Sensibly, Rough Guides have not tried to supersede existing - and more comprehensive - guides to Australia, but author Neal Drinnon acknowledges there are things gays and lesbians might need to know that don't matter to straight travellers. For instance, there's relative tolerance of gay tourists.

But this largely accurate guide is helpful. Occasionally, it states obvious truths that apply to any metropolis, such as: 'Some of Sydney's best restaurants are gay- or lesbian-run.' And it has an obsession with drag queens. Do gay tourists really travel 10,000 miles to find 'Gayel, proprietor of the Gayel Warning Frock Salon in Adelaide, the exclusive supplier of all things pretty to the larger-boned girl'? If you're interested in that sort of malarkey, you can find it in Camden High Street.