Darwin Queer History Walking Tour
A Brown’s Mart event presented as part of Sugarbag
Discover Darwin’s queer past with a history walking tour with Dr Dino Hodge.
Starting at Lyons Cottage, we’ll learn about the secret same-sex desires of European explorers and wartime servicemen, see where a flamboyant social scene emerged in the post-war years, paving the way for gay community organisations, visit the first office of the AIDS Council to recall the challenges posed in the 1980s by HIV, and pause at Brown’s Mart where theatre shows in the 1990s celebrated the lives of lesbians and gay men.
Finally, we trace the steps of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence who in 1992 exorcised from the Parliament the homophobia then preventing the safe passage of anti-discrimination legislation. The good Sisters set the pace for later law reforms based on equality!
These tours are presented by Brown’s Mart as part of Sugarbag, and are companion events to His Own Special Friend at Brown’s Mart on June 1.
Walk Duration 80 minutes. We recommend you bring a hat and water bottle.
FRIDAY 31st MAY
Start time: 4.30 pm
SUNDAY 2ND JUNE
Start time: 2.00 pm
Tickets
Full $10
MobTickets Free
Walk Start Location: Lyons Cottage, 74 The Esplanade, at the corner of Knuckey Street.
Walk Finishing Location: Supreme Court
After the walk FRIDAY: attendees are welcome to enjoy the free Live On Fridays concert at Brown’s Mart by Alice Cotton.
After the walk SUNDAY: Kaleidoscope: the Music of Australian LGBTQ+ Composers will begin at the final walk location, The Supreme Court. Tickets are available through the SugarBag website or on the door if not sold out.
Accessibility: Not all stops of this walk are wheelchair accessible. There are some stairs and uneven walking surfaces.
About Your Tour Guide
Dr Dino Hodge was introduced to fluidity in identity and intimacy through his Greek cultural heritage, and was an active gay activist in Darwin throughout the 80s and early 90s. His publications include 'Did You Meet Any Malagas?' (1993), an oral history book about intersections of racial and sexual identities in Darwin's gay community, 'Don Dunstan, Intimacy and Liberty' (2014), a biography of South Australia's great reformist premier, and ‘Colouring the Rainbow: Blak Queer and Trans Perspectives’ (2015). He is a contributor to Living and Loving in Diversity, An anthology of Australian Multicultural queer adventures (2018). Dino has been instrumental in the sharing and archiving of Darwin’s Queer history, and has been an active contributor to arts and cultural activity and research in the region for decades. He now lives in naarm.
