Melbourne’s kinky sex status shows city is anything but shades of grey

It may be maligned as conservative and mocked for shades of grey weather but Melbourne has just been named Australia’s kink capital for fetishes.

Melbourne has topped a list of Australia’s kinkiest cities, with a leading platform for those seeking risque relationships revealing it’s the No.1 city for those seeking freaky sex.

Frequently maligned for its cool climate and grey days by other Australian cities — and often labelled conservative — it turns out Melburnians lead the nation in indulging in red hot secret sex fetishes, as made famous in the steamy Fifty Shades of Grey.

A scene from the Red Room in Fifty Shades of Grey

KinkD data from January to December 2023 reveals Melbourne is Australia’s top city for kinky sex sorts, with Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Newcastle, the Gold Coast, Wollongong and Townsville trailing in its wake.

When it comes to statewide, however, Victoria is second to New South Wales in the kinky sex stakes.

It beats out Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia, however.

Globally, Australia is also in the top five on the kinky list — coming in behind the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany but ahead of Brazil, India, the Netherlands, France and Spain.

Co-founder of KinkD John Martinuk said the findings were exciting.

“We’re excited to see the diverse locations where our users are connecting and exploring their desires,” he said.

Melburnians more than any other Australians enjoy the Fifty Shades of Grey lifestyle.

“Australia’s presence in the top 10 countries reflects the openness and acceptance within the Australian community to embrace the diverse spectrum of human sexuality … KinkD remains dedicated to fostering a supportive environment for individuals to express their desires, free from judgment. Our app continues to evolve, ensuring that everyone can find their place within the kink, BDSM, and fetish community.”

BDSM is a term used to describe sex that involves dominance, submission, and control. The practice typically involves one partner taking on a more dominant role during sex, while the other is more submissive.

It stands for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism — and in Melbourne, it seems, certainly not rare.

Originally published as Melbourne’s kinky sex status shows city is anything but shades of grey