A new LGBTQ+ travel event, Gaydream Island, will transform Daydream Island in Queensland’s Whitsundays into a four-night Pride-style fun land.

The concept was developed by Mario Paez and Barry Warner, the founders of an Australian LGBTQ+ tourism business Planetdwellers that originally focused on inbound travel when it was first established in 2007.

Popular packages have included the Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill, NSW which pays tribute to the movie Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. “It was always about inbound tourism for the LGBTQ+ market coming to Australia to show off Australia,” Paez told LATTE.

But then the company started to find success with Pride cruises, which launched during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand was instantly huge, despite the question marks around cruising at the time. “People were just pumped for it,” Paez said, recalling bookings taken even when cruising was not permitted.

Those original cruises were in partnership with P&O Cruises, which retreated from the Australian market early this year, a turn of events that made repeating the same formula tricky. There isn’t a cruise ship we can do,” Paez explained. “At the moment, they’re all too big… and they’re just too big a risk for us to charter.”

Rather than abandoning the Pride cruise concept altogether, the team sought an alternative. “How can we replicate the Pride cruise experience, which is inviting everyone basically come and have four or five days of fun together with colour, chats and relaxation?” Paez said.

The answer was entirely different to the original – a charter of Aurora Expeditions’ Greg Mortimer for a voyage to Antarctica which took place in February this year. While that trip retained the colour of the original cruises, it also offered an opportunity for introspection, Paez explained, with it also drawing a more international crowd.

Next on the cards? A full resort takeover. “We thought we’d take over a resort. So we chose Daydream Island. Of course, the name is so fitting to change to Gaydream Island,” he said.

An inspection of the resort confirmed the idea. “You walk into the resort and it’s like walking into an ocean liner atrium,” he noted. “They built it almost like a cruise ship… the effect was instant.” The design allowed the team to visualise entertainment, staging, and communal spaces similar to those found onboard Pride cruises.

Accessibility and safety were also key considerations. “For our market, LGBTQ+, going to some countries in the world, they’re not sure they’re safe,” Paez said. By hosting the event domestically, organisers aimed to remove barriers. “It’s in Australia. You don’t need a passport. You just need to book a domestic flight.”

The four-night event will run from Thursday to Monday, allowing attendees to minimise time off work. The experience includes accommodation, transfers, breakfast, Wi-Fi, and a curated entertainment program. “We always focus on supporting LGBTQ+ either ally or performers from Australia or New Zealand, but mostly Australia,” Paez said.

The inaugural Gaydream Island event has a capacity of approximately 550 guests, including entertainers and staff. At the time of this conversation in late November, demand was already strong. “We’ve sold about 40% capacity, so we’re confident that we’ll get to 100 once we go hard with our entertainment,” Paez said.

While the first event will focus primarily on the domestic market, this could change in the future. “We’re hoping this will be every year, and we’re hoping we can grow it and maybe even make it go international as well,” Paez said.

For now, however, the priority is delivering a successful first edition, with Paez stressing that all are welcome. “We’re super excited about it,” he said. “If this sells out, we can really be confident to do it again.”

Gaydream Island will take place on Daydream Island from 28 May to 1 June 2026. For more information, click here.