Original subtitles

[Nathan] I'm Nathan Hill, actor, writer, traveler.

And I'm on a world tour to uncover the sexual culture and traditions

of people in exotic locations all over the globe.

Sex is part of our lives, bodies and minds,

our very existence depends on it.

It is treated and practiced differently in every society.

I'll encounter the extraordinary,

the festive, the tragic, the unseen and the taboo.

It's going to be a fascinating ride.

So join me as I lay bare the universal instinct that we all share

in sex around the world.

[upbeat music]

I've just arrived in Melbourne,

a burgeoning metropolis of over four million people

and the second largest city in Australia.

It's known for its multicultural society,

art precincts, sporting communities,

and exceptional coffee culture, which I hope to sample.

I'm told the people here are laid-back

in their attitude towards life, work,

and their attitude to sex. In fact, the locals here refer to this island continent

as a lucky country because of the great weather,

beautiful beaches, accessible health care,

and their opportunities for education.

I'm here to explore how the laid-back attitude

extends towards sexual behavior,

and how the abundance of erotic stores,

strip clubs, and prostitution has affected this society.

I'm going to talk with sex workers,

swingers, a brothel madam, a male escort,

bondage dominatrix, and even local teenagers

to unearth all of Melbourne's sexual culture.

And I'm going to start here at the inner city suburb of Richmond,

the Passion Fruit Sensuality Shop.

It's part of a growing trend, a new type of sex store

that doesn't hide in a dark alley behind black windows.

In fact, it's right smack bang in the middle of

one of the city's most popular fashion strips.

And sure, it's about sex,

but it doesn't run from it and embraces it.

[Nathan] The manager, Michelle has agreed to show me around.

So, the women that come in are probably women

that haven't been into sex shops much before,

and would refuse to go into a sex shop.

And women need to feel comfortable,

they need to, you know, have a nice sort of,

a nice shop to browse in and have a look at,

and maybe not something that's just about sex,

that's something that really involves, you know,

everything to do with sex,

and that sort of, to me, is more sensual, sort of.

-So, less intimidating... -Yeah.

...as far as your sort of classic sex shop goes.

That's part of the philosophy as well,

where sex is more than just the act,

it's the anticipation, it's the, you know,

the mind, humor, everything like that.

And sensuality, soft things,

and lingerie, that kind of thing.

And what have you got out the back?

And then we ask people to come and have a look

in our back room, so we part the little curtain here.

Part of the philosophy too,

was that women should be able to look and feel

before they buy. It's one of the most personal products they'll ever buy.

Can you tell us a little bit in more detail how these work?

So I notice you've got-- they call that the rabbit, don't they?

Yeah, these are called the rabbit vibrators.

For example, they have a vibrating clitoral stimulator

and a rotating internal shaft.

So you can use the shaft internally

and that generally rotates with beads inside

for a little bit of extra stimulation,

and then you get a little, um, clitoral vibrator here.

So you're getting internal penetration

and clitoral external stimulation at the same time.

-[Nathan laughs] -So, that's pretty much everything.

And this is probably, really where the whole industry

is going, towards more luxury toys made

by really good designers.

These are all rechargeable as well,

so there's no need for batteries anymore,

you can just charge them up like your phone.

It's beautifully made, you know, it looks gorgeous,

that really makes a big difference to women,

-the look of it. -Okay.

And something like this for example,

which is just a clitoral stimulator.

It just looks so lovely,

looks like a little massage stone or something,

just hold it in your palm

and you can use it to, um...

And men like these as well.

-Right. -Yeah, but just to use

while you're having sex, over the clitoris.

Yeah, it's fantastic, quite beautiful,

-as well as effective. -[both laughing]

[Nathan] These toys were fun,

but I really wanted to find out from Michelle

what she thought the benefits of the passion

for its store were for Melbourne.

Well, there's the obvious physical,

emotional, spiritual, benefits,

but I just think, um, a healthy sex life

and growing up with a healthy attitude towards sex

just probably gives you a bit more respect

for yourself and for your partner.

And that's going to lead to better decisions

and a better person that you'll be.

And that sort of leads to a better,

more nourishing society, I guess.

[Nathan] Indeed, sex stores have now entered

the mainstream in Melbourne.

The leading example of this mainstreaming of sex shops

is the blossoming 12 store empire known as Sexyland.

In fact, Sexyland describes itself as a department store

where one would normally go in and buy

furniture or kitchen goods,

but I'm sure there's nothing as boring as that in there.

-Nice to meet you. -Good to see you.

-Thanks having us. -Not a problem at all.

-Can you give us a tour? -Certainly, come through.

Basically, what it's based on, it's based on

very open, and friendly environment, and fun environment.

So, we're talking about, um, first-timers,

and starting out using products in the store.

You said that the oils were a good starting point.

That's right, oils and body chocolates as well.

So you can-- that's chocolate paste,

-you can actually lick off. -Yeah, either sauce,

or this one, which has a little brush,

and you actually paint it on and then eat it off.

-Cool. -[both laughing]

Okay, so new products,

we have the Tickler Treat,

can you go into a bit of detail?

Basically this is a range of dongs and anal toys,

um, they're made out, um, of silicon.

Basically what that means is that the toy's non-porous

and it's very safe for your body.

So just looking at the star performer series here.

-Yeah. -Um.

Women actually use these?

Well, we don't actually ask these things,

what they do with them once they buy them.

Right, okay, so these have intrigued me.

You've got nearly $600 for Bree Olsen's

Cyber Skin Doggy-style Vibrating Pussy and Ass.

-That's right, that's right. -Interesting,

so, we're talking-- what are these made out of, are they latex?

Uh, no, they're actually made out of cyber skin,

-exactly what you said. -Right.

And it's a really, really, uh, nice feeling material.

It feels as close to human skin as possible.

-My goodness. -And that one's actually been molded off Bree Olson

who's an adult star.

As far as customer demographics go,

is it more men than women?

Really with the age group,

anything from young adults right up to elderly.

-Okay, really, wow! -I had a couple who was

-over 70, so I would say... -Okay.

...that's elderly, yeah, and everything in between.

Given that the business is booming, um,

in your opinion does, does Melbourne have a

more liberal or conservative idea to the industry?

Yeah, I think everyone is really welcoming,

um, even when I say where I work,

people are really happy to know,

and they're really intrigued, and they want to know.

And most people are happy to come into the store.

-This is much more like a supermarket. -Correct.

-It's white light... -This is quite a bit different.

-...everyone is open about it. -That's right.

Are customers like that? They come and they're very open?

Absolutely. They're very open about it and they're comfortable

because it is exactly what you explained,

that it is bright and it's,

um, well, it's not dark and dingy,

and it's not blacked-out windows. I mean, we have

latest lingerie fashion in our windows.

No newspapers blacking out the windows, no.

There's-- all these items are basically creative,

and they're here to help people in their relation--

Relationships are really hard to maintain, so any little bit helps.

So, what do you think the benefits are of having a Sexyland

where people can come in and buy these products?

What are long-term benefits

of having an establishment like this?

The more happy people,

probably the better for the community.

I'll likely sell mostly things that would make people happy,

whether they're on their own or whether they're as a couple.

I think, probably the more happy people the better. [chuckles]

So, if sex really is all around, becoming more prevalent,

how do Melburnians feel about it?

What is the social impact?

I'm here to meet with local writer

and sex expert, Claire Halliday.

Hopefully she can shed some light on the subject.

I think we're kind of secretly, sexually conservative,

and we're sort of forced to live in a society that, um,

wants us to believe that we're sexually liberal.

So we do have this plethora of, you know,

sex stores, and brothels, and things like that,

but, you know, try asking somebody

if they've been to one, or, you know,

and get an honest answer.

They might be there, but nobody wants to admit

that they, you know, utilize the services.

So in that way, we're sexually conservative, I guess,

obviously people are using them.

They wouldn't be on every corner

-if they weren't making profits. -Sure.

But I think, you know, nobody's really going to own up to,

you know, visiting a brothel.

Are you shocked at the, uh, information

that's so available to your own kids?

I'm not particularly shocked by anything anymore,

because I've spent a lot of years

researching different aspects of the sex industry,

and I've seen and heard all kinds of things

that make me kind of unshockable at the moment.

But in terms of my own children,

I think there is a lot of information out there

that, um, I'm disappointed in, that, you know,

like I said, the articles in "Girlfriend,"

teaching you how to have safe anal sex.

I don't want my daughter to read that when she's 13.

So, they're making it more acceptable

or look like it should be the norm.

Yeah, and obviously that's been sold to them,

you know, on a societal, on a broader societal level,

I guess, from, you know, the stream

of sexualized material that is just in your face,

especially in the last ten years.

We're giving kids today so much sexualized material,

yet sex education in schools is lacking,

so we're throwing all this sexualized material at them,

we're not giving them the context

to properly understand it.

and while we're teaching them the nuts and bolts of the mechanics

of what goes where, I don't think we're teaching them

the emotional, um, aspects and, you know,

how to make good choices, and respect, and things like that.

So, Claire, just on a final note,

what do you hope your book,

"Do You Want Sex With That?" um, will achieve?

So I'm hoping that anybody reading the book,

it might just make them think more,

it might just make them look at what's going on,

you know, around us as a society,

and question whether they think it's gone too far.

And if they do think that then, you know, what do we do next?

I just want people to look more closely

at what we're being fed,

and maybe question if it's the right thing,

and what we can do about it.

[Nathan] Claire painted a picture of Melbourne

as very confused about its sexual identity.

But in a city that considers itself sophisticated,

cosmopolitan, and intellectual, is it compatible?

But here on King Street in the middle of the CBD,

there are mega strip clubs that cater

to thousands of men every night,

with names like Showgirls Bar 20, Club X, Crazyhorse,

even the international franchise, Spearmint Rhino.

I'm told it's built on a long entrenched party culture

of after works drinks and pre-wedding bucks nights.

[Nathan] Stripper, or exotic dancer if you prefer, Honey,

has agreed to talk with me.

[Nathan] Why did you choose this as a job

compared to, you know, other jobs?

Well, sort of the pay,

because I'm living on my own with my younger brother,

and I have to raise him and everything.

so, I just thought I'd start

doing this stripper job, it's good money.

How did you feel when you did

your first dance live on stage?

Well, I felt a lot of butterflies,

and I'm like, "Oh, my God, what am I doing up here?

How am I going to do this?" Like, you know, you've got so many people watching you.

But I just said, "Okay, I got to be confident,"

and one of the other strippers that was teaching me said,

"Just be confident, do the job, and you'll get through it." So, yeah.

Do you make a lot of money in this profession?

Like, at the end of the week, do you go, "Hmm"?

Are you satisfied with the cash, with cash pot?

Yeah, yeah, I am satisfied with the cash that I'm getting,

um, but it does go, it's not like--

everyone's like, "Oh, you're a stripper, you're rich."

And it's like, "But it does go on things,"

do you know what I mean? Like, you've got to buy your make ups,

and you got to cut off the products that you need for yourself.

Do your family and friends, and I bet this, I mean, obviously,

-your younger brother, he knows what you do? -Yeah, my younger brother does.

Do your friends know, or do you have friends that have got no idea?

[Honey] I've got a few friends that know and a few

friends that have no idea and I won't tell them.

I know which ones will stick by me,

and which ones understand, and which ones don't.

So the ones that do understand that, I'll tell.

So there is a stigma then, because there's some people you won't tell

because you're scared of their reaction?

-[Honey] Exactly, yeah. -Okay.

And my parents don't know either, so.

-They don't? -No.

How do you find the customers,

the males, how do they treat you?

Um, you get a lot of-- I've had a lot of respect for, like,

guys that haven't tried to do anything to me, or anything, or disrespect me,

but you get, sometimes you get sleazes in there

trying to take photos of you.

-Oh, yeah? -So that's the part

-where it's-- -On their mobile phones,

and trying to shoot a video or something?

-Yeah. -Do the customers proposition you for sex

after a show or during the night?

Do you get guys coming on to you?

Yeah, yeah, I've had a few guys that ask,

"Do you want to come hang with me?

A thousand dollars, two thousand," like,

you know, your money's not worth it,

it's only the dance, do you know what I mean?

It's like, that's as far as I'll go, a dance, so.

So you don't cross the line there?

No, [chuckles] no way.

What about your long-term career prospects?

Like, do you want to stay here until finish uni?

Is this the sort of job you'll keep going?

Yes, I want to keep going,

so I want to keep, like, doing this,

but I want to pay, like, help it pay off

my studies and everything.

[Nathan] Honey is a dancer at Maxine's,

an establishment that belongs to

the queen of Melbourne's adult industry

and a high-profile social identity, Maxine Fensom.

In a business dominated by men, Maxine bucks the trend.

Not only is she the city's biggest provider

of private strip services and dancers,

she also runs five erotic websites, an escort service,

started the Australian adult industry awards,

and even campaigned for Parliament.

But perhaps she'd like me to introduce her

in the words she uses to describe herself,

the Queen of pussy.

[Nathan] Maxine you have a fascinating story,

please share with us some of your journey.

Well, basically, I fell into this business,

and if anyone said that I was going to work

in this sort of industry I would have said,

"No, I don't think so." So, I saw an ad in the--

one of the papers and they wanted a topless waitress,

and I, "Umm'd" and, "Ah'd" for about three weeks.

I eventually plucked up the courage and went for an interview.

I had to show this dirty old man my boobs,

and of course I got the job, stayed there a week.

And he was doing like, these like, these lunches,

and I thought, "God, I could do that." And I could do it, you know, kind of nicer.

And I knew lots of men, so that's how Maxine started.

Then I started, like, a stripping agency.

And then prostitution became legal,

so then I applied for a license.

I was one of the first people to get an escort agency license,

so then I did that,

and then I started doing lots of events as well,

like Dildorama, Miss Nude, Miss Dream Girl, Miss Erotica.

I founded the Adult Industry Awards

which is 11 years strong.

I've been here for three and a half years,

great girls, good staff, good management,

all female management too, I might add.

And to be honest, that's why I like it, um.

But it's, it's a family atmosphere,

it's a very friendly environment here.

What state is the adult industry

in, in Melbourne, do you think?

Well, I think we're all sort of struggling

just to keep our head above water,

just on a political level.

The police are fairly,

have been fairly heavy-handed

with the adult industry.

And I think that's the struggle for all of us

on a day-to-day basis,

and just the red tape and the bureaucracy

of running at this sort of legal business.

People have no understanding, particularly politicians about

how this business is, they're afraid,

they don't want to know about it, so they kind of penalize us.

You know, it's hard when, you know, we're open-minded people

and we just want to run our business, and then you've got people who don't understand

our business, and all they want to do

is, um, basically close it down.

So as far as the adult industry is concerned,

do you believe it has a positive

or negative effect on society?

I think, um, myself it's positive.

Well, you know, it's employment,

it's a legally run business,

uh, it's run by a woman as far as my business.

And I think, you know, girls can come in here

and make a lot of money as long as they're focused,

and, you know, give yourself five years,

and make some money and buy, you know,

a portfolio of houses and set yourself up.

[upbeat music]

You only have to spend a night in Melbourne

to realize it as an energetic party scene.

You see, alcohol is available from age 18.

And every weekend, teenagers and 20-somethings

pour into the city to drink and dance the night away.

Some of them even end up at recovery parties,

which might seem like a contradiction, but I'm assured it's not.

But you see Melbourne is also a maze of lane-ways,

and alleys, and sometimes it's hard

to find the right club to go to

unless you're in the know.

But luckily tonight for us, we're in the know

and we're heading off to trendy Baroque House.

[club music]

What's a normal Saturday night like here

as far as, um, meeting someone's concerned, or picking up?

-Picking up? -[laughing]

I don't know, there's a lot to choose from here.

There's a lot more girls though, isn't it, than guys?

-At the moment, yes, yeah. -Yeah.

Which is probably a good thing, you know.

So, what time does this place go till?

I don't know, maybe, like four, four-thirty.

And you're here every Saturday?

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Yeah, awesome!

How do you find the sexual culture

in Melbourne as a whole?

I would-- Melbourne's very liberated.

And is picking up the main thing here at Baroque House?

Uh, you would think so, if you look around tonight,

there's plenty of women here for the men.

And, uh, I think 90% of people, what they come out for

is to pick up ladies,

and they got ladies to pick up the guys, so.

To have more sex and have more fun,

that's what I would say, that's all! [laughs]

[club music]

-How you going? -Hi!

-What's your name? -Paula.

-Paula? -Yeah.

-How are you? -Good, how are you?

-I'm great. -What's your name?

My name's Nathan.

Can you tell me what you think

about sexual culture in Melbourne?

I think these days people are sluts, like real bad.

Like, you buy a girl two drinks and she's like,

"Yeah, I'll bang you," but, like,

it's fucking wrong, yeah? Yeah.

That's interesting. How many guys do you have hit on you

when you go out on any particular night,

-like, on a Saturday night? -Countless.

-Yeah? -Yeah.

Do you think that alcohol and drugs

plays a big part in sexual culture in Melbourne?

'Cause once you're high, free love!

Yeah! [laughs]

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, nice to meet you.

What do you think about same-sex picking up?

Like, do you know, like, do many of your girlfriends

or yourself ever pick up girls?

I think when girls go out together

they're more affectionate than guys,

so they kind of fool around and that,

and it's just for kicks,

like, they don't, you know,

it doesn't usually mean anything.

But then again it is awkward when you kiss a girl

and they are a lesbian, that's a little bit awkward.

-The kind of people-- -[Nathan] I also had a chance

to talk to Darren, who is organizing tonight's club event,

and ask him about the sexual culture in Melbourne.

...you know, that's the environment that we're running here.

It's making sure that everyone can meet who they want to meet,

and make sure they can have fun while they do it,

but certainly there's a lot of that sexual activity

in Melbourne, it's just whether you know about it or not.

People are out there every week and they're meeting new people.

I think people are a lot more active than they let off.

Do you think alcohol and/or drugs

is a big influence towards a sexual culture,

and sexual exploration that goes down in the city?

Yeah, well, another great question.

You see, there's a lot of guys who are into the drugs

and a lot of girls follow that about them,

so, you know, it's sometimes sad to see what some people would do

to be part of that experience,

but I'm think it does by a huge part,

probably more than we think,

but, um, certainly, you know behind closed doors,

anyone can do what they like.

[club music]

[Nathan] The idea of teenagers bumping into each other

on the dance floor is a little too tame

for some people's tastes.

You see, there's a thriving underground

swingers culture here in Melbourne

that dates back to the 1960s.

So, we're going to head out into the suburbs

to talk to the host of Club True Blue,

one of Melbourne's longest-running swingers clubs.

-Welcome, Nathan. -Thanks, guys.

This is where we hold our parties, Club True Blue.

Can you tell us about the club itself and how it began?

Well, we started the, uh, parties back in, well, 2000 now,

so it's ten years or so.

So you obviously enjoy it because--

-the length it's been going. -[laughing]

It looks like it actually has to be couples?

-Yeah, it's only couples that we... we run for, yeah. -Okay.

-Just for swinging couples. -I suppose the history of swinging is couples.

-It is couples. -Yeah, yeah.

I mean, we occasionally as in singles,

single ladies but not single men.

You seem to attract all sorts of people

from all different walks of life and, uh...

Yeah, there's nothing really specific

that you'd say that there's a certain type of person.

But you guys are obviously comfortable,

but perhaps more comfortable even physically

than a lot of other people.

After speaking for a female perspective, um,

you know, a lot of women, they have body issues, and all the rest of it.

The parties have really helped me overcome that,

because everyone, sort of, when they dress down,

they're walking around in lingerie or nothing.

And no one cares what you look like, um.

-So there's not pretentiousness-- -No, not at all.

It's a comfortable environment, and everybody here

-are thinking the same way. -Exactly.

I suppose, the best way, for when I describe it to first timers,

is like going to a friend's place for a party.

All very friendly, very relaxed, very casual,

just obviously with the added extra.

-Yeah. -Yeah, yeah.

[Nathan] I really wanted to find out

why couples engage in swinging,

and to answer this, David and Julie

took me to their bedroom.

Because I think it's a natural part of life,

as in, we all enjoy the sex,

and, um, for the fact that you can

experience it with your partner,

we all have different fantasies and so forth.

One partner might not be able to, um, provide all that,

where-- and then you get people that are cheating,

and have affairs, and go behind our backs,

and have all these secrets and things

to try and live that life, whereas you don't,

you don't need to in this sort of lifestyle.

You can enjoy everything you want.

It's all very open and honest.

So, if you could run us through a normal,

normal night here for the events,

how they unfold from start to finish.

What would we expect if we came down on our first time?

When people first arrive, either David or myself will show people into the house.

We'll show them around, um, introduce them to all the other people that are here,

and then usually for about the first hour,

hour and a half, very social.

People have a few drinks, mix and mingle.

We've got a spa set up out in our garage.

Um, then after that time people will dress down,

whatever they're comfortable wearing,

lingerie, erotic gear,

and head off into the rooms for a bit of fun.

Then about-- and after an hour or so,

people will come up for some fresh air... [chuckles]

...have a few drinks, sort of freshen themselves up,

and then the evenings usually finish up

one thirty-ish, thereabouts.

How is it that you are strong enough

and are able to overcome the, uh, feeling of jealousy?

For one, we have a very open and straightforward relationship.

There's no, no need to have any, any doubts,

or secrets, or anything like that.

So, for me, I can talk to Julie about anything,

and I think for most people that are in the lifestyle,

I think it seems to be the same way.

They have a very open and strong relationship,

so the jealousies may be there,

but they don't really, um, you know, create any issues.

I find that, you know, they're the sort of things

that create problems for, uh, couples,

is when you've got those sort of restrictions,

and one doesn't match the other,

and you're not living a happy lifestyle,

everything's going to get in the way

and create problems, you know. I think this way you can live

an open and honest relationship

that, um, you're both very close

-and comfortable with each other. -I suppose you're not ever then

worried that someone's going to cheat eventually.

-No, not really. -It's not there.

It's actually, uh, more encouraged

to, uh, have those desires and, um, fantasies,

and experiment with them, more so than try and keep it from your partner.

It's really about encouraging to be involved.

I think our whole culture and our lifestyles

are starting to open up, and become more aware,

and, uh, focused on what we want and so forth.

And that really, I suppose,

attracts people to this sort of lifestyle.

[Julie] Yeah, and we don't go door knocking.

[laughs] No, we don't.

-They'll come and knock here. -Maybe we should?

-Well. -[both laughing]

Thank you so much for your time guys, it's been great.

-You're welcome, -Pleasure, thank you.

-Lovely to talk. -Thank you so much.

My experience has taught me

that most people find the idea

of swapping their partner for sex unappealing.

I'm here to speak with Dr. Janet Horn,

or Dr. Jan as she likes to be called,

who's a clinical psychologist, relationship expert,

and has written dozens of books on sex.

I'm hoping she can help me understand

the idea behind swingers parties,

and the health behind Melbourne's diverse sexual culture.

[Nathan] What do you believe is the modern

sexual attitude in Melbourne?

Well, I think that sex nowadays is anything goes,

and whereas in other, um, eras

might have said the same in the, you know, 1920s, uh,

nowadays women are not repressed

in the ways that they were.

And in fact they now say that

oral all sex is the new goodnight kiss.

So, I'm fascinated with how young people in particular

hook up and have sex with strangers.

Do you think that men become addicted to sex, uh,

because it's a good-- it's used as a stress relief?

I think a lot of men use sex as a de-stress,

and they will go to something like a prostitute,

or online, or a swinging situation

because, um, they've got no obligation

to express themselves emotionally,

but they get that release

because of the sexual gratification.

And there's release, relief,

um, and then there's sort of some space

emotionally for them.

And, um, then they're on the rollercoaster

because next time they feel the pressure,

the stress, it's like, "Aw, what made me feel good last time

was sexual expression, let's go get it again."

The next minute, they're addicted.

This is different for women though, isn't it?

Because women, uh, can we say,

feel pleasure in perhaps a slightly different way?

I think that, um, there really isn't, um,

the same opportunities for women. Sure, there's online sex,

but most women would be quite satisfied with their vibrator.

-[chuckles] -And, um, you know, even older women now

have discovered how easy it is

to use a vibrator to have an orgasm, so.

You know, it's like for them, um, in the moment

they have their own way of getting off,

and, um, they're happy enough with that.

They don't need the complications.

Is Melbourne considered sexually healthy, um,

in relation to other countries?

Well, you know, we have the stereotypes around countries,

you know, like in Holland, and Amsterdam,

and the red-light district

just being really, really, open.

And Melbourne doesn't really have the same,

the King's Cross that they might have in Sydney,

but I think that particularly for young people,

um, that hook up, um, ability, it's happening worldwide.

Obviously with that though also comes more problems,

more STIs, more STDs.

Well, yes, safe sex really is, you know,

the be-all, end-all, or should be.

But, uh, there are so many people

who also do the bare-backing

that could put them in, you know,

severe, at severe health risks.

Um, I think that, just, it's often fueled by alcohol or drugs.

I was just about to say that. Do you think that in Melbourne that, um,

you know, sexual freedom or experimentation

is fueled by intoxication?

Well, I think in Melbourne and every other place of the world

that, you know, once it-- there's some kind of, um, substance being enjoyed,

um, then inhibitions go down

and, um, sexual expression becomes easy.

That seems to be the culture here, is that people will go out

on the weekend after they've worked all week,

they'll drink until their tipsy or drunk,

and then they'll have the booty calls,

or they'll try and pick up.

And the one-night stands

-are quite, uh, popular. -Absolutely.

I mean, I had a young girl, she was only 23

and gorgeous, like a little fairy.

She was just really, really pretty,

great figure. And she said, "I've never had an orgasm."

And I said, "Oh well, tell me about,

you know, your partners."

And she said, "I've lost count."

I said, "What happened?" She said, "I go out on Friday night,

get drunk, and then end up

having sex with somebody." And I said, "Why?"

-And she said, "Well, you just do it." -[Nathan lightly chuckles]

[upbeat music]

American comedian Billy Crystal once said,

"Women need a reason to have sex,

men just need a place."

Well, if you live in Melbourne you're in luck.

The city has had legal prostitution since 1986,

and illegal massage parlors

existed for over a century before that.

There are currently about a hundred registered brothels in town,

and today I'm at the biggest one of them all.

The world-renowned Daily Planet.

It's so successful it's even listed

on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The Daily Planet is, um, Melbourne's, um, oldest

and certainly among the largest registered,

licensed brothel in the southern hemisphere.

Um, we are registered here for 18 rooms

to be able to use for prostitution.

Okay, wow, can you give us a tour?

We certainly can, off we go.

-Each room has, um, a name. -Right.

And we're just now going to see the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean.

-Oh, wow, okay. -This is the largest room that we have, um, in the brothel

with the three, um, the three beds,

and it has the largest spa.

-Um, we call this a party room. -Okay. [chuckles]

It is available to just, um, a couple if they want,

but if there are, um, gentlemen wanting

to have, you know, two ladies,

or two gentlemen here with two ladies,

we usually allocate them to this room.

[Nathan] And what about the hygiene issues?

Well, we run under very strict, um, regulations here.

All of the towels, beds, sheets, et cetera, um,

of course are constantly changed and washed.

And as far as infections go and stuff like that,

are the women tested regularly?

By law they're required to be tested.

They have, um, swabs done and have to give us

a medical certificate every month.

-Right. -And they also have to have

blood for HIV, et cetera,

and at the moment that's on a three monthly basis.

[Nathan] The Daily Planet also has a strict

no sexual contact without a condom rule,

to ensure the health of both its workers and its customers.

The girls each have favorite rooms,

you know, that they're-- they like to use.

Some of them like to use the smaller ones,

some of them are happier in, um, the slightly larger ones.

Okay, nice shower though, nice beds,

-and obviously a beautiful spa. -A beautiful spa.

[Nathan] Gayle seemed a most unlikely brothel madam

and she had an endearing sense of humor about the job.

-Mirrors on the roof. -Mirrors on the ceiling,

they're not necessarily always a good look.

As you look up you probably think,

"Good God, I didn't realize I looked that bad."

-[both laughing] -Oh, wow.

[Nathan] But I really wanted to find out more

about the girls that worked at The Daily Planet.

Gayle, how many women are working here at any one time?

During the daytime we only, um,

we perhaps average six to eight

between ten o'clock in the morning till 8 o'clock at night.

Um, of an evening we certainly have more come on duty.

On Friday and Saturday nights

we have 30-plus ladies on duty at any one time.

And how long would any girl be working?

They can choose to do as many shifts as they like,

but we watch that.

If someone is doing a lot of shifts

and doing a lot of bookings,

um, whereas that's great for us that they're here,

it sometimes is not necessarily the best thing for the girl.

-And how old? What age range are we looking at? -Um...

Well, they range from 18,

because it's certainly illegal

to be here under that age.

And I think the lady, the oldest lady

that, um, we have that comes in, is in her early 50s.

Hmm, okay, wow.

[Gayle] I personally think that,

um, it's a very difficult job that they do,

um, and I've spoken to some of them about it,

how do they actually manage to, um, be normal?

-Um-- -how do they function outside?

Function outside-- um, when you do the job that they do.

And they have different ways of approaching it.

Um, all the ladies that I certainly know that work here,

um, they're very upbeat. Um, they're happy

with what they're doing because they've chosen to do it.

-Okay, right. -It's their choice, um,

how they, um, conduct their lives, um--

Right, so you wouldn't have a girl that works here

who comes in, who hates it, that doesn't want to be here?

-I don't believe so, no. -Okay.

Some of them they said, like, they really like sex.

It doesn't serve the purposes. If she really hates it,

it would reflect in the service that you gave to the client.

You can hardly be really hating what you're doing

and give good service.

What is the most times a girl's booked clients

in one night that you know of?

Probably the most I've seen is 12.

-Wow. -12 hours.

-12, so 12 clients in 12 hours? -Yes.

Gayle, what would you say is the future of The Daily Planet?

Do you think this is a place that will be long-standing?

Do you think it'll be here in ten years?

I believe it would be here in ten years,

in 20 years, maybe even in 30 years.

This industry, um, and there's lots and lots

of brothels in Melbourne,

they exist because there's a need for it.

It's not like we make clients come in,

they come in because they have a need.

-Right. -Um.

They've had the same need for a long, long time.

And I can't see in the future

why that will alter.

So as they say, the longest-running profession.

-That it is, is quite correct. -Okay.

[dramatic music]

[Nathan] But not all sex work is as glamorous as the Daily Planet.

Here on notorious Grey Street, in the beach-side suburb of St Kilda,

desperate girls ply their trade nightly, risking health and safety.

It stands in stark comparison to the sleek cocktail bars

and expensive restaurants that are within a stone's throw of this corner.

A rather dark underbelly

to the city's polished exterior.

[Nathan] Of course, it's not just heterosexuals that are interested

in paying for sexual pleasure.

There is a booming industry here for same-sex male escorts.

I'm here to meet with Alex, who's a male gigolo, about his encounters and experiences.

He's agreed to do the interview as long as we meet in a public place,

so I'm not entirely sure he's going to show up,

but fingers crossed.

-Alex, thanks for coming. -Hi.

-So you're originally from Thailand? -Yes, I'm from Thailand.

Can you tell us how you got the initial idea to become an escort?

Um, because of my visa, it's very hard to get a job

and get out the schools salary, or well-paid,

because if I work in a restaurant,

like, work really hard, like, we get just like,

uh, $10 per-- a, an hour.

I feel like I did that before

and then it makes me sick,

or maybe I find something else.

And then, "How about just sex?,"

because I like to have sex on... too.

-[laughs] -So as far as clientele is concerned,

what is expected of you or from you within your services?

Definitely he expect sex from me,

but, um, but we can't have sex like whole days.

Uh, some clients, they're going to do like a day

or a whole night client.

They just like to have a good company

with someone, and just talking, and, like, happy.

Now we just spend a time with,

and just make them happy,

and then just sex just once time, that's it.

Do you charge a lot of money by the hour?

-How much do you charge? -I'll charge a lot because

I don't want to work that much.

And I just up my rate to $300 for an hour.

And do you, uh, just work in the one city,

or do you have clients that fly you around Australia?

I got once, I'm-- they're from Gold Coast.

Yeah, they come to holiday here

and then they ask me to go back with them.

And in a Gold Coast for three days,

and they pay me per days,

like, 2,000 something per day.

-$2,000 a day? -Yeah.

And do you practice safe sex?

Yes, always.

Except, [laughs] I service my boyfriend's,

he's someone I know very well.

And your boyfriend know what you do as an escort?

-Yes. -And he's comfortable with that?

He's my client. [laughs]

-Really? -Yeah.

-Wow, okay, interesting. -[laughs]

Um, it sounds like a weird question,

but do you enjoy what you do?

If you got a right client, like,

not really old, I'm sorry, like,

not, uh, really ugly and like still have the good, uh, sex,

or hot sex, we still enjoy good sex.

But sometime we have to take care, like,

"Sorry, like, very old

and... fat," and something like that,

is quite, we have to force ourselves to do that, uh.

Okay.

[Nathan] Meeting Alex has got me interested in

a type of gay dating scene that exists here,

so I'm going to go and check out Wet on Wellington,

which has been described as Melbourne's finest gay pool and sauna.

If you're a heterosexual you probably don't even know the place exists

and would never have seen the inside.

We're going to go and have a look before the doors open for trade.

-G'day, Shane. -G'day, Nathan, welcome to Wet On Wellington.

Thank you. So can you tell us a bit about the establishment?

Yeah, Wet On Wellington is a venue

that's designed for gay and bisexual men.

Uh, it's a, it's a safe house, if you like,

where they can come and enjoy the company

of like-minded men, um, in an area that, um, affords them

the freedom to be able to feel good about themselves

and enjoy the facilities.

Our venue is probably rated as

probably number one in Australia,

and probably within the top five or six of the world.

We have a 25 meter swimming pool.

We have saunas, bar and steam rooms.

We have in a theater room that plays, um, the latest DVDs.

Computer area, people can come here

and use the Internet free of charge,

so even for $20 entry you could basically

sit, sit down all day on the Internet if you want.

So, if you come here and you don't find someone that

isn't to your liking, you can jump on the Net and invite them down.

So it's very relaxed and it's like you cater for all type of situations.

Absolutely. Being gay and say, closeted

where you're not out to society,

you're quite limited to where you can go, you know,

be it a bar or something like that, to meet like-minded people,

even just to talk.

You can come in here and you know that whoever you talk to,

you're not going to get a smack in the ear.

[Nathan] I asked Shane to show me around upstairs,

which has quite a reputation.

It is totally different to the downstairs.

Uh, upstairs we have cubicles and, um, play areas

for people to cruise around

and do what they do best.

-How do you say that? -[Nathan laughs]

-Every room has condoms and lube. -Mm-hmm.

-How many rooms are up here, Shane? -31?

-31. -Yeah, it's not for sleeping in.

[chuckles] Have a look at this.

-[Shane] What about for yourself? -[laughs]

So, a bit of role-playing goes along here.

We call this a heavy duty room.

All right, it does look heavy-duty.

-It does, yeah. -Mm.

This area here is the Suckitaurium.

Right, and what is the Suckitaurium?

There's only one way to tell you.

Basically, if you go into the top area,

shove your dick through a hole,

and it's my head height.

So you just want to have a look in say, the first one there.

[Shane] See the hole here?

-[Shane calling from outside] -[Nathan] Oof.

-Wow. -[Shane] A large group play area.

What's, what type of scenario--

what's a regular scenario that would happen in in this room?

Um, group playing, basically.

Just people wanting to get together in a group.

-That's quite popular. -Okay.

Much to people's disbelief,

-people do like playing in groups. -Yeah.

The difference with the two porn lounges...

is, this one we play a younger style of porn,

and in the back one we play more of a heavy duty,

so more of a manly type porn up there, younger type stuff here.

We don't, um, play anything that shows bare-backing,

in other words, sex without condoms,

and we don't play, uh, any films that show any form of violence.

-Right-- -It's all--

So, no sexual violence?

No sexual violence.

[Shane] We have our code of conduct here

that people must abide by.

And they're written in such a way that

people are meant to understand,

"No," means, "No."

-Great. -Very, very simple.

We push the safe sex rule all the time,

although you can't be there watching everyone,

you know, it's important part of our days lives

whether you're straight or gay.

[Nathan] What sort of clients do you have come here?

Monday to Friday, 85% of people

-that don't identify as gay. -Mm-hmm.

On weekends, it's, uh, probably 80%

that do identify as gay.

People that party at other venues

and then come here for a relaxation afterwards,

uh, for winding down, um,

or people that just come here to have sex.

So do people class the venue as a brothel?

No, they don't. Um, and it's totally

far removed from a brothel.

The difference with ourselves and a brothel is

with a brothel, you pay for sex.

Here you're paying an entrance fee to use the facilities.

If by chance you meet someone

and you choose to have sex with them,

then that's totally void of us

organizing it or doing anything like that.

We really are running a totally straight up and down venue,

uh, for the benefit of gay and bisexual people just to enjoy themselves.

[Nathan] Wet On Wellington was fascinating, but I was about to embark

on an even more interesting adventure.

-[lighthearted music] -The famous French sexual sadist,

the Marquis de Sade wrote, "It is always by way of pain

that one arrives at pleasure,"

and out here at this little quiet pocket of Melbourne

at what looks like a fairly nondescript warehouse,

but it's far more than that. To someone walking past,

they'd have no idea that is in fact a dungeon.

So I'm going to put my inhibitions on hold and take a peek inside.

-Hi, it's nice to meet you. -Thanks for having us.

-Welcome to Fetish House. -Thank you so much.

And I'll give you a bit of a tour.

Please do, that'll be great.

[Nathan] Dominatrix Mistress Emmeline

has offered to show me around Fetish House,

a six room bondage dungeon that offers services

for the more sexually adventurous.

To start, we have our cross-dressing room...

-Okay. -...Which is kitted out with

pretty much every costume you could ever need.

-[Nathan] Oh, right. -We've got regular women's clothing

as well as the more fetish sort of things,

if you like to dress up as a schoolgirl,

or a police officer, or anything you like.

Someone will come in and they'll have a fantasy

about, um, being taught how to walk like a woman, how to speak...

-Oh, right. -...how to dress, how to walk in heels,

which is harder than most of them think. [laughs] And, yeah, they just get dressed up.

And, yeah, it's just the perfect atmosphere to get organized and girly.

[Nathan] Activities such as role play, torture,

and domination, are actively promoted and recommended.

And Mistress Emmeline loves every minute of it.

-Dungeon three. -Yes.

This has got the bondage bed

so you can actually lock people up in there,

make sure they don't go anywhere.

Um, the suspension rack in here is very popular.

But I like to call it the slave of fortune

because you can spin people around on it.

-Okay, the slave of fortune. -Yeah, it's a slave of fortune.

-Wow. -You just get strapped in and enjoy the ride.

-So it's very medieval. -It is, yeah, a lot of the torture and,

um, you know, discipline is all based around the medieval.

[Nathan] Don't think I want to get locked up in that!

Well, that's half the fun [Emmeline laughs]

-That's what people come in for. -You can spend some time

in there if you've been a bad puppy.

-[Nathan] Mm-hmm, alright. -This is probably

my favorite room. This is the medical room.

It's, um, all authentic, everything from the naughty nurse

through the suturing. And for example,

you can suture the skin,

so a man no longer appears to have a penis,

so that can be part of the cross-dressing

transformation as well.

Um, and you can also suture different things,

like, you can make the corsets on the back.

That's generally play piercing

but that's all part of it as well.

Yeah, lots of blood play.

-Right. -Which is definitely

an acquired taste. [laughs]

-[Emmeline] This is dungeon two... -Yeah.

-...which has got the cross, which is always good. -Mm-hmm.

[Emmeline] Lots of nice custom-made furniture.

And this is probably the most equipped room,

in terms of, um, the more pain inflicting devices.

This one's got the horse, it's got the table

that you can twist them into really awkward positions.

-Oh, okay. -Yeah, the chair.

-So, it's, yeah, it's a fantastic room for... -Mm.

-...lots of the more fetish side of things. -So, torture chamber.

[Nathan] All of these tools were used for what's known as BDSM.

[Emmeline] BDSM stands for bondage, discipline, sadomasochism.

-Right. -Um.

It usually means bondage, um, different restraints, um,

the dominant/submissive role.

-Do you have a high pain threshold yourself? -I do, yeah.

I've got a high pain threshold and a high bullshit tolerance.

-[laughs] -So, I do have to put up with a lot of it sometimes.

What are the customers like that come here,

what sort of people tend to come here?

Well, obviously it's not just a bit of chump change,

like, you've got-- it's 240 for an hour.

-Yeah. -And so, mostly, we do see middle-class,

um, white-collar employees.

I get a lot of, uh, police officers and firemen.

-Wow. -But doing that, they like to be in the submissive role,

I'm assuming because they like being in--

they're in charge throughout the rest of their lives,

-so they like letting go of it a little bit... -Okay.

-...in their sexual life. -So it's very much psychological

-as much as it is physical? -Yes, often it's more psychological than anything.

-Right. -A lot of the play you've got to be hearty for it,

and you've got to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

Can you go too far, can some-- can a client go too far, or?

You have your safe limits, and your safe words, and your hard limits.

Um, a hard limit is something that you won't do no matter what.

And so, for me, my hard limits are anything to do with children,

anything to do with animals, and anything to do with scat.

Anything else is pretty much open game.

[Nathan] Now that I knew Mistress Emmeline's hard limits,

I thought I'd take the opportunity

to engage in a little bondage myself.

So, what's this contraption? I'm guessing I sort of...

-It's a horse. -...bend over?

Yeah, I'll show you what it does.

[Nathan chuckles]

I'll give you the suede one.

-Okay. -[whip slaps]

-Like that, yeah. -Alright. Okay.

You just have to bend over a little bit further

so you're a bit more vulnerable, yeah.

-Okay. -[both laughing]

See, that's the way it works.

And, look, as far as the levels of hardcore are concerned,

obviously, like, there's so much that goes on here,

and there must be such a wide variety

of customer requests, and what you guys do,

but what would you deem hardcore?

Severe caning would have to be one of my...

-the ones that make me cringe. -Yeah.

We do get clients that come in and they want

you to make them bleed with a cane,

and to hit them that hard with a cane is very--

it's not only tiring for you because your arms get sore,

but just the fact of watching them is tiring,

because you know how much it hurts

but they just love it.

Wow. So this one here looks quite severe.

Yeah, that one actually hurts a lot. [chuckles]

Usually put that around the base of someone's

-dick and their balls. -Mm-hmm.

Put their dick through there,

and if you get hard it'll hurt a lot.

[Nathan] There was one thing that I'd always wanted to try,

and luckily Mistress Emmeline had one on hand.

Um, this is a gimp mask.

It's used by gimps.

It's a really good way of de-personalizing a slave

or a submissive. And so we'll give you a shot.

We'll see the difference.

[laughs]

[Nathan] It was not the most comfortable thing I'd ever worn

and very claustrophobic.

You know, if they talk too much you can

just get rid of them like that.

Can shut them up.

-[Nathan mumbles] -[Emmeline laughs]

We'll put the dildo in there. [laughs]

[Nathan chuckles]

Yeah, now you panic. [laughs]

[upbeat music]

From everything I've seen, Melbourne has an extensive and varied sex industry.

Is that a good thing? What are the benefits, if any, of legalized prostitution?

I'm here to talk with Project Respect,

a sex worker support organization, to find out their view.

Project Respect has outreach to women in the sex industry,

so we visit women in brothels,

-Right. -We also build up understanding and awareness

about trafficking with other women in the sex industry,

so, you know, women will tell us about trafficking

that they know of, and even brothel owners

might tell us about, you know,

trafficking in other, uh, brothels.

Approximately how many brothels do you know of that are operating in Melbourne?

There's 90 to 95 licensed brothels,

and I've heard 130 unlicensed brothels.

As far as women that are trafficked

to Melbourne for sex work.

We estimate that there's probably

300 women trafficked to Melbourne every year.

-Right. -We'd say about a thousand

women trafficked to Australia every year.

And where were they coming from?

They tend to come from Asia.

At the moment it seems like most women

are coming from South Korea,

but in the past, Thailand has been the place

where most women have come from,

with other women from Malaysia, China,

uh, the Philippines, Taiwan.

Do we know who brings them?

It seems to me that there's a link with

ethnic groups and kind of, I guess, ethnic based mafia,

um, but I think, you know, Australians are also,

certainly Australian citizens are involved in and exploiting women here.

Are these trafficked women working in these illegal brothels then?

No, trafficked women are kept in legal brothels.

-In legal? -Yes.

Wow, okay.

Every case that has been investigated and prosecuted

in Australia of trafficking, has involved trafficking into legal brothels,

and all the women who we know of were kept in legal brothels.

[Nathan] I really wanted to ask Nina about Club 417,

the most famous case of prosecuted sex trafficking in Melbourne.

So...

Club 417 is a brothel on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy

in the heart of our cafe strip.

Um, it's a pretty nondescript little place, you walk past it,

you probably think that it's just, you know,

an empty shop, but it's a brothel.

And in 2003, the police did a raid

and they found five trafficked women in there.

They charged the brothel owner Wei Tang

and her manager Paul Pick

with possessing and using slaves.

They were told that they owed her debts of

between 45 and 90 thousand dollars

which they had to pay off by doing

prostitution in her brothel.

They paid it off within a few months,

and it means that they were doing

about ten clients a night,

every single night for three months.

Which in itself is an incredible,

you know, toll on your body.

It was about 800 or 900 men

that each of the women did

before they paid off the debt.

And again, it's one of those things

that if you really think about it...

it's-- I don't think that anyone can fail

to understand how corrosive and degrading

the experience of being trafficked is.

[Nathan] That led to the question, did Nina think there

was a difference between legal prostitution and illegal sex trafficking?

Having legal brothels in Victoria,

I think can make it easier to hide trafficked women,

because there is an assumption that brothels

are safe if they are regulated,

that they're, you know, that they're following

laws and regulations.

But really, what...

What shapes whether or not we have trafficked women,

is whether or not we accept prostitution at all.

Project Respect is adamant about the harms and costs of prostitution,

legal or otherwise.

So in order to get another opinion,

I've been invited to a rally for abortion rights

by the president of this trans sex party, Fiona Patten.

On a very wet, cold, rainy, Melbourne day,

um, we're out showing our support for

the abortion clinic behind us.

-Yeah. -[Fiona] Every third Saturday, a group of,

I can't remember what they're called,

something with the Virgin Mary,

come and pray, and harass some of the clients

who come to this clinic, um, during the day,

-[Nathan] Right. -And we're here to show our support for the clinic.

It's so important that women have that right to choose,

and I-- you know, we've seen that

when women don't have control of their reproductive rights,

they take it into their own hands,

and we see backyard abortions setting up,

and we see very, you know, unsafe practices.

Frankly, you know, it would be great if we had

really good sex education,

and that would probably mean that we would have

less abortions in this country.

But they-- it needs to remain legal and safe.

[Nathan] So, more money in education?

[Fiona] More sex education would definitely mean

less unwanted pregnancies.

[Nathan] I also wanted to ask Fiona's opinion

about legalized prostitution in Melbourne.

I am all in favor for sex workers

to be able to work legally and safely.

-[crowd chants] -Um, but I would probably support

a decriminalized system rather than legalization,

which is about treating the sex industry

as any other business.

So, whether you're a hairdresser or a sex worker,

you have the same rights and responsibilities.

What's your take on the number of legalized brothels

that are actually here in Melbourne?

Unfortunately, it's, it's actually

probably over regulated here.

And it was sort of, when they introduced the laws,

it was like, "Well, you know, we want to

protect the workers, but we don't want to be seen

to condone the industry."

So they set up very draconian laws,

which means that probably

two thirds of the industry in Melbourne

work-- it operates illegally.

So, for every one legal brothel,

you have two or three illegal brothels operating.

Uh, I certainly think a system

where brothels can operate legally,

and we have good health and safety codes,

and women can work without fear of, you know, exploitation

is a very good path. And Melbourne has gone some way to it,

but, you know, it could be better.

[Nathan] Do you believe that legalized prostitution

discourages trafficking?

I certainly do when it's well-managed and well run.

So, as I was saying before, I actually think

with a legalized system, we should actually enable

workers from other countries to work here

safely and legally. And that, I think

could be done through a visa system.

So, when you do have a legal system

where they're not having to work underground

and hidden away, you can control

and police the industry far more easily.

[Nathan] That led me to my final question,

which was whether Melbourne was becoming more liberal

or conservative in its approach to sex?

Well, thankfully, I think Australians

are becoming far more liberal in their approach,

and you can only see that like, in the statistics about who supports gay marriage

or, you know, is opposed to Internet censorship.

But unfortunately,

our politicians are going the opposite direction,

and I think they, they tend to listen

to small minority groups like the people across the street,

um, and kowtow to them rather than listening to the majority.

-Thank you so much for your time. -Thanks, Nathan.

-It's been a pleasure. -Thank you, likewise.

Thank you, Fiona.

[upbeat music]

[Nathan] It's my last few hours in Melbourne,

I've finally had a chance to sample

some of its much celebrated coffee.

The city is modern and cosmopolitan.

It has impressive skyscrapers

and expensive restaurants.

I've seen all aspects of its sexual culture

and it's been a real eye-opener.

There's a history of liberal sexual attitude here,

but there's clearly a debate

between those who want more freedom

and those who want to restrict it.

And although the sex industry, legal and illegal,

is all around them, Melburnians seem to go about

their daily lives without giving it a second glance.

For those involved, however,

it can be lucrative, exhilarating,

and dangerous to both body and mind.

It's been a fascinating journey,

and I'm glad I've had the opportunity

to experience such a unique city

with its own distinctive culture.

For now though, it's time to leave.

[upbeat music]

[theme music]