and their Gay and Lesbian Tourism Services Directory covers retreats, guesthouses and country lodges across Australia, not just in the cities.

Gay and lesbian contacts
  • AIDS organizations ACON (AIDS Council of NSW), PO Box 350, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 (tel 02/9206 2000 or free call 1800/063 060); AIDS Trust of Australia, PO Box 1030, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 (tel 02/9281 0600); Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Diseases (ANCARD), PO Box 9848, Canberra, ACT 2601 (tel 02/6289 4381); National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), PO Box 876, Darlinghurst NSW 1300 (tel 02/9281 1999, fax 9281 1044). www.acon.org.au.
  • Personal contacts Country Network, PO Box 192, Subiaco WA 6904 (tel 08/9385 1366; CountryOz@queer.org.au; www.pinkboard.com.au~countrynetwork), is a mainly urban gay and lesbian friendship network. Country Oz is an email network linking gay guys in rural Australia.
  • Press and multimedia Two monthly national gay and lesbian glossy magazines are widely available at newsagents: Campaign, 1st floor, 36 Fitzroy St, Marrickville NSW 2204 (tel 02/9550 1546, fax 9516 5625; $6.50); and Outrage, 85 King William St, Fitzroy, VIC 3065 (tel 03/9926 1122; $5.95). LOTL (Lesbians on the Loose), PO Box 1099, Darlinghurst 1300 (tel 02/9380 6528, fax 9380 6529), is a monthly publication available at lesbian and gay venues. Each major capital has excellent free gay newspapers, like the Sydney Star Observer or Melbourne’s Brother Sister that give the local low-down. There are also some very useful websites, the best of which is www.outbiz.com.au foron-line gay and lesbian business and community information and links to other sites, including that of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The ALSO Foundation, based in Victoria, also have a good website containing their directory: www.also.org.au.
  • Tourist services AGLTA (Australian Gay and Lesbian Tourism Association), PO Box 208, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 (tel 08/8379 7498, fax 8379 2483) produces the Gay and Lesbian Tourism Services Directory. It’s free, but there’s a small charge for overseas postage.