Dogging in Australia

Dogging may have a British name, but Australians have been doing it for decades – in footy-ground car parks, at lookouts above the city lights and down quiet beach access roads. WhosDogging started life back in 2006 as a forum where most of the members were Australian, swapping questions from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. This page brings that local knowledge up to date.

What is dogging called in Australia?

Most Australians who are into it simply call it dogging – the word is well understood here, and there are online communities using it for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

You’ll also hear plenty of other names. People talk about public play or public fun, car play or a car meet, outdoor fun, or describe themselves as an exhibitionist couple who likes being watched. Swingers often call their wider world the lifestyle, and there’s a lot of crossover: many couples who start out at swingers’ parties or clothing-optional beaches end up curious about the thrill of playing outdoors.

One word means something different. A beat is the Australian term for a place where gay and bisexual men meet for sex, and beats have their own long history. Some well-known spots are shared, with a regular crowd of straight watchers turning up at places that are mainly gay. If you find yourself somewhere like that, the same rule applies as everywhere else: be respectful, and don’t assume anyone is there for the same reason you are.

Where is dogging most popular in Australia?

Melbourne has the busiest and best-organised scene in the country, but there are active communities in every capital city.

Melbourne

Melbourne’s online dogging community alone has tens of thousands of followers, and the city has equally large swingers’, public-play and naturist groups. Newcomers there tend to get friendly, practical answers – about etiquette, signals and when to go – and the community is quick to stamp out anyone who gives women a hard time.

Sydney

Sydney’s scene is more spread out and quieter than you might expect for the biggest city. Activity leans towards the west and south-west, and regulars say couples rarely announce where they’re going in public, because it brings the wrong crowd. Arranging things privately first matters even more here.

Brisbane and the Gold Coast

South-east Queensland’s dogging scene runs together, with couples from the Gold Coast and Brisbane using the same groups. Brisbane also has a big swingers’ party scene, which many outdoor-curious couples use as a stepping stone.

Adelaide

Adelaide has one of the most active public-play communities for its size, much of it centred on lookouts in the hills and on the city’s fringes, where you can park with a view and see who else has pulled in.

Perth

Perth’s dogging communities are smaller, but the city has a long-established swingers’ club scene and an active kink community, so there are plenty of ways in.

Canberra, Hobart and Darwin

Canberra punches above its weight – one regular who has tried both described its scene as stronger than Sydney’s. Hobart and Darwin are much smaller, and meeting people online first is close to essential.

Where do people go dogging in Australia?

The places Australians use look much like dogging sites anywhere: somewhere you can park after dark, with a bit of privacy and a clear view of anyone coming.

• Sports-ground and reserve car parks once the training lights go off.
• Bayside and beach car parks, especially on warm nights.
• Lookouts, which are popular in several cities because you can see the cars around you.
• Industrial estates, which empty out completely at night.
• Bushland reserves and national-park trailheads, for those who like it more remote.

We don’t name individual spots, and neither do the people who use them. The old WhosDogging forum asked members to share locations privately, and today’s communities say the same thing: a spot that gets posted everywhere attracts gawkers and complaints, and before long it’s closed or patrolled.

Things that are different in Australia

• Gates get locked. Many reserves and parks close their gates at night, and closing times often change between summer and winter. Check before you go, or park outside – being locked in is an awkward way to end the night.
• People turn up in the bush. Walkers, runners and campers use trails at all hours, so somewhere that feels remote isn’t always private.
• Mobile reception drops out. Out of the cities you can lose signal quickly, so tell someone where you’re going.
• The weather decides. Rain and cold keep most people at home. The scene picks up in the warmer months, and in the states that use daylight saving, the clocks going back makes it dark early enough for an evening out on a work night.

How dogging meets are arranged in Australia

Most meets in Australia are now arranged online first, often on the day, rather than by turning up and hoping.

A couple will say they’re heading out that evening and which part of the city they’re in, then choose who to invite from the replies. Women who take part say they read messages carefully, looking at the tone and at how someone talks about women, before answering anyone. It means single men who are polite, patient and clear about what they’re after get much further than those who aren’t.

Once you’re there, the signals are the same as in Britain. An interior light switched on means an audience is welcome. A window wound down, or a door left open, invites people closer – but only to the level the couple wants, and nobody touches without a clear yes. A flash of the headlights is a way of saying come over. Our guide to getting started covers the signals and the unwritten rules in more detail.

Beaches, nudity and dogging

Australia’s beach culture gives its scene a twist – “beach dogging” is one of the most common things Australians search for – but it pays to know where the line is.

Australia has a long history of clothing-optional beaches. The southern end of Maslin Beach, south of Adelaide, was declared the country’s first official nude beach in 1975, and Sydney’s Lady Bay followed in 1976. Being naked in a designated area is lawful – South Australia’s law says so in as many words – but sex isn’t, and these are public beaches used by families and naturists during the day. Queensland is often said to have no legal nude beach at all.

Couples who enjoy being seen often start with a clothing-optional beach to get used to it, but the ones who post about it are careful to say they keep it to sunbathing. Anything more happens somewhere else, later, and with people who have chosen to be there.

Staying on the right side of the law

There’s no law against dogging by name in Australia. What the law cares about is people seeing sex or nudity who haven’t chosen to – so the way to stay out of trouble is to make sure nobody uninvolved can.

Every state and territory has its own rules, but they work in much the same way. A car park, a lookout and a beach all count as public places, and what matters is whether you could be seen from one. Simply parking somewhere at night, or chatting to people you’ve met online, isn’t against the law anywhere. Police tend to get involved when someone complains, which is why regulars choose quiet places and late hours, keep it inside the car or well out of sight, and move on if families, walkers or anyone else turns up.

Our guide Is dogging legal? explains how the law works in Australia and other countries. It’s general information, not legal advice.

Meeting other doggers in Australia

The easiest way into the Australian scene is to get to know people before anyone sets off.

WhosDogging has been bringing doggers together since 2006, and it was Australians who built its first community. Creating a profile is free. You can see who’s in your part of the country, message them and agree what everyone wants before you meet – far better than sitting in a car park on your own wondering whether the car opposite is there for the same reason. The people you’ll find here are genuine members who are into exactly what you are, from first-timers to couples who have been at it for years.