Must-See LGBTQ+ Sites in New South Wales, Australia

If you’re heading to Sydney WorldPride or just planning a fun leisure trip to Australia, you don’t want to miss out on exploring New South Wales (NSW) and these must-see LGBTQ+ historic sites. 

As leading LGBTQ+ advocates from around the globe are set to make history at Sydney WorldPride’s Human Rights Conference on March 1-3, we wanted to offer some travel inspiration with these historic LGBTQ+ sites in Sydney and NSW that highlight the community’s joy, activism, and community. Queer travelers can explore the beginnings of Australia’s gay liberation, wander the world-famous “Golden Mile,” and immerse themselves in the community as history continues to be made in NSW’s LGBTQIA+ bars and spaces. 

Australia Says ‘Yes’ to Marriage Equality

After a three-month voting period via postal survey, on November 15, 2017, Australia learned that the public had voted in favor of marriage equality. While same-sex marriage wasn’t legalized until December 9, 2017, the day was marked with celebrations and proposals across Sydney, including an impromptu parade down Oxford Street. 

Thousands of LGBTQ+ folx and allies gathered in Surry Hills’ Prince Alfred Park on the day of the announcement. You can visit this special site and follow the rainbow-marked walking path on the lawn, re-named Equality Green, created in 2019 to commemorate the moment. To celebrate the good news, street artist Scottie Marsh painted a mural of ex-Prime Minister (and anti-same-sex marriage campaigner) Tony Abbott marrying himself in nearby Redfern, on the corner of Pitt and Redfern Street – you can still snap a photo in front of it today. 

As one of the world’s leading LGBTQIA+ cities, Sydney’s queer history and culture run deep and remain strong. Learn more about it at the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference, a three-day event where 60 local and international speakers will come together across panels, interactive workshops, and more to create impactful change around LGBTQ+ injustices and issues. 

The First Mardi Gras

This 44-year-old LGBTQ+ celebration actually started with a truck blasting the classic songs “Ode to a Gym Teacher” and “Glad to be Gay,” trailed by a growing group of LGBTQ+ people dancing and chanting “out of the bars and into the streets!”

In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, LGBTQIA+ Sydneysiders rallied down Oxford Street on the night of June 24, 1978 — as they reached the city, Darlinghurst Police confiscated the truck playing the music. Two thousand people marched towards Kings Cross, which was the first LGBTQ+-friendly area in Australia, and it’s also where they were met with police brutality. Fifty-three people were arrested that night, prompting an annual Mardi Gras march to demand equality. 

Later moved to the warmer month of March, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is now one of Sydney’s most famous events, with an estimated 500,000 people attending in 2019 to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride and progress. And next year, Sydney WorldPride 2023 is set to be the biggest and brightest Pride celebration yet, with over 200 floats and plenty of free viewing areas along Oxford Street, as well as premium viewing spaces. 

The Birth of Oxford Street 

While homosexuality wouldn’t be decriminalized in NSW until 1984, Oxford Street in Sydney has been home to gay clubs since 1969 with Ivy’s Birdcage and Capriccio’s. Through the ‘70s and ‘80s, these spaces — mostly owned by Dawn O’Donnell, who identifies as lesbian, able to run her venues through nefarious connections — were among the few in Australia where the local LGBTQ+ community could be themselves. 

Oxford Street and Darlinghurst remain a place of pride and the heart of the queer community in Sydney. Countless clubs have come and gone across the decades, but the ‘Golden Mile,’ named for its glitter and glamour, remains as vital as ever. Head out for a night of dancing at iconic LGBTQ+ clubs like Universal Sydney and Stonewall Hotel or at Palms’ underground disco bunker; catch a drag production at The Oxford Hotel; enjoy the sunshine at The Colombian’s recently refurbished rooftop; or hit up the Sunday sessions at The Beresford Hotel, which everyone calls ‘the Bero.’ 

And in the daytime, you can spend time exploring community hubs like The Bookshop Darlinghurst, home to a wealth of LGBTQ+ literature and resources for more than 40 years, and House of Priscilla, the one-stop shop for all things drag. Learn more about the area’s history with a self-guided walking tour, or head on a journey through historic streets with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of kooky ‘nuns’ and queer historians. 

Australia’s First Mainstream LGBTQIA+ Film

While The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert wasn’t Australia’s first film about LGBTQ+ people (that goes to the 1970 film The Set), it arguably remains the country’s most iconic and beloved – and a fantastic primer if you’ve never visited the Australian Outback before. 

The 1994 film, starring Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, tells the story of three touring Sydney drag queens en route to Alice Springs and was mostly filmed in the outback mining town of Broken Hill. Embracing the film, the town hosts the annual Broken Heel Festival in September, where Australian drag excellence flock to the desert for four days of non-stop performance. The town has a thriving drag scene all year round. We recommend that you stay in the Priscilla Suite at The Palace Hotel (which was featured in the film) and attend a drag bingo night or karaoke night. And in Sydney’s inner west, the second heart of LGBTQ+ culture in Sydney, The Imperial Hotel pays tribute to the film’s opening scene, which was filmed in their front bar, with their Drag N’ Dine performances. 

Ready for your trip to Australia to explore NSW LGBTQ+ sites? Visit Sydney.com for more travel inspiration and info on how to plan your trip to Sydney.