Best Australian Gay Beaches – Gay Star News

Australian gay beaches - pixabay

Australia is a paradise.

Well, spiders aside, it is.

Their beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world, with golden sand and sapphire seas just moments from the cultural centers of their cities. They all happen to be populate by hottest people on Earth too. It’s perfect: you just have to avoid a jellyfish here and there.
But as with most things in this world, the way to make those sandy paradises even better is to make it gay. So while it’s summer in the southern hemisphere, strip down and check out all the clothing-optional and gay beaches in Australia.

North Bondi Beach

You have to stress the north in this Australia gay beach because the further you travel in that direction, the gayer it gets. While Bondi Beach proper is for families, head to the right section and you’ll find other gay people, many of whom choose to sunbathe naked. This is probably the most famous beach, so it’s going to be busy.

Drinking is prohibited on the beach annoyingly, but there are plenty of bars on the strip running alongside it. Just make sure you put some clothes on.

By Tom Capon – Full Story at Gay Star News

Australia Gay Travel Resources

Ocean Road Tours – Victoria, Australia Gay Tour Operator

Ocean Road Tours

Ocean Road Tours is the result of decades of experience visiting the Great Ocean Road and 16 Years of Tour Guiding around Australia.

When designing the tour we put ourselves in your place and asked ourselves “would we be happy with that?”

We had a look at the existing tours and decided to start at the beginning and every time we set up something new we asked ourselves, “would we be happy with that?”

Our tours are all about giving everyone the best possible day tour you can have. We believe there can be no half measures when you are visiting us for a once in a lifetime experience.

I would want the best affordable service I can get, so why shouldn’t you expect the same?

See the Ocean Road Tours Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Victoria Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

 

Sennen House – New Zealand Gay Friendly Guesthouse

Sennen House - New Zealand Gay Friendly Guesthouse

Indulge in the timeless elegance, luurious comforts & Victorian charm of this unique heritage-registered gem.

Set in 5 acres, yet only a stroll to Picton’s amenities, Sennen House offers unique and private accommodation.

Relax on sunny verandahs with views to grounds, hills or sea beyond.

See the Sennen House Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Picton Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Gay Brisbane – Gay Star News

Gay Brisbane

Living Gay Brisbane is a young gay guy living in Brisbane – the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. On his blog, Living Gay Brisbane shares personal and lifestyle stories.

We caught up with Living Gay Brisbane for some local insights into how to get the most out of a visit to one of Australia’s most vibrant and exciting cities.

How long have you lived in Brisbane?

I’ve lived in Brisbane for three years now. When I first moved here I was still in the closet, and very unsure about myself. Luckily I’ve come a long way since then.

What’s it like, living in Brisbane?

I’m very confident about being a gay man in Brisbane now. In my experience, it’s a very safe and accepting place.

In the recent postal survey on marriage equality, Brisbane returned an 80 percent response in favour or marriage equality.

By Gareth Johnson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Brisbane Gay Travel Resources

Queer Boracay, Philippines – Gay Star News

queer Boracay, Philippines

The Philippines is a fascinating country. Consisting of over 7,000 islands, this is a part of the world that you can spend months exploring. However if you only have limited time and you’re wanting a bit of a beach holiday, then you are going to end up at queer Boracay.

Boracay is one of the best beaches in Asia, and when you are looking at beach holidays in the Philippines then Boracay is probably the easiest one to get to – normally about a one hour flight from the capital Manila. I was in Manila in June 2014 – spending time with my friends Silba and Deanna (and their young son Harvey).

Caticlan is the airport that services Boracay. Once you land at Caticlan you have to take a short bus trip and then a short ferry ride in order to get to Boracay.

We were staying at Jony’s Beach Resort – friendly and modern, just across the road from the beach. After a couple of margaritas looking out over the water, we strolled along the beach to find somewhere for dinner. The beach is full of bars and restaurants – it reminded me a little bit of Koh Samui in Thailand.

By Gareth Johnson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

Exploring Queer New Zealand

Queer New Zealand - Queenstown

Blessed with unreal natural wonders in practically every direction you look, New Zealand really is the otherworldly wonderland presented to moviegoers in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

To fly into New Zealand’s South Island from Australia is to experience humankind at our most predictable. At the first sighting of the twisty, mountainous, and lambspeckled landscape, everyone looks out of the plane’s windows in a simultaneous craning and angling of necks, and a rapid fire snapping of smartphone photos. In short, calling New Zealand pretty is like calling Liberace a modest dresser. New Zealand is a jaw-dropper.

Even better, the country is tailor-made for hassle-free tourism. Its roadways are elegantly paved, its people attentive and well mannered, even its ubiquitous grazing sheep (which outnumber humans nearly 18 to one) bare the uniform appearance of having all been recently shorn. What it lacks in dazzling cities and gay life, it makes up for in scenery so sublime even America’s most divided citizenry can agree it’s just beautiful all over the place.

There are few “queens” in Queenstown, where my friend Ryan and I enjoy an early evening arrival in balmy March. A city that would disappoint gay travelers in search of finger-snapping drag queens, a randy leather bar, or the appearance of an occasional rainbow flag, it nevertheless fires up the imagination of even the most armchair adventure seeker.

Hardly a major city (pop. 14,300), Queenstown is more like a chic base camp. If you’ve ever idled in Cairns en route to the Great Barrier Reef, overnighted in Arusha before hiking Kilimanjaro, or shacked up in a chalet before skiing the slopes of Whistler Mountain, then Queenstown will be instantly familiar. It’s a razzle-dazzle lakeside city where nobody is a true local and everyone rises and shines at the crack of dawn in search of nearby adventure—and there are plenty of them.

By Jason A. Heidemann – Full Story at Passport

New Zealand Gay Travel Resources

Backpacking in Australia – Breakaway Backpacker

Ayers Rock Pixabay

You know how in video games; the main character is always on the go with nothing but the supplies he can carry on his back? Backpacking lets you live as a video game character as you set forth on the great adventure of discovering the world and meeting new faces along the way.

See the world like never before

Backpacking is you as the main character of an RPG, taking on side quests, conquering monsters, and saving the world. Well, the quests are menial jobs to support yourself as you go, and the monsters are your fears and the saving the world bit might be a stretch, but you get the point.

Travelling the world, the way these backpackers do, immerses you in a full mix of culture and challenges, wherein you come out a brand-new person. And with its vast open spaces, heritage, and abundance of kangaroos, Australia is a place like no other. In fact, you might fall in love with the city and stay there forever.

For a small continent, it has enough places for you to stay for more than a year.

By Jaime Davila – Full Story at Breakaway Backpacker

Australia Gay Travel Resources

The Gay Philippines – Gay Star News

Manila - Gay Philippines - Pixabay

The Gay Philippines is the most gay-friendly country in Asia, whose gay community has developed its own culture. ‘Bakla’ means homosexual in the Filipino language, while gay people are often considered a 3rd gender.

The LGBT community of the Philippines enjoys the majority of the human rights, especially compared to other Asian countries. Same-sex marriage isn’t legal there yet unfortunately, but it has been discussed several times by the Congress.

In addition to the good living standards of the country’s gay community, Philippines is an excellent destination for gay vacations. You could take your friends or your other half. Gay families are also welcome. The resorts are capable of giving you a full experience of the destination featuring a wide diversity of activities that you can do with your family.

Keep reading to discover some of the most popular gay destinations in the Philippines, and see some of the best gay-friendly hotels and resorts!

By Paraskevas Sklavos – Full Story at Gay Star News

Recipe for Colombian Ajiaco – Nomadic Boys

Ajiaco - Nomadic Boys

Ajiaco is delicious Colombian comfort food. It is a chicken and potato soup, particularly popular in the capital city, Bogota.

A typical Colombian ajiaco soup contains 3 different varieties of potatoes and the galinsoga herb. Locally this herb is called guasca and interestingly in the USA this herb is considered a weed and referred to as gallant soldier or potato weed. In the UK it’s got an even cooler nickname – soldiers of the Queen.

The potatoes include white and red potatoes, as well as the Andean papa criolla potato, which is smaller and slightly yellow in colour.

Our recipe for Colombian ajiaco is good for 6-8 servings and is ideally served with rice and sliced avocado.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

The 4 Most Underrated Australia Queer Events

Wild costumes, oversized floats, film festivals and fabulous live performances – it draws a reported 500,000 spectators a year, everyone in the world knows about Sydney’s annual dusk till dawn Mardi Gras party.

Though Sydney might have earned the moniker “gayest city on earth” with its festivities, for the discerning LGBT Aussie it’s certainly not the only live attraction around. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest and best festivals and gatherings to keep you occupied for the whole year.

Midsumma Festival

Midsumma Festival

Started in Melbourne in 1989, this 3 week queer extravaganza looks to celebrate everything LGBT and more. It brings 120,000 people together every year just for its enormous opening day carnival. Consisting of hours of free music, entertainment and hundreds of stalls with plenty of food, fun, dancing and drinks – and that’s just the first day!

Across the rest of three weeks you can expect to enjoy such events as the Australia Day Picnic at Forest Glade Gardens, a 50,000 strong Pride March and an LGBTIQ sports day with 17 groups competing in a variety of sports. With 150 events in total there’s something for everyone from art lovers to families.

Brisbane Queer Film Festival

This is one for the movie buffs, turning 18 this year the Brisbane Queer Film Festival has long promoted queer cinema from Australia and around the world. Recognized alongside other international queer-centric festivals in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, the festival runs from March 10-18th every year. The stated intent of the festival is to showcase a diverse screening of inclusive films that really reflect the modern LGBTIQ experience.

Alice Springs’ Pride Carnival

The celebrations aren’t just confined to major cities anymore. Relatively new to the LGBTIQ festival scene, the carnival seeks to promote sexual diversity across all the different cultures of Australia. Special focus is given to Brotherboys and Sistergirls trans communities of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders that have existed long before European settlers came to Australia.

The weekend long September festival includes art exhibitions, a fair day, travelling performers, a dog show and stalls amongst many other attractions. So if you’re in the Northern Territories, now is the perfect time to check it out.

Feast Festival

On the books since 1997 Adelaide’s premier event for LGBIT causes, Feast Festival is a worthy entry on our list. Remarkably, it is counted as the third biggest queer festival in the country. The extravaganza was headlined last year by pop idol Danii Minogue and takes place over 2 weeks, centred on the Raj House in Adelaide’s East End. The festival is very arts-centric with theatre and fringe performances occurring throughout, alongside dances and the obligatory bombastic carnival. The festival also plays host to important forums for discussion of queer issues and culture, for the heady types amongst you.

Party On

While these are some of the bigger festivals that have drawn our interest, they’re far from the only game in town. Pride events in Perth and the Chillout Festival in Victoria are just a few more that escaped the attentions of this list; however you can keep up with all the latest gay festival news on sites like emen8.com.au amongst others.

Whatever kind of festivity suits your style it’s clear that Australia has a variety of parties and events for every taste. So pack your bags, body glitter and costumes because this year is going to be a real celebration.