Bottom five
2536.6/100
Albury-Wodonga
NSW and Victoria
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- No Pride event we could find, and no queer bar.
Most Sexually Liberal Cities in Australia 2026
Melbourne is Australia’s most sexually liberal city
We scored the 25 biggest cities on how freely people can love, party, and buy and sell sex. Melbourne came out on top. Sydney? Tenth.
- Attitudes 25 pts
- Queer life 20 pts
- Sex work 25 pts
- After dark 20 pts
- Choice 10 pts
Every city flies its own flag
Each stripe is one part of the score. The longer the stripe, the better the city does. A perfect city would fly the full rainbow. Nobody does: Melbourne gets closest, with 75.2 out of 100.
The parade
From 25th to 1st, one city at a time
Scroll at your own pace. Each city joins the map as it passes. Skip to the top five
Bottom five
2439.9/100
Launceston
Tasmania
- Best at attitudes
- 61% voted Yes to same-sex marriage, and 52% have no religion.
- Weakest on queer life
- No Pride event we could find, and no queer bar.
Bottom five
2340.8/100
Bunbury
Western Australia
- Best at choice
- On request to 23 weeks.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is partly criminalised here. 23 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Bottom five
2242.2/100
Toowoomba
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- No Pride event we could find, and no queer bar.
Bottom five
2144.3/100
Coffs Harbour
New South Wales
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 0 adult shops, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and Little Diggers Beach 4 km away.
Mid-table
2046.6/100
Mackay
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 1 adult shop, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and no nude beach nearby.
Mid-table
1946.7/100
Rockhampton
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- No Pride event we could find, and no queer bar.
Mid-table
1855.9/100
Wollongong
New South Wales
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 4 adult shops, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and Werrong Beach 28 km away.
Mid-table
1756.5/100
Bendigo
Victoria
- Best at choice
- On request to 24 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 1 adult shop, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and no nude beach nearby.
Mid-table
1657.2/100
Townsville
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- Gurambilbarra Townsville Pride, but no queer bar.
Mid-table
1557.7/100
Hobart
Tasmania
- Best at attitudes
- 70% voted Yes to same-sex marriage, and 53% have no religion.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is partly criminalised here. 40 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Mid-table
1457.9/100
Perth
Western Australia
- Best at choice
- On request to 23 weeks.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is partly criminalised here. 47 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Mid-table
1358.5/100
Central Coast
New South Wales
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is decriminalised here. 19 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Mid-table
1258.8/100
Sunshine Coast
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- Sunshine Coast Pride Festival, but no queer bar.
Mid-table
1159.9/100
Adelaide
South Australia
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks 6 days.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is criminalised here. 51 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Top ten
1061.9/100
Sydney
New South Wales
- Best at queer life
- Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and 6 queer bars.
- Weakest on attitudes
- 53% voted Yes to same-sex marriage, and 32% have no religion.
Top ten
962.5/100
Geelong
Victoria
- Best at choice
- On request to 24 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- Geelong Rainbow Festival, and regular queer club nights.
Top ten
862.8/100
Ballarat
Victoria
- Best at choice
- On request to 24 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 1 adult shop, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and no nude beach nearby.
Top ten
763.0/100
Newcastle
New South Wales
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 4 adult shops, 0 strip or swingers clubs, and Samurai Beach 37 km away.
Top ten
667.8/100
Darwin
Northern Territory
- Best at choice
- On request to 24 weeks.
- Weakest on queer life
- Darwin Pride Festival, but no queer bar.
Top ten
569.5/100
Cairns
Queensland
- Best at sex work
- Sex work is decriminalised here. 82 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
- Weakest on after dark
- 3 adult shops, 1 strip or swingers club, and no nude beach nearby.
Top ten
470.3/100
Canberra
ACT and NSW
- Best at choice
- No gestational limit in law.
- Weakest on sex work
- Sex work is legal with licensing and registration here. 37 Erobella listings per 100,000 people.
Top three
371.0/100
Gold Coast
Queensland and NSW
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 11 adult shops, 4 strip or swingers clubs, and no nude beach nearby.
Top three
273.8/100
Brisbane
Queensland
- Best at choice
- On request to 22 weeks.
- Weakest on after dark
- 25 adult shops, 12 strip or swingers clubs, and no nude beach nearby.
Top three
175.2/100
Melbourne
Victoria
- Best at queer life
- Midsumma Festival, and 7 queer bars.
- Weakest on attitudes
- 65% voted Yes to same-sex marriage, and 40% have no religion.
In brief
What we found
- Melbourne is first with 75.2 out of 100. It leads on queer life. Its weak spot is attitudes, where it ranks 18th.
- Brisbane is second and Gold Coast third. Queensland decriminalised sex work in August 2024, and three of the top five are Queensland cities.
- Sydney is tenth. It tops the after-dark part of the index and has Mardi Gras, but only 53.5% voted Yes to same-sex marriage in 2017 (second lowest of 25) and just 32% have no religion, the lowest of all.
- Albury-Wodonga is last. We found no Pride event, no queer bar, one adult shop, no strip or swingers club and no nude beach nearby. Toowoomba, the only city where most people voted No to same-sex marriage in 2017, is 22nd.
- The law holds two capitals back. Adelaide and Perth do well on nightlife, but they sit in South Australia and Western Australia, where sex work is still largely a crime.
All 25 flags
The full ranking
Tap a flag for every number behind it. Sort by any stripe to see who leads on what.
| Rank | City | Attitudes /25 | Queer life /20 | Sex work /25 | After dark /20 | Choice /10 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 13.2 | 20.0 | 17.6 | 14.3 | 10.0 | 75.2 |
| 2 | Brisbane | 15.5 | 17.8 | 19.8 | 11.6 | 9.2 | 73.8 |
| 3 | Gold Coast | 15.9 | 13.2 | 21.7 | 11.1 | 9.2 | 71.0 |
| 4 | Canberra | 21.6 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 11.2 | 10.0 | 70.3 |
| 5 | Cairns | 15.6 | 10.0 | 25.0 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 69.5 |
| 6 | Darwin | 16.2 | 7.5 | 20.2 | 13.8 | 10.0 | 67.8 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 18.4 | 13.2 | 13.7 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 63.0 |
| 8 | Ballarat | 22.3 | 11.8 | 16.0 | 2.7 | 10.0 | 62.8 |
| 9 | Geelong | 20.4 | 6.8 | 15.0 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 62.5 |
| 10 | Sydney | 2.7 | 19.5 | 15.7 | 15.0 | 9.2 | 61.9 |
| 11 | Adelaide | 16.7 | 13.2 | 6.4 | 14.1 | 9.5 | 59.9 |
| 12 | Sunshine Coast | 16.8 | 7.5 | 17.1 | 8.2 | 9.2 | 58.8 |
| 13 | Central Coast | 15.4 | 10.7 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 9.2 | 58.5 |
| 14 | Perth | 15.7 | 14.3 | 8.1 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 57.9 |
| 15 | Hobart | 23.0 | 11.8 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 57.7 |
| 16 | Townsville | 12.2 | 7.5 | 19.4 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 57.2 |
| 17 | Bendigo | 20.9 | 7.5 | 15.2 | 2.9 | 10.0 | 56.5 |
| 18 | Wollongong | 13.4 | 10.7 | 12.9 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 55.9 |
| 19 | Rockhampton | 7.0 | 0.0 | 20.8 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 46.7 |
| 20 | Mackay | 8.3 | 5.0 | 20.8 | 3.3 | 9.2 | 46.6 |
| 21 | Coffs Harbour | 12.8 | 5.0 | 15.3 | 2.0 | 9.2 | 44.3 |
| 22 | Toowoomba | 1.4 | 0.0 | 21.7 | 9.9 | 9.2 | 42.2 |
| 23 | Bunbury | 18.4 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 40.8 |
| 24 | Launceston | 16.9 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 39.9 |
| 25 | Albury-Wodonga | 11.9 | 0.0 | 12.4 | 3.0 | 9.2 | 36.6 |
1
Melbourne
Victoria · 75.2 out of 100
Attitudes13.2/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.8% 9.7 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 39.5% 3.5 pts
Queer life20.0/20
- Pride
- Midsumma Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 7 + 2 regular nights 10.0 pts
Sex work17.6/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 34 2.6 pts
After dark14.3/20
- Adult shops
- 28 5.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 10 4.2 pts
- Nude beach
- Sunnyside North Beach (43 km) 5.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 24 weeks 10.0 pts
Escorts in Melbourne on Erobella
2
Brisbane
Queensland · 73.8 out of 100
Attitudes15.5/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.4% 9.5 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 44.9% 6.0 pts
Queer life17.8/20
- Pride
- Brisbane Pride Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 4 + 1 regular nights 7.8 pts
Sex work19.8/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 48 4.8 pts
After dark11.6/20
- Adult shops
- 25 5.9 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 12 5.7 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Brisbane on Erobella
3
Gold Coast
Queensland and NSW · 71.0 out of 100
Attitudes15.9/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 63.4% 8.8 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 47.1% 7.1 pts
Queer life13.2/20
- Pride
- Gold Coast Pride Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 1 3.2 pts
Sex work21.7/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 61 6.7 pts
After dark11.1/20
- Adult shops
- 11 6.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 4 4.9 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Gold Coast on Erobella
4
Canberra
ACT and NSW · 70.3 out of 100
Attitudes21.6/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 73.3% 15.0 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 46.2% 6.6 pts
Queer life14.2/20
- Pride
- SpringOUT Pride Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 1 + 1 regular nights 4.2 pts
Sex work13.3/25
- Sex work law
- Legal with licensing and registration 10.2 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 37 3.1 pts
After dark11.2/20
- Adult shops
- 5 4.3 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 1.9 pts
- Nude beach
- Kambah Pool (16 km) 5.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- No gestational limit in law 10.0 pts
Escorts in Canberra on Erobella
5
Cairns
Queensland · 69.5 out of 100
Attitudes15.6/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 62.6% 8.3 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 47.5% 7.2 pts
Queer life10.0/20
- Pride
- Cairns Tropical Pride 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work25.0/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 82 10.0 pts
After dark9.7/20
- Adult shops
- 3 5.6 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 4.1 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
6
Darwin
Northern Territory · 67.8 out of 100
Attitudes16.2/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.5% 9.5 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 46.3% 6.7 pts
Queer life7.5/20
- Pride
- Darwin Pride Festival 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work20.2/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 51 5.2 pts
After dark13.8/20
- Adult shops
- 2 4.4 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 4.4 pts
- Nude beach
- Casuarina Beach (13 km) 5.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 24 weeks 10.0 pts
7
Newcastle
New South Wales · 63.0 out of 100
Attitudes18.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 68.6% 12.1 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 45.6% 6.3 pts
Queer life13.2/20
- Pride
- Newcastle Pride Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 1 3.2 pts
Sex work13.7/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 28 1.7 pts
After dark8.6/20
- Adult shops
- 4 3.6 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- Samurai Beach (37 km) 5.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Newcastle on Erobella
8
Ballarat
Victoria · 62.8 out of 100
Attitudes22.3/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 70.5% 13.3 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 51.4% 9.1 pts
Queer life11.8/20
- Pride
- Ballarat Pride Month 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 + 1 regular nights 1.8 pts
Sex work16.0/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 24 1.0 pts
After dark2.7/20
- Adult shops
- 1 2.7 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 24 weeks 10.0 pts
9
Geelong
Victoria · 62.5 out of 100
Attitudes20.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 69.5% 12.6 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 48.6% 7.7 pts
Queer life6.8/20
- Pride
- Geelong Rainbow Festival 5.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 + 1 regular nights 1.8 pts
Sex work15.0/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 18 0.0 pts
After dark10.3/20
- Adult shops
- 2 2.7 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 2.6 pts
- Nude beach
- Point Impossible Beach (18 km) 5.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 24 weeks 10.0 pts
Escorts in Geelong on Erobella
10
Sydney
New South Wales · 61.9 out of 100
Attitudes2.7/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 53.5% 2.7 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 32.1% 0.0 pts
Queer life19.5/20
- Pride
- Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 6 + 2 regular nights 9.5 pts
Sex work15.7/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 41 3.6 pts
After dark15.0/20
- Adult shops
- 28 5.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 13 4.8 pts
- Nude beach
- Obelisk Beach (6 km) 5.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
11
Adelaide
South Australia · 59.9 out of 100
Attitudes16.7/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.3% 9.4 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 47.7% 7.3 pts
Queer life13.2/20
- Pride
- Feast Festival and Pride March 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 1 3.2 pts
Sex work6.4/25
- Sex work law
- Criminalised 1.2 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 51 5.2 pts
After dark14.1/20
- Adult shops
- 10 4.4 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 6 4.7 pts
- Nude beach
- Maslin Beach (34 km) 5.0 pts
Choice9.5/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 6 days 9.5 pts
Escorts in Adelaide on Erobella
12
Sunshine Coast
Queensland · 58.8 out of 100
Attitudes16.8/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 62.2% 8.1 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 50.6% 8.7 pts
Queer life7.5/20
- Pride
- Sunshine Coast Pride Festival 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work17.1/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 31 2.1 pts
After dark8.2/20
- Adult shops
- 4 4.0 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 2.1 pts
- Nude beach
- Alexandria Bay (30 km) 2.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Sunshine Coast on Erobella
13
Central Coast
New South Wales · 58.5 out of 100
Attitudes15.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 65.9% 10.4 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 42.8% 5.0 pts
Queer life10.7/20
- Pride
- Coastal Twist 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 + 2 regular nights 3.2 pts
Sex work12.2/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 19 0.2 pts
After dark11.1/20
- Adult shops
- 6 6.1 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- Cobblers Beach (45 km) 5.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Central Coast on Erobella
14
Perth
Western Australia · 57.9 out of 100
Attitudes15.7/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.5% 9.5 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 45.2% 6.1 pts
Queer life14.3/20
- Pride
- PrideFEST (Pride WA) 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 3 + 1 regular nights 6.8 pts
Sex work8.1/25
- Sex work law
- Partly criminalised 3.6 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 47 4.5 pts
After dark10.2/20
- Adult shops
- 18 5.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 4 3.0 pts
- Nude beach
- North Swanbourne Beach (10 km) 2.0 pts
Choice9.6/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 23 weeks 9.6 pts
15
Hobart
Tasmania · 57.7 out of 100
Attitudes23.0/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 70.1% 13.0 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 53.3% 10.0 pts
Queer life11.8/20
- Pride
- TasPride Summer Festival 10.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 + 1 regular nights 1.8 pts
Sex work8.5/25
- Sex work law
- Partly criminalised 5.1 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 40 3.4 pts
After dark7.7/20
- Adult shops
- 3 4.5 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 3.1 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice6.7/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 16 weeks 6.7 pts
16
Townsville
Queensland · 57.2 out of 100
Attitudes12.2/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 59.5% 6.4 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 44.4% 5.8 pts
Queer life7.5/20
- Pride
- Gurambilbarra Townsville Pride 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work19.4/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 46 4.4 pts
After dark8.8/20
- Adult shops
- 3 5.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 3.6 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Townsville on Erobella
17
Bendigo
Victoria · 56.5 out of 100
Attitudes20.9/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 68.7% 12.1 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 50.6% 8.7 pts
Queer life7.5/20
- Pride
- Bendigo Pride Festival 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work15.2/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 19 0.2 pts
After dark2.9/20
- Adult shops
- 1 2.9 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice10.0/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 24 weeks 10.0 pts
Escorts in Bendigo on Erobella
18
Wollongong
New South Wales · 55.9 out of 100
Attitudes13.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 64.1% 9.3 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 40.9% 4.1 pts
Queer life10.7/20
- Pride
- Pride Art Festival 7.5 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 + 2 regular nights 3.2 pts
Sex work12.9/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 24 1.0 pts
After dark9.7/20
- Adult shops
- 4 4.7 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- Werrong Beach (28 km) 5.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Wollongong on Erobella
19
Rockhampton
Queensland · 46.7 out of 100
Attitudes7.0/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 53.6% 2.8 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 41.1% 4.3 pts
Queer life0.0/20
- Pride
- None found 0.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work20.8/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 55 5.8 pts
After dark9.7/20
- Adult shops
- 2 5.3 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 4.4 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Rockhampton on Erobella
20
Mackay
Queensland · 46.6 out of 100
Attitudes8.3/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 55.1% 3.7 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 41.9% 4.6 pts
Queer life5.0/20
- Pride
- Rainbow Revival 5.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work20.8/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 55 5.8 pts
After dark3.3/20
- Adult shops
- 1 3.3 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
21
Coffs Harbour
New South Wales · 44.3 out of 100
Attitudes12.8/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 59.9% 6.7 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 45.2% 6.2 pts
Queer life5.0/20
- Pride
- Rainbow Coffs Harbour Pride Walk 5.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work15.3/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 39 3.3 pts
After dark2.0/20
- Adult shops
- 0 0.0 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- Little Diggers Beach (4 km) 2.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Coffs Harbour on Erobella
22
Toowoomba
Queensland · 42.2 out of 100
Attitudes1.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 49.2% 0.0 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 35.1% 1.4 pts
Queer life0.0/20
- Pride
- None found 0.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work21.7/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 15.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 60 6.7 pts
After dark9.9/20
- Adult shops
- 3 5.6 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 4.3 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
Escorts in Toowoomba on Erobella
23
Bunbury
Western Australia · 40.8 out of 100
Attitudes18.4/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 63.8% 9.1 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 51.9% 9.3 pts
Queer life5.0/20
- Pride
- Bunbury PrideFEST 5.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work4.3/25
- Sex work law
- Partly criminalised 3.6 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 23 0.7 pts
After dark3.5/20
- Adult shops
- 1 3.5 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.6/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 23 weeks 9.6 pts
Escorts in Bunbury on Erobella
24
Launceston
Tasmania · 39.9 out of 100
Attitudes16.9/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 61.5% 7.6 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 51.6% 9.2 pts
Queer life0.0/20
- Pride
- None found 0.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work8.7/25
- Sex work law
- Partly criminalised 5.1 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 41 3.6 pts
After dark7.7/20
- Adult shops
- 1 3.2 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 1 4.4 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice6.7/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 16 weeks 6.7 pts
Escorts in Launceston on Erobella
25
Albury-Wodonga
NSW and Victoria · 36.6 out of 100
Attitudes11.9/25
- Voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
- 58.7% 5.9 pts
- No religion, Census 2021
- 44.9% 6.1 pts
Queer life0.0/20
- Pride
- None found 0.0 pts
- Queer bars and clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
Sex work12.4/25
- Sex work law
- Decriminalised 12.0 pts
- Erobella listings per 100k
- 21 0.4 pts
After dark3.0/20
- Adult shops
- 1 3.0 pts
- Strip and swingers clubs
- 0 0.0 pts
- Nude beach
- None within 50 km 0.0 pts
Choice9.2/10
- Abortion law
- On request to 22 weeks 9.2 pts
01Attitudes
Canberra voted Yes hardest. Toowoomba voted No.
In the 2017 marriage survey, 73.3% of Canberra voted Yes, the most of any city here. Toowoomba was the only one of the 25 where most people voted No (49.2% Yes).
Sydney is the surprise. Its inner city voted Yes in huge numbers, but the western suburbs didn’t, and the city as a whole came in at 53.5%, second lowest of all. It also has the lowest share of people with no religion (32%). Hobart has the highest (53%) and tops this part of the index.
Share who voted Yes to same-sex marriage, 2017
Each dot is a city. Votes counted by federal division and weighted by population.
Source: ABS, Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey 2017; ABS population estimates 2017.
02Queer life
Pride is everywhere. Gay bars mostly aren’t.
Of the 25 cities, 21 held a Pride event in 2025 or 2026, from Mardi Gras and Midsumma down to a 270-person Pride Walk in Coffs Harbour. Only Toowoomba, Albury-Wodonga, Launceston and Rockhampton had nothing we could find.
Dedicated queer bars and clubs are another story. We found them in just 8 cities, and four of those have only one. Melbourne has 7, Sydney 6 (after Stonewall on Oxford Street closed in March) and Brisbane 4. Elsewhere the scene lives in monthly club nights and drag bingo at the local pub.
Pride, by city
Biggest event held in the city in 2025 or 2026
Festival of several weeks
- Melbourne Midsumma Festival
- Brisbane Brisbane Pride Festival
- Gold Coast Gold Coast Pride Festival
- Canberra SpringOUT Pride Festival
- Cairns Cairns Tropical Pride
- Newcastle Newcastle Pride Festival
- Ballarat Ballarat Pride Month
- Sydney Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
- Adelaide Feast Festival and Pride March
- Hobart TasPride Summer Festival
Festival of several days
- Darwin Darwin Pride Festival
- Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Pride Festival
- Central Coast Coastal Twist
- Perth PrideFEST (Pride WA)
- Townsville Gurambilbarra Townsville Pride
- Bendigo Bendigo Pride Festival
- Wollongong Pride Art Festival
One day or a march
- Geelong Geelong Rainbow Festival
- Mackay Rainbow Revival
- Coffs Harbour Rainbow Coffs Harbour Pride Walk
- Bunbury Bunbury PrideFEST
Nothing we could find
- Rockhampton
- Toowoomba
- Launceston
- Albury-Wodonga
Sources: organisers’ websites, Star Observer, QNews, council event pages. Checked October 2026.
Dedicated LGBTQ+ bars and clubs open in 2026
The other 17 cities have none.
Source: venue websites and socials, Star Observer, QNews. Checked October 2026.
03Sex work
Cross a state line and the law changes completely.
Sex work is decriminalised in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Queensland was the latest, in August 2024. In the ACT it’s legal but licensed. In Western Australia you can only work alone, in Tasmania alone or with one other worker, and in South Australia most of it is still a crime.
Anti-discrimination law matters too. Sex workers in Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the NT are protected from being sacked or refused a rental because of their work. In New South Wales, decriminalised since 1995, they still aren’t.
Our own data shows where sex workers advertise. Cairns has 82 live Erobella listings per 100,000 people, the most in the country. Geelong has 18.
NSWDecriminalised
VICDecriminalised
QLDDecriminalised
NTDecriminalised
ACTLegal with licensing and registration
TASPartly criminalised
WAPartly criminalised
SACriminalised
Live Erobella listings per 100,000 people
Escort and sex worker listings on erobella.com/au, 26 October 2026
Source: Erobella platform data; ABS estimated resident population, June 2025.
04After dark
Sydney wins after dark.
We counted adult shops, strip clubs and swingers clubs that were open in 2025 or 2026. Sydney and Melbourne have 28 adult shops each, the most of any city, and Sydney has 13 strip, swingers and kink clubs, more than anywhere else. Darwin punches well above its size: two adult shops, a strip club and a legal nude beach for 145,000 people.
Nine cities have a legal nude beach within 50 km of the centre. None of them is in Queensland or Tasmania, where there are no legal nude beaches at all. Alexandria Bay near Noosa is famous for it, but it’s tolerated, not legal.
Adult shops, strip clubs and swingers clubs open in 2026
Venues we could confirm were trading, inside each city’s urban area
Sources: chain store locators, venue websites and socials, OpenStreetMap, local news. Checked October 2026.
Nude beaches within 50 km
Nearest one to each city centre
- Sydney: Obelisk Beach 6 kmLegal
- Darwin: Casuarina Beach 13 kmLegal
- Canberra: Kambah Pool 16 kmLegal
- Geelong: Point Impossible Beach 18 kmLegal
- Wollongong: Werrong Beach 28 kmLegal
- Adelaide: Maslin Beach 34 kmLegal
- Newcastle: Samurai Beach 37 kmLegal
- Melbourne: Sunnyside North Beach 43 kmLegal
- Central Coast: Cobblers Beach 45 kmLegal
- Coffs Harbour: Little Diggers Beach 4 kmTolerated
- Perth: North Swanbourne Beach 10 kmTolerated
- Sunshine Coast: Alexandria Bay 30 kmTolerated
Sources: Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) s633; Nudity (Prescribed Areas) Act 1983 (Vic); ACT Parks; NT Parks; SA Government; councils.
05Choice
Abortion is legal everywhere. How late depends on the state.
Every state and territory has now taken abortion out of the criminal law, and every one has safe access zones around clinics. What differs is how far into a pregnancy you can get one on request. Victoria and the NT allow 24 weeks. The ACT sets no limit in law. Tasmania stops at 16 weeks, which is why Hobart and Launceston lose points here.
Weeks of pregnancy you can get an abortion on request
ACT has no gestational limit in law; scored as 24 weeks
Source: state and territory legislation, as in force 26 October 2026.
How it works
How we scored it
We took Australia’s 25 biggest urban areas, as the ABS draws them, and scored each one on ten measures in five parts: attitudes (25 points), queer life (20), sex work (25), after dark (20) and choice (10). Each measure is scaled from the lowest city to the highest, then weighted and added up to a score out of 100.
Most of the data is public: the 2017 marriage survey, the 2021 Census, state law as it stands on 26 October 2026, and venues we could confirm were open in 2025 or 2026. One measure is ours: live listings on Erobella’s Australian site, per 100,000 people.
Every indicator, weight and source
| Indicator | Points | What we measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voted Yes to same-sex marriage Attitudes | 15 | Share of Yes votes in the 2017 postal survey. Division results are matched to each city by population. | ABS, Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey 2017 |
| No religion Attitudes | 10 | Share of people who answered the religion question and said no religion, secular or other spiritual beliefs. | ABS, Census 2021 (G14) |
| Pride Queer life | 10 | The biggest Pride event held in the city in 2025 or 2026: several weeks 10, several days 7.5, one day or a march 5, none 0. | Organisers, Star Observer, QNews, councils |
| Queer bars and clubs Queer life | 10 | Dedicated LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, plus half a point for each regular (at least monthly) queer night. Scored on a log scale, so the first venue counts most. | Venue websites and socials, local queer press |
| Sex work law Sex work | 15 | Decriminalised 12, licensed 7.2, partly criminalised 3.6, criminalised 1.2; plus 3 if sex workers are protected by anti-discrimination law (1.5 if only partly). | State and territory legislation, 26 October 2026 |
| Erobella listings Sex work | 10 | Live escort and sex worker listings on erobella.com/au inside the urban area, per 100,000 people. | Erobella platform data, 26 October 2026 |
| Adult shops After dark | 8 | Shops trading in 2025 or 2026. Half per 100,000 people, half the number of shops (log scale), so a big city with real choice isn’t beaten by one shop in a small town. | Chain store locators, OpenStreetMap, shop websites |
| Strip and swingers clubs After dark | 7 | Strip clubs, swingers clubs and BDSM venues trading in 2025 or 2026, scored the same way as shops. Brothels and saunas are not counted. | Venue websites and socials, OpenStreetMap, local news |
| Nude beach After dark | 5 | Legal nude beach within 50 km of the city centre 5; a tolerated but not legal beach in use since 2024 2. | State law, councils, parks agencies |
| Abortion on request Choice | 10 | Weeks of pregnancy you can get an abortion without extra conditions, out of 24. No limit in law counts as 24. | State and territory legislation, 26 October 2026 |
The cities. A city here is an ABS Significant Urban Area: the whole built-up area, suburbs included. We took the 25 biggest, from Sydney (5.2 million) down to Coffs Harbour (77,000). Gold Coast includes Tweed Heads, Canberra includes Queanbeyan, Newcastle includes Maitland. Where an area crosses a border, state law follows the side where most people live. Populations are ABS estimates for June 2025.
Scaling. For each measured number, the lowest city gets 0 and the highest gets full points, with everyone else in between. Law, Pride and beaches use fixed points instead, set out in the table. Shop and club rates per head are capped at the 90th percentile before scaling.
Venues. We only counted a shop, club or bar if we found evidence it was trading in 2025 or 2026, such as current opening hours, recent posts or recent reviews. Each one was then placed inside or outside a city by its address. Adelaide’s strip club count uses the six reported by InDaily in August 2026. Venue counts are a floor, not a census: a shop with no web presence won’t be in them.
Erobella data. Listings are live, published profiles on erobella.com/au on 26 October 2026, placed in a city by their map location. We publish counts only, never individual profiles.
What we left out. The Census counts same-sex couples, but not by city in its free tables, so it isn’t here. The 2026 Census will be released from mid-2027. We didn’t count brothels, because where they’re legal depends on state law, which is already scored.
Mistakes. If you run a venue we missed, or spot an error, email dara@erobella.com and we’ll correct it.
Press
For journalists
Comment
“People assume Sydney is the country’s party town, and on Oxford Street it is. But a city is more than its best postcode. Melbourne has the scene, the law and the attitudes all pulling in the same direction. The bigger story is the law. A sex worker in Brisbane has protections a sex worker in Adelaide or Perth still doesn’t.”
Downloads
- Press release (Word)27 October 2026
- Press release (plain text)Markdown
- Full data (CSV)Every city, indicator and score
Contact
Dara Weston, PR Manager
dara@erobella.com
Images, city-level breakdowns and interviews with Brenda Jensen on request.
Cite as: Erobella Data and Research (2026). Most Sexually Liberal Cities in Australia 2026. https://erobella.com/research/sexually-liberal-cities-australia/