Stay and hang with queers in Sydney

In Newtown, spread out on the grass at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, then dig through the op shops along King Street, the inner west's queer high street. Ride the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and snorkel with blue gropers in the calm water at Shelly Beach. Sail back to the city as the sun sinks behind the Harbour Bridge. Evenings belong to drag, either at the Newtown Hotel just up the road or at the Imperial in Erskineville, the pub that starred in Priscilla.

From mid-February into March, Mardi Gras fills the city, from the Fair Day picnic in Victoria Park to the parade glittering down Oxford Street. It is a few weeks of pure joy, and everyone joins in.