Guides
Casual Sex Guides for Australia: Plain Answers Before You Meet
Guides on meeting safely, getting tested, spotting scams and understanding consent, with sources named and dates shown.
Where to begin
Three places to start
You do not need to read the lot. Start with the question nearest to yours, and every guide links on to the next page that helps.
Meeting for sex safely
Where to meet for sex, an hour-by-hour plan for a first meet, and what to check and agree before you go.
STI testing
How often to get tested, what a visit involves, when infections show up and which clinics to try in nine cities.
Dating scams
Seven warning signs of a catfish or dating scam, five quick checks, and who to report to if money or images are involved.
Stay safe and healthy
- Meeting for sex safely
Where to meet for sex, an hour-by-hour plan for a first meet, and what to check and agree before you go.
- STI testing
How often to get tested, what a visit involves, when infections show up and which clinics to try in nine cities.
- Dating scams
Seven warning signs of a catfish or dating scam, five quick checks, and who to report to if money or images are involved.
- Age of consent and consent law
The age of consent in every state and territory, what consent means in law, how condom removal is treated and where to get advice.
How we write them
Sources named, dates shown
A guide should say where its facts came from.
Every guide gives its answer first and the detail after. When a statement leans on a law, a health guideline, a report or a dictionary, the source is named in that very sentence, so a reader can find it and weigh it. The date beneath each headline is when we last checked the facts.
The guides are general information written by a dating site, not medical, legal or financial advice. Where a decision matters, they send you to the official service that can help, such as your state’s sexual health clinic or the eSafety Commissioner.
Words, profiles and first messages
- Dating terms explained
Plain-word meanings of situationship, ghosting, hookup, NSA, DTF and other casual dating terms, with the dictionary behind each one named.
- Profile tips
Four steps to a clear casual sex profile, three example bios and six first messages to adapt, plus how to say no politely.
- Keeping it private
What the site keeps hidden, what you control, how to lock down your phone and what to do about image threats.
Which site, and is it legit?
- Is there a casual sex site?
Yes. Eight casual sex and adult dating options are open to Australians; this table shows what each is, how it charges and where you use it.
- Is Local Sex Meets legit?
What Local Sex Meets is, what it costs, which checks and controls it offers and how to judge any profile before you meet.
Getting the most from the guides
Do the guides give medical or legal advice?
No. They summarise what health services, regulators and legislation say and name each source so you can read it yourself. For a health concern, see a clinician or your state’s sexual health service. For a legal question, ask a community legal centre or a lawyer.
Where should I start if I have never met anyone online?
Start with the guide to meeting for sex safely, then read the one on dating scams before you chat to anyone. Add the STI testing guide before a first meet, and the profile tips when you are ready to build a profile of your own.
How often are the guides updated?
Each guide shows the date its facts were last checked under the headline. Laws, clinic details and scam figures change, so check the official page a guide names before you rely on a detail.