Australia

In recent years, Australia has made major strides to promote and protect the rights if LGBTQ+ people in the country. Since the landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage in 2017, the country has continued to work towards a national landscape of inclusivity and equality.

Everyone tends to fly into Sydney as a starting point. Visit the iconic Opera House, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge or chill out on one of the area’s iconic beaches such as Bondi, Manly or Coogee Beach. A lot of people also visit Melbourne to soak up the cafe culture and to visit Neighbours’ iconic Ramsey Street (which is actually a real life street called Pin Oak Court).

Lots of people will visit the Great Barrier Reef on a holiday to Australia. Opt to dive amongst the coral and marine life or simply relax on a boat as you soak up the Australian sunshine.

Some people, mainly backpackers, choose to hire a camper van and drive along the coast or into the outback. There is an increasing number of glampers though with retirees being a popular demographic for getting a luxury camper van and heading out onto the road. Some people also decide to visit Uluru – or Ayers Rock – which is in the middle of the outback. A vast sandstone monolith in the heart of the Australian desert, it’s a sacred site for indigenous Australians.

From Melbourne, quite a lot of people choose to visit the Great Ocean Road. It’s the location of the 12 Apostles, rock formations which burst from the ocean. The road is almost 250km long and has some of Australia’s most breathtaking views and landscapes.

Very few people visit Kangaroo Island, not far from Adelaide. Much of Kangaroo Island is nature reserves, where you’ll find a wide range of wildlife such as sea lions, birds, koalas but also in the west of the island you’ll find the Flinders Chase National Park is known for its stunning penguin colonies.

Another sight that very few people make it to is the opal mining town of Coober Pedy in the middle of the Outback. The whole town feels like stepping onto the planet Mars and it has a population of just 1700 people. Most of its residents live underground homes called “dugouts”, built this way to keep the residents cool from the searing temperatures in the area.

Getting to Australia can be fairly long-winded depending on where you are travelling from. From the UK, prepare yourself for around 24 hours of travel. Most people fly to Sydney via the Far East, but you can also opt to fly to Perth on the west coast or to Melbourne or Adelaide. Major airlines such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas fly to Australia. There are direct flights from Los Angeles to Sydney.