A four-day “quick break” became a full-bodied story about place, Pride, and the people who keep communities alive. We start with a happy accident—booking Maitland instead of Newcastle—and land in a spotless, genuinely pet‑friendly stay where the front desk maps out the best eats and slyly warns us off a chipless kebab. Between pub couches and old-world facades, we stumble into a local art gem, Patricia Van Lubeck, whose surreal trees and whimsical shapes jump off the wall like technicolour daydreams. Dinner at the club delivers a potato bake pizza and a hypnotic ceiling fan that makes you question reality in the best way.
Pride at Gregson Park brings the colour and the crowds, and we hit record among jacarandas and glitter. Our talk with Dr Olivia Carroll from the Hunter Medical Research Institute digs into how feminising gender‑affirming hormone therapy might affect lung function—clear, careful science done with the community, not just on it. We also spend time with Katie from the Suicide Prevention Network, whose lived experience anchors a new drop‑in mental health hub and night safe spaces. It’s practical care with heart: walk in, be heard, get connected, and come back when you need to.
Not everything lands. A second stage competes with the main one, some stalls feel generic, and performers deserve fuller rooms. But resilience shines through, especially when Courtney Act lights up the park in gold, the crowd refusing to dim. We round it out with Warner’s Bay coffee, Redhead Beach boardwalks and ecstatic dogs, a long lunch at Blanca with old friends, and a street moment that reminds us progress is uneven—and grace is a muscle worth flexing.
Hit play for travel mishaps turned memories, queer joy with edges, and conversations that matter—from hormones and lungs to suicide prevention that shows up after hours. If it moves you, share it with a mate, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find their way to the party and the quiet corners alike.
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