I live in Brisbane in Queensland which is 1000klm north of Sydney. Brisbane itself is not renowned for its tourist attractions although there are some great spots nearby - surfing beaches up and down the coast - an hour or so drive and some wonderful national parks which are good for camping. I can let you know some good camping spots if you are interested. August has a tendency to be a bit windy and cool but September can often be a lovely time of year with clear blue skies - warm days and cool nights. Not quite swimming weather although not an impossibility!!! If you travel further north through Queensland near Cairns and Townsville (about another 2,000klm), the weather is great and the best time to be there. Summer is too hot! There's one lesbian B&B I know of in the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns called Witchencroft - some friends stayed there and loved it.Unfortunately I can't find a contact no although I imagine if you write Then there is a gay beach resort at Turtle Cove between Cairns and Port Douglas which I don't have any first hand knowledge about. A bit more expensive Ph 1800806969 e-mail gay@turtlecove.com.au South of Brisbane (2 hours drive) in Northern NSW (absolutely beautiful area) there is another B&B called a Slice of Heaven run by two dykes which is also supposed to be pretty good. I'll keep looking for a contact address for you. Brother/Sister gay/lesbian newpaper has gay accommodation - maybe worth a look www.brothersister.com.au If you are planning to go to North Queensland start there in August and move south for September. Sydney is a great city and I really like Melbourne too. So much to choose from!! If you have any other questions please get back to me. Jen
I live in Sydney and my advise to you would be to stay somewhere close to Newtown or Leichhardt. Newtown has the largest visable lesbian scene in Australia. It has a couple of great lesbian/gay pubs. The Bank Hotel on a Wednesday night is a great lesbian night, nearby, the Landsdowne Hotel has a good mainly lesbian night on Fridays (called Spicy Friday), there is also the Newtown Hotel which is mainly gay guys but not nearly as pretentious as the Oxford Street, Darlinghurst gay boy scene. And there's the Imperial Hotel, which is fairly mixed. Newtown is known as a bit of a cafe strip and attracts a lot of lesbians but also gay guys, uni students, ferals, musicians and other alternate types. Accomodation im not so sure about, but I know that there is a hostel or two around. Newtown is on a major bus route and train line so its easy to get into the city, harbour and other tourist attractions. Leichhardt, (or Dykehardt as it is known) has a slightly less viseable lesbian scene. The Leichhardt Hotel is home to Dykes on Bikes and has a really nice atmosphere. Leichhardt is a little bit more remote though and isn't as close to public transport. Im not sure of the accomodation situation there either? Whatever you do resist the temptation to stay at Kings Cross, there are heaps of hostels there, and its a really interesting place to visit, but I wouldn't ever want to stay there. My girlfriend is a cop there and she see's heaps of travellers that have had all their things stolen from their hostel rooms or held up in the streets etc. Outside of Sydney, well you should go up to the Blue Mountains - its where a lot of lesbian couples go to retire - they set up a B&B and live happily ever after in the mountains. Its very beatiful up there and as I said has a large lesbian community (although because they are all settled couples, I don't think there is much of a scene apart from a cafe scene) When you get to Sydney, pick up a copy of Lesbians On The Loose (LOTL) at gay friendly cafes. LOTL advertises lesbian accomodation as well as the usual whats on, etc. Its published monthly and is free. August/September isn't that cold in Sydney, actually it never is all that cols in Sydney, it has a coastal influence that keeps the temperatures quite moderate for most of the year. Hope you have a great time, wherever you go.