Melbourne is Australia’s most English city and it knows how to party.
Midsumma Festival is the second largest urban
queer gathering in Oz, pipped only by the Sydney Mardi Gras. OutUK correspondent Ernie Areldete
has been checking out the Melbourne scene.
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Midsumma is a three week event in January/February where lesbians, gay men and
their friends put it out there with community events, theatre, arts, cabaret and
a great street fair. For one night of the year Commercial Road in Melbourne’s
southside gay precinct, is closed to traffic and the lesbian and gay community
descends en-masse. The venues along the strip provide entertainment on stages,
rooftops, awnings, anything strong enough to withstand a drag queen and a posse
of dancing boys. There’s bootscooting, tattoo competitions, art, street theatre
and an awful lot of meeting and greeting going on. |
The Midsumma Cruise.
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WET ON WELLINGTON
Boys will be boys the world over, and in Melbourne boys certainly like their baths. The best known
in town is Wet On Wellington, better known by its initials, WOW. WOW boasts all
the facilities and amenities party minded men demand.
They have their own Licenced Bar Cafe where the cuisine is Modern Australian, a delicious fusion of Asian and European influences
with indigenous ingredients. Enjoy an old-fashioned meat pie in a flaky crust
like you would get at any pub, exotic South Pacific seafood, or a mild Thai
Curry, among dozens of menu items and daily specials.
WOW’s centerpiece is a long rectangular, indoor pool. Perfect for swimming laps,
or just taking a dip. Adjacent to the pool sits a ten-man Jacuzzi. The left side of
the colossal room housing the wet facilities is enclosed by floor to ceiling glass
walls that can retract entirely, creating one continuous area between poolroom
and adjacent landscaped terrace, and patio that can be utilized for special
events serving up to 300 guests.
WOW is totally attitude free. Virtually everyone is friendly. Every inch is sparkling
clean, tastefully designed and visually enticing.
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Club 80 is one of the largest sex clubs in the Southern Hemisphere. Four floors of
facilities are nothing short of spectacular. There’s an authentic jail, with cellblocks
on three floors, enough for every naughty faggot in sight. Stairs and hallways
are constructed of see through iron grills, so you can feel like the warden
walking his beat, rattling the cages of depraved inmates with your night stick,
with virtually unobstructed vision through every level. Ironic, perhaps, that
prison cells are a form of adult play in a country settled by English convicts!
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The cells at Club 80.
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SHOPPING
Federation Square has rapidly become the unique and uncontested signature structure
on the Melbourne skyline. It is a fantastically modern mall (the entire attractive
façade is composed of zinc, sandstone and glass in whimsical pinwheel patterns)
erected to celebrate the recent (2001) national centennial. Until 1901, there
was no Australia as such, just a collection of separate colonies that were federated
that year. Located right alongside the broad and vibrant Yarra River, Federation
Square is loaded with restaurants, shops, a tremendous out door amphitheatre, and
the National Gallery of Victoria housing a superb collection of Aboriginal
and Torres Islander Art.
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BED & BOARD
The best place to stay is at the landmark and very gay-friendly Prince of Wales Hotel
in St. Kilda, a five-minute walk from the bay. The Prince houses: Circa, the best restaurant in
Melbourne. Il Fornaio Bakery and Cafe featuring al fresco dining. Prince Wine Shop,
stocking the most sought after Aussie vintages.
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Midsumma Festival is Melbourne's annual month long LGBT celebration. Photo: Sam Bianchini
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Prince Bar, a predominantly Gay and
Lesbian venue on Wednesdays. Mink Bar features 43 varieties of Vodka and the best
Cuban cigars.
The Band Room features live music. Aurora, largest spa in Oz, offering
a variety of treatments and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The Prince is served by
a tram station conveniently located at its doorstep. Other hotels and apartments can
be booked online through OutUK hotel partners
Bookings.
More On Melbourne
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THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Club80 (10 Peel Street, Collingwood T:+61-3-9417-2182) Website
The Prince Of Wales Hotel (2 Acland Street, St Kilda T:+61-3-9526-1111) Website
Wet On Wellington (162 Wellington St, Collingwood T:++61-3-9419-2210) Website
Gay Australia Website
Midsumma Website
Visit Melbourne Website
Revised November 2019.
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