Australia’s LGBTQ+ hotspots

A welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, Australia was one of the first countries to legalise same-sex marriage in 2017, and cities across the country run regular events for the queer community and allies.

If you’re thinking about moving to a new city, and want to be part of a queer community, and meet likeminded people, then read on! By analysing multiple factors, from dating app search demand, through to the number of LGBTQ+ hotspots, we’ve identified the queer hotspots of Australia – whether you’re looking for love, new friends, or some fun.

1. Sydney, New South Wales

Sydney is officially the most LGBTQ+-friendly city in Australia, with more events than anywhere else, at 18; as well as the joint highest percentage of same-sex couples, at 0.318% of the population.

Not only does Sydney host a Pride Festival every June, but it holds a gay and lesbian Mardi Gras for a few weeks over February and March too, full of theatre, parties, and live music.

With so many opportunities to meet new people, Sydney also has the most LGBTQ+ bars on our list, at 12. Stonewall’s perhaps the most iconic, spread over three floors with drag shows on every weekend; and Arq another great place to dance.

2. Melbourne, Victoria

With a population of 4,246,375, Melbourne comes in second place for LGBTQ+ hotspots in Australia, with the second most events and festivals (11), and the joint third most LGBTQ+ bars and clubs (8).

However, if you’d rather meet a potential partner on a dating app, then Melbourne’s a great place for that, with the joint third most searches for the likes of Grindr, scruff, and Romeo.

3. Adelaide, South Australia

The third top LGBTQ+ hotspot in Australia is Adelaide, with the most searches for queer dating apps than any other city, at 19.9 per 10,000 people.

If you want to take your quest for love offline, then Adelaide is the perfect place to move to, with nine LGBTQ+ events and festivals taking place over the year, as well as five dedicated gay bars and clubs. From lunch meetups to queer bingo nights, there’s no end of socialising opportunities where you can potentially meet that special someone.

4. Brisbane, Queensland

With the second most searches for queer dating apps, and the joint third most LGBTQ+ events and festivals, Brisbane makes it into fourth place.

Brisbane Pride Festival runs for a month from the end of August, with lots of events meaning you can make new friends; in addition to Brisbane’s Big Gay Day. Each year there’s a theme, with this year’s ‘Wickham of Oz’, with music and drag performances taking place to raise money for local LGBTQIA+ charities.

5. Geelong, Victoria

Rounding off our top five LGBTQ+ hotspots in Australia is Geelong. On the smaller side, with a population of 226,034, the city has the second highest safety score at 76 – super important if you’ve just moved to a new city, or you’re meeting people you don’t know.

Not only that, but the state of Victoria has the second most number of same-sex couples, at 0.257%.

6. Newcastle, New South Wales

Newcastle is another queer-friendly hotspot, with New South Wales the state with the most same-sex couples, at 0.318%.

Newcastle Pride hosts monthly queer-friendly nights; and if you’re single and ready to mingle, head over to Bernie’s Bar, which hosts its own regular events, covering everything from burlesque shows, through to jazz nights.

7. Perth, Western Australia

In seventh place is Perth, with the joint fifth most LGBTQ+ clubs and bars. If you’re new to the city, head to The Flaming Galah in Fremantle, or Connections, which is probably the most iconic gay club in the city, with a huge dance floor, chilled out lounge, and pretty terrace, where you can chat with newfound friends.

8. Gold Coast, Queensland

With eight LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, the Gold Coast makes it into eighth place as a queer hotspot, with lots of opportunities to find love, and make new friends.

The state of Queensland has the third highest percentage of same-sex couples, at 0.2%, and the city itself has two main LGBTQ+ festivals every year. One of these is Gold Coast Pride, with parties and mixers, as well as a cute artisan fair, and lots of talks and forums.

9. Wollongong, New South Wales

Wollongong is the ninth LGBTQ+ hotspot in Australia, with the joint highest percentage of same-sex couples, at 0.32%, as well as the second most gay bars and clubs, at nine.

Whether you’re new to the city, or just want to meet new people, then head to Castro’s, which is one of the best queer bars in Wollongong, for a night of drinks and dancing

10. Hobart, Tasmania

Rounding off our top 10 LGBTQ+ hotspots in Australia is Tasmania’s capital, Hobart. It has the highest safety score on our list (one of the most important things when moving to a new place), as well as four LGBTQ+ events and festivals.

This includes TasPride, which takes place every February with a parade and party in the park, with funds raised to support the state’s queer community.

How to find love in a new city

Moving to or visiting a new city is both daunting and exciting, with a whole new dating pool opened up to you. But if you’ve not got friends to introduce you to potential matches, it can be hard knowing how to go about finding love. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

1. Lean into your hobbies

Whether you’ve moved to a new city or been there for years but want to expand your social circle, the easiest way to put yourself out there is by doing something you love.

From team sports through to yoga, a crochet class or book club, you just might find romance, or if not, make new friends that could introduce you to your special someone.

2. Join meet-up groups

If you don’t know anyone, and don’t fancy turning up to a bar alone, then why not join a meet-up group instead? An easy way to build out your friendship base, you’ll have a ready-made group of people to have conversations with, and see if there’s a spark. And even if you don’t meet the love of your life, you might just find your new best friend.

3. Be proactive

If you want to be intentional about your dating, then downloading the apps will help you connect with other nearby singles. There might also be IRL singles’ events in your city that you can sign up for, to help you add another layer in your quest for love!

So, whether you’ve moved to a new city and recently started seeing someone new, or you’re in a long-term relationship and want to spice things up, why not experiment with some anal beads or butt plugs?

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Methodology

Sources:

• Australia largest cities and populations - https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/australia
• LGBTQ+ festivals/events – https://australianpridenetwork.com.au/lgbtiq-festivals/
• LGBTQ+ clubs/bars - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ and https://www.travelgay.com/
• Dating app search volume – Google Ads Keyword Planner, found here: https://ads.google.com/intl/en_uk/home/tools/keyword-planner/
• Safety score - https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings.jsp
• Same-sex couples percentages - https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/same-sex-couples-living-together-australia#where-do-same-sex-couples-live-

Methodology:

We compiled a list of the 20 largest cities in Australia, based on population. The data for each factor was then gathered and indexed. The scores for all factors were then summed, and this was then normalised to convert all values to positive, leaving a total score. The cities were ranked from highest to lowest, based on this total score, with a higher score producing a better ranking with a maximum score of 100.

The factors are as follows:

• LGBTQ+ festivals/events – The number of LGBTQ+ festivals/events in each city.
• LGBTQ+ clubs/bars – The number of LGBTQ+ clubs/bars for each city as listed on Tripadvisor.
• Dating app search volume – The total search volume in each city on Google, over the past year, for LGBTQ+ dating apps (Grindr, Scruff, Romeo) per 10,000 people.
• Safety score – The safety score for each city on Numbeo.
• Same-sex couples % - The % of couples in each state that were same sex, as of 2021.

The factors will be normalised as follows:

• LGBTQ+ festivals/events – High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• LGBTQ+ clubs/bars - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Dating app search volume - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Safety score - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.
• Same-sex couples % - High values get a high score. Low values get a low score.

The indexed values gave scores of between 0 and 1, except for festivals and clubs, where we applied a penalty of -0.5 for locations with a value of 0.

All data is correct as of 03.06.2024