Stay and hang with queers in Melbourne

Afternoons in Fitzroy North go from a picnic under the elms in the Edinburgh Gardens to orange wine in the courtyard at Bernie's, a queer bar built around lesbian joy. Take the tram to St Kilda for the beach and a rummage through Hares & Hyenas, the queer bookshop under the stairs at the Victorian Pride Centre. At dusk, make your way to the end of St Kilda Pier and watch the little penguins come home to the breakwater. Saturdays end on Smith Street in Collingwood, where New Guernica's queer club night fills three rooms until the small hours.

From mid-January, Midsumma brings three weeks of queer theatre and parties, opening with a carnival in Alexandra Gardens. In between, cool off at the outdoor Fitzroy Pool and stretch out on the lawn with whoever you met last night.