Retracing Queer Footprints
Retrace the queer history of STONNINGTON
Explore the queer history of the City of Stonnington’s rainbow communities, guided by voices and music from the local queer community.
Beginning at the Thorne Harbour Health Positive Living Centre, listen as Queer-ways team LUCIANO and George Keats take you on a spoken journey and introduce you to locations of queer significance throughout the City of Stonnington. Follow us as we retrace our community's footprints, during which you will be joined by the voices of local LGBTQIA+ individuals, who share stories from their own queer experiences.
By retracing queer footprints, we can step into a future where all of our histories are celebrated and acknowledged.
Audio Tour
The Retracing Queer Footprints audio tours introduce you to locations of significance you may not know or take you on a walk down memory lane. This tour focuses on the Commercial Road, Chapel Street and Toorak Road precincts, important to Melbourne's south side LGBTQIA+ history.
During the tours, LUCIANO and George Keats are joined by community voices such as cabaret diva Dolly Diamond, Angela Bailey from the Australian Queer Archives and John Hall from Thorne Harbour Health. You can expect to hear moving stories of community, connection, celebration and loss from across the LGBTQIA+ community.
To retrace queer footprints, start the tours by clicking the play buttons below. For the best experience, follow the instructions and match your pace to the music.
RETRACING QUEER FOOTPRINTS - STONNINGTON
This walking tour begins at the Positive Living Centre before leading you around the Commercial Road precinct, up Chapel Street and along Toorak Road.
LUCIANO and George Keats guide you through places of queer significance in Stonnington, joined by community voices such as Dolly Diamond, John Hall (Thorne Harbour Health) and Angela Bailey (AQuA). During the tour, you will listen to ’Battle of Liberation’, a composition by Connor Taylor performed by the Melbourne Rainbow band.
The tour ends at the corner of Toorak Road and Davis Street, at Ad Lib Cafe and Maisie's, enabling easy transport options from South Yarra Station.
To explore the tour path, click on the "download map" button, to begin retracing queer footprints, press play.
traffic signal boxes
As you follow the walking tour, look out for the painted traffic signal boxes along the route. These were created in partnership with the City of Stonnington Middle Years and Youth Services through the Traffic Signal Box Program. They serve both as tour markers and as a way to engage the wider community with queer history of Stonnington.
Each box was co-designed and co-painted with young creatives from the Stonnington area. Explore their work below.
TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOX 1
2026
Painted by Josie, 19
31-51 Commercial Rd, South Yarra
My box is just outside the Braille Library/Positive Living Centre. The box is directly responsive to the centre and AIDS awareness. The box is covered with motifs within the quilts, in particular, the quilt made by the RDNS. On the narrow side of the box, there is a picture of the Memorial Shards that hang from the ceiling inside the centre. On the other narrow side is a design inspired by the memorial quilt made for David Williams by his sister.
TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOX 2
2026
Painted by Edith, 13
Commercial Rd/Porter Street, Prahran
My box is located on the corner of Porter Street where it meets Commercial Road. I have chosen to include the Tudor buildings to connect to the local architecture. On Commercial Road, there was a street party, so I focused on the different venues from the tour that would come alive. I have shown this through the disco ball and the confetti. I have included Kerrie Le Gore, who was a big supporter of local drag talent, and Dolly Diamond talks about her experience with her on the audio tour.
TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOX 3
2026
Painted by Archie, 14
207 Toorak Rd, South Yarra
For my box, I chose to draw the Gay Men's Health Centre, Ad Lib Café and finally Maisie's (Her Majesty’s), all beside each other with Val Eastwood with her cane, as I relate in that way as a cane user. The design also features Jan Hillier and two LGBTQ people with their YES on the flag and wall, the rainbow through the Ad Lib café and Maisie's displaying their connection to the LGBTQ+ history
TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOX 4
2026
LUCIANO and George Keats
South Yarra Railway Station/Toorak Rd
The Melbourne Rainbow Band is a community/non-profit concert band providing an opportunity for musicians to develop their musical abilities in an environment free of prejudice and discrimination, and to promote the LGBTQIA+ community to the wider population.
Beginning in 1995, in a small church hall in South Yarra, they currently have more than 40 members drawn from all walks of life. Members’ musical skill levels vary from beginner to professional and players are as proudly diverse as the music they play.
The MRB exists to provide a safe and enjoyable space where individuals can come and create music. They aim to perform at a strong standard, combining our musical skills and community representation to provide a unique and special experience for all.
Melbourne rainbow band
OUR SUPPORTERS
Queer-ways: Retracing Stonnington's Queer Footprints has been made possible through collaboration between the City of Stonnington and Queer-ways. This project is based on research supported by the Australian Queer Archives
