Safe casual sex
STI Testing in Australia: Where to Go, How Often, What Happens
Clinics in nine cities, plain answers on PEP and PrEP, and no lecture.
Sexual Health Quarters in Perth recommends testing once a year if you are sexually active, more often with a new partner. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea need a urine test or swab, HIV and syphilis a blood test. Most clinics need an appointment. This is general information, not medical advice. See a clinic or GP for advice that fits you.
How often should you get tested?
Once a year
Sexual Health Quarters recommends a test once a year if you are sexually active.
Sooner with new partners
A one-night stand is a new partner. Sexual Health Quarters says to test sooner with a new partner or symptoms. The Better Health Channel, an older source, gives an example: over 10 partners in 3 months, test every 3 months.
Every 3 months
The Australian STI Management Guidelines recommend this for men who have sex with men and people on PrEP.
How long after sex can you test?
Testing too soon can miss an infection. The sources differ on HIV and syphilis, so ask the clinic when to retest.
| Infection | How it is tested | When it can show up |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia and gonorrhoea | Urine test or swab you can often take yourself | Up to 7 days (Sexual Health Quarters) |
| HIV | Blood test | Up to 12 weeks (Sexual Health Quarters); 6 weeks in the guidelines |
| Syphilis | Blood test | Up to 12 weeks (Sexual Health Quarters); the guidelines say repeat at 12 weeks after a recent exposure |
What does an STI test involve?
Book ahead
Most clinics below need an appointment, so book first.
Bring your Medicare card
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre says to bring it if you have one. You can still be seen without it.
Give a sample, then blood
Sexual Health Quarters says you can take the sample yourself, and often recommends a blood test. With no symptoms, it asks you not to pass urine for 2 hours first.
Wait for results
Sexual Health Quarters says results are usually back within 7 days. If you hear nothing after 14 days, follow up.
Safe sex with casual partners: condoms, PEP and PrEP
- Condoms and dental dams
- The Better Health Channel, an older source reviewed in August 2022, says correctly used condoms can dramatically reduce the risk of most STIs, though infections such as herpes and genital warts can still pass on skin to skin. Use dental dams for oral sex.
- PEP
- A medicine taken after a possible HIV exposure, to prevent infection.
- PrEP
- A daily tablet that lowers the risk of getting HIV, on the PBS since April 2018, says Sexual Health Quarters. Metro North in Queensland notes it does not protect against other STIs.
- Doxy-PEP
- A medicine to help prevent syphilis and chlamydia. Sexual Health Quarters says its doctors can prescribe it.
After a possible HIV exposure, time matters. Sydney Sexual Health Centre says PEP must start within 72 hours. Ring its PEP hotline on 1800 737 669 or go to a hospital emergency department.
Where can you get tested near you?
Searching for an STD clinic? Try these sexual health clinics, or a GP in any state or territory.
| City | Service | How to book |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Sydney Sexual Health Centre | Appointments only: (02) 9382 7440 |
| Melbourne | Melbourne Sexual Health Centre | Appointments only: (03) 9341 6200 or 1800 032 017. No charge |
| Brisbane | Brisbane Sexual Health Clinic | Book online or ring (07) 3837 5611. No charge, no Medicare card needed |
| Perth | Sexual Health Quarters | Ring (08) 9227 6177. Fees apply to some visits |
| Adelaide | SHINE SA | Book online or ring 8300 5300. Walk-in sessions some afternoons. Bulk-billed with a Medicare card |
| Gold Coast | Gold Coast Sexual Health Clinic | Appointment required: (07) 5687 9200. No charge, no referral |
| Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast Sexual Health Clinic | Appointment required: (07) 3542 5065. No charge, no referral |
| Canberra | Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT | Ring (02) 6247 3077 or book online. Not bulk-billed, with concession rates |
| Newcastle | Pacific Clinic, Newcastle Community Health Centre | Ring (02) 4016 4536 to book. No charge, no Medicare card needed |
How do you bring it up with a new partner?
Raise it in the chat and make it about you: ‘I get tested every few months. When did you last go?’ Ask when, not just whether: a result is only as current as its date.
Agree on protection before you meet. If someone pressures you, block and report them: the safety page lists the tools.
Read consent and casual sex in Australia and meeting for sex safely next, then find your city on the locations page.
Testing questions, answered
How often should I get tested?
Sexual Health Quarters recommends once a year if you are sexually active, more often with a new partner. The Australian STI Management Guidelines say every 3 months for men who have sex with men and people on PrEP.
How long after sex can you test?
Sexual Health Quarters says chlamydia and gonorrhoea can take up to 7 days to show, and HIV and syphilis up to 12 weeks. The guidelines give 6 weeks for HIV, so ask the clinic when to retest.
What does an STI test involve?
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre describes a urine test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea and a blood test for HIV and syphilis. Sexual Health Quarters says you can often take the sample yourself and results are usually back within 7 days.
Does an STI test cost anything?
It depends. Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Brisbane Sexual Health Clinic and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast clinics say their services are at no charge. SHINE SA bulk-bills Medicare card holders; Sexual Health Quarters charges for some visits.
PEP or PrEP: what is the difference?
PEP is a medicine taken after a possible HIV exposure and must start within 72 hours, says Sydney Sexual Health Centre. PrEP is a daily tablet for people without HIV, on the PBS since April 2018, says Sexual Health Quarters.
Sources and dates
- Australian STI Management Guidelines (ASHM), 2026.
- Better Health Channel, Safe sex page, reviewed 31 August 2022 (older source).
- Sexual Health Quarters (Perth), Sydney and Melbourne Sexual Health Centres, Metro North, SHINE SA and the Queensland Health directory, 2026.