Married in One Year: Our Gay Love Story
6 November 2022
People say that our gay love story should be turned into a book or movie.
With myself (Michael) being from Sydney, and Charlie being from the UK, we had many obstacles that could have kept us from being together. So we never expected that we’d end up married in one year and travelling Australia together after 6 years together.
The most frequently asked questions we get are about our relationship on our Instagram travel account. So we’ve not only created this blog, but also created a series dedicated to our gay love story on YouTube.
Read on to find out how we met, how we became gay boyfriends/gay lovers, how and when we said “I love you”, who proposed, and our gay wedding.
We hope you enjoy our gay love story.
Our gay love story began on Tinder
We always get asked how do gay guys meet their boyfriends? Well, we met on Tinder.
Context: I, Michael, was living in the UK at the time and had just got out of a long-term relationship. I only had a few months left living in the UK. I wasn’t looking for a relationship at all and was legit only looking for friends or a good shag.
Honesty bomb: When I first saw Charlie’s profile, I didn’t swipe right for Charlie for his looks. He actually looked like a cave dwelling 12-year old in all his pictures. He was always shirtless with some waterfall or cave in the background, and was clean shaven with long moppy hair… I was like woah, who is this (cave)man? (Spoiler: I find him super attractive now).
His bio information on the other hand mentioned hiking, travel, and even had a picture one of my favourite hikes in the world: the Camino De Santiago. I knew immediately that we’d get along really well from that alone – I mean how often do you find a gay guy on Tinder who has also walked 800km across Spain?
So I swiped right… and it was a match.
Our gay first date - not your typical first date
After a week of seemlessly chatting on Tinder (conversation flowed so easily and well), we organised to meet up as friends on our gay “first date”. I was very explicit about not looking for a relationship and so dropped “friends” in the chat about 20 times before we met up.
The only time I was available to meet up was when I was dropping off flowers to George Michael’s gravesite for a friend back home in Sydney who adored him.
When I told Charlie this, he said yes to join me on this ‘date’ (another sign he was different from the rest).
We organised to meet on the train into London. When I found Charlie on the train, he legit looked like Paddington Bear. In his defense, it was the middle of winter in the UK so it was super cold, but he was wrapped up in so many jumpers that it looked like his mother had just dropped him off for his first day of school.
Regardless, we ended up spending hours and hours just chatting, and this ‘drop-flowers-off-to-a-dead-gay-icon’ date turned into a 7-hour conversation about everything and anything. It was pretty unique, easy, and special. But in my eyes, we were still just friends.
You can watch us both tell the story in our below YouTube video.
The feels were real - our gay love story
After our “first date”, I went to Ireland for a few weeks. We continued chatting via text while I was there, and Charlie told me he had feelings for me. It was a pretty awkward situation which we speak more about in Part 2 of our gay love story series on YouTube, but I re-confirmed that our relationship was purely plutonic. So we remained friends.
When I returned, Charlie invited me as friends to visit his University in Cambridge. I’d never been prior, and he wanted me to see a part of the UK I hadn’t experienced before (yes, this was super cute). We went to his University and had this super fancy Hogwartz-like dinner where you legit hear some Latin speech before you eat your meal in this huge hall… while wearing a cape. I honestly was on the look-out for Harry and Hermoine.
His friends joined us, and after seeing the love Charlie had for his friends, and the love they had for him… feelings sparked inside me. I was like, oh shit – the feels are real.
Our first gay kiss before becoming gay boyfriends
Setting the scene: after the Hogwartz dinner, we’re sleeping in the living room on a fold out coach together at Charlie’s friends house. This was after I rejected Charlie’s display of feelings but now had feelings for Charlie. I was flustered.
Charlie took off his shirt and got in to bed super quick so that I didn’t think he was trying to make a move on me.
I got into bed next to him (with my shirt on), and could not fall asleep because I lay awake thinking… okay, I like him now. What do I do? Does he still like me? I guess gotta find out?
My first tactic: making groaning noises that sound like a mating call to seduce him. (Charlie says the groans were too high pitched for him to have realised it was a seductive call).
After 30 minutes of failed groaning, I decided to use tactic 2: grabbing Charlie’s arm and putting it around me for cuddles. Which worked! We started cuddling, and that quickly turned into more…
But poor Charlie. Because I had friend-zoned Charlie, he was super confused as to what we going on so he was super hesitant and our first gay kiss was nowhere near fireworks. It was more like a “what’s happening” first kiss.
(Spoiler: there are plenty of fireworks now, don’t you worry!)
Gay boyfriends - saying I love you for the first time in Asia
After spending a few more weeks together, we became gay boyfriends and decided that I should join Charlie traveling across Asia and Europe together #loveislove.
So that’s what we did. We had the absolute best time, and after spending 2 months traveling India and Taiwan together, the feelings grew into love.
We were sitting under a waterfall in Taiwan when I decided to tell Charlie ‘I love you’. Charlie’s response: “thank you”. I knew Charlie didn’t know what love meant to him (he hadn’t been in a relationship before), but I still wanted to be able to express how I felt because we had such a great relationship and I knew my love for him wouldn’t scare him off.
It was months later, after reading one of our favourite gay books of all time Tiny Beautiful Things, that Charlie said ‘I love you’ back. My response: “I know”.
The proposal in our gay love story
After traveling Asia and Europe for 6 months, I moved back to the UK on a 6-month holiday visa to continue our relationship. We moved in together and everything was just as it had always been: easy.
After a few months, my Visa in the UK was about to expire, and the only options were to get married or break-up (we didn’t want to do long distance). I was all in – I knew marrying Charlie was what I wanted. Charlie, being the more analytical of us both, took weeks to deliberate what we should do. He even wrote a pro-con list…
It was February 1st, 2018, and Charlie walked into our room and handed me the list of pros and cons. I looked at the list of cons and there were none. But the list of pros was full. “Couldn’t even think of one con… of course we should get married” Charlie said… “proposing”!
There really was no big “pop-the-question” moment. Our relationship truly began super organically and honestly, so the proposal felt the exact same way.
The wedding - gay marriage love story
Our gay love story wedding happened in Denmark. Not because it was super winter wonderland romantic, but because it was the cheapest place to get married in Europe at the time. We didn’t have any money, and we just wanted something quick, simple, and fun. Also, we wanted to go somewhere completely different and new – somewhere we could travel to together again for the first time.
We invited close friends who were in the UK at the time to join us. We rented an Airbnb and had the “reception” in the Airbnb after getting officially married in a municipal in a remote island in Denmark. It was -17 degrees Celsius at the time!
At the Airbnb, we had our friends mock-up roles of an official ceremony while setting up an aisle made of fairy lights. Our friend Emily (standing in front of us) played the celebrant, our friend Millie played the objector (declaring her love for me during her objection), and had a few friends play the ringer bearers, etc. Everyone had a role and it was super fun. It really felt like everyone came together to celebrate us.
It was so different from your traditional wedding. In the future, when we have more money, we’ll have a “proper” wedding. One where our families can join and celebrate our love too.
The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Best Margaret River Beaches
04 January 2023
After spending over 2 months exploring all of the Margaret River beaches, we’ve decided to share them with you in this ultimate guide.
There’s tons to do in the Margaret River region; stunning coastal walks, gorgeous natural scenery, exceptional wine tastings, super fine dining, cycling through lavish forests, and much, much more. But one of the absolute best things to do in the Margaret River region is explore all the stunning beaches because they are some of Australia’s best!
Charlie’s favourite beach in Margaret River was Bunker Bay, whereas mine was Meelup Beach. But every day we were blown away by how beautiful each beach was.
Here is a roundup of the best Margaret River beaches. Click here if you’re looking for a Margaret River Itinerary
Margaret River Beaches Map
Roughly 3 hours south of Perth, the Margaret River region extends from Busselton down to Augusta. That’s a lot of area to cover, and a lot of beach to visit. Which is why we recommend our 7-day itinerary in the Margaret River region.
List of the Best Margaret River Beaches
Here is a quick list of the best Margaret River beaches for you to keep in mind, starting from north to south. Continue scrolling to see images and stories from each beach.
- Busselton Jetty
- Castle Rock
- Meelup
- Point Piquet
- Bunker Bay
- Eagle Bay
- Yallingup Beach
- Smiths Beach and Rock Pool
- Injidup Natural Spa
- The Aquarium
- Gracetown
- Redgate
- Hamelin Bay
- Cozy Corner
- Quarry Bay
The Best Margaret River Beaches to Explore
Busselton Foreshore & Jetty
Busselton Jetty is the longest Jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. You can walk the 1.8km or catch a train all the way along to the end of the jetty. The jetty itself is a legendary snorkelling destination in Australia. Charlie and I even tried to snorkel underneath, but Charlie is super afraid of sharks and couldn’t last very long! You can expect to find skippy, herring, mulloway, squids, tuna, among many other species. It’s pretty spectacular, and a very unique thing to do not only in Margaret River, but also Australia.
Busselton Foreshore is also a popular family swimming area renowned for its relaxing water and well-structured skate park, playgrounds, cycling and walking routes.
This beach is awesome for:
- Walking along the Jetty
- Snorkeling
- Relaxation
- Swimming
- Jumping off the wharf
Castle Rock
The most exclusive and private beach on our list is Castle Rock. When visiting Dunsborough beaches, Meelup is the most popular. But Castle Rock is super close to Meelup and is nowhere near as busy. I can’t even count the number of times we visited Castle Rock, just to soak up the glory of this view.
Meelup Beach
Hands down our favourite beach in the Margaret River region, Meelup is not to be missed. For an entire week, Charlie and I would spend the day working in our van at Meelup, swimming in the beach, and then showering off at the beach showers followed around by us waiting for the kangaroos to come out at sunset. Yes, that’s right! During sunset, it’s super common to see the kangaroos come out and roam the grassy areas too! This was an absolute highlight of our trip around Australia.
Meelup beach is unquestionably one of the most popular beaches in the area, for both with locals and visitors alike. The beach is ideal for swimming for people of all ages because it has little wind and wave action. In addition, there are surf lifeguards on duty during the summer so it makes it family frinedly.
It’s been voted Australia’s best beach in the past, so make sure you don’t miss it.
Meelup is awesome for:
- Kangaroos at sunset
- Calm waters
- Family-friendly activities
- Crystal clear water
- Swimming
Point Picquet
This was the beach we visited the least as we explored Margaret River beaches. But that doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful!
Point Piquet produces excellent surfing waves (especially in the winter) and is a well-liked fishing spot. The beautiful bay and the turquoise sea make it a super popular tourist destination. But you will only spot a few people swimming at this beach since the shoreline is quite rocky. That said, there are a few sandy spots which offer swimmers a chance to enter the clear water.
Bunker Bay
Charlie ranks this one as his “best beach in Margaret River” because he spent every morning going for his sunrise stroll and swim here. It’s such a long beach, that you can definitely find a spot for yourself far away from everyone else. Charlie’s sister joined us here and said this was her favourite spot too!
It’s such a beautiful beach, and the colour of the ocean is honestly just incredible.
Bunker Bay is awesome for:
- Swimming
- Crystal clear water
- Beach strolls
- Seclusion
- Sunrise
Eagle Bay
Some of the calmest, prettiest waters in all of Dunsborough can be found here. Eagle Bay was the place we’d go to sunbath during the day, with a nice long beach stroll.
You’ll fall in love with the shallow, tranquil seas, the red cliffs, and pure white sand. Nearby Eagle Bay Brewing and Wise Winery are excellent for a post-swim meal. The pizzas are epic!
Eagle Bay is epic for:
- Sunbathing
- Beach strolls
- Crystal clear waters
- Seclusion
- Quiet
Yallingup Beach
Yallingup beach is where we rested at after completing day one of the Cape to Cape walk, and it was pure bliss.
Yallingup beach is encircled by a national park and is definitely a must-visit stop on your next Margaret River beach vacation.
Yallingup lagoon itself is a protected reef offering a fantastic family-friendly swimming area. Just beyond the reef however, the beach is incredibly popular surf destination.
Yallingup Lagoon is awesome for:
- Swimming
- Snorkeling
- Surfing
- Family-friendly
- Hiking
Smiths Beach and Rock Pool
It was on this beach that we decided to start a YouTube channel, because we thought “we have to show the world these spots!”
Smiths Beach is famous among professional and aspiring surfers because it is popular for being quieter than other beaches. The extensive area of fine white sand is popular among nature enthusiasts.
Smiths beach is epic, but the rock pool in the north is also a secret hidden gem that’s one of our faves. It’s super secluded, and we found no one really goes there because everyone’s either too busy at the beach, or at the Aquarium! It’s a secret goldmine of a beach!
Awesome for:
- Rock pools
- Surfing
- Seclusion
- Hiking
Injidup Natural Spa
Not to be confused with the day-spa of the same name where you get massages and facials, Injidup (natural) spa is truly a unique experience in the Margaret River region. The waves crash against the rocks producing a natural spa like setting in this incredible rock pool. We spent 3 days here, just because.
This hidden rock pool is on the edge of the wild Indian Ocean. As the wave comes crashing over the rocks, it forms a mini natural waterfall and ‘spa.’ There are a few tidal pools nearby.
It’s super ideal for taking Insta-worth pictures. While it can attract more crowds on sunny afternoons or weekends, Injidup Natural Spa is honestly so serene when you catch it on a quiet day. We recommend going midday, midweek.
Also, the rocky outcrops make for some excellent diving and snorkeling spots.
Awesome for:
- Uniqueness
- Natural beauty
- Rock pools
- Ruggedness
The Aquarium
Once a local secret, the Aquarium is now becoming a well-known hotspot of the Margaret River beaches.
This beautiful small lagoon is surrounded by considerable granite outcrops halfway between Canal Rocks and Smiths Beach. Smiths Beach is famous for its surf breaks, but snorkelers and swimmers prefer the Aquarium because of its tranquil, clear waters. that are unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere in the region. With heaps of rock pools, you can spend hours looking for crabs and critters on the rocks – or float the day away.
It’s a short hike to get to this rugged spot, but it’s well worth it.
Awesome for:
- Natural beauty
- Ruggedness
- Snorkelling
- Snorkelling
- Uniqueness
Gracetown Beach
We spent a few good days swimming at Gracetown beach. Honestly, all the Margaret River beaches are incredible, but what’s different about Gracetown is that there is a pontoon you can swim to, sunbathe on, and jump off at. We love a good pontoon, so we loved Gracetown.
This beach is also known for its surfing competitions.
Redgate Beach
A quick trip to Redgate Beach should be on the agenda if you’re looking for a secluded beach. There are some tremendous rocky outcrops to explore, and on some days, it is a fantastic place for sitting back and enjoying the serenity.
Hamelin Bay
Hamelin Bay is an iconic beach in the Margaret River beach.
Hamelin Bay is totally one of our top choices, not because of its immaculate white sand and pure blue waters, but also because of the stingrays that swim right up to the shoreline that you could even get close enough to touch (which we don’t recommend)!
Every day we went to Hamelin Bay, we saw the stingrays. Charlie always rolls his eyes when I talk to the animals. There was a lot of eye-rolling at Hamelin Bay.
Awesome for:
- Stingrays
- Solitude
- Uniqueness
- Wildlife
- Beach strolls
DON’T MISS OUT!
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Cosy Corner
The lovely coastal region of Cosy Corner features a white sand beach, little offshore limestone islands, and rocky headlands. But the best part? This Margaret River beach is an unofficial clothing optional beach, with barely anybody around!
We spent the whole day naked there and didn’t see a single person. It’s made it to the top of our favourite nude beaches of all of Australia list.
Awesome for:
- Seclusion
- Remoteness
- Clothing-optional
- Beach strolls
- Uniqueness
Quarry Bay
Quarry bay is along the last stretch of the Cape to Cape walk, just north of Cape Leewin lighthouse. The backdrop is incredible, and the rockpools make this little bay a great spot for a dip!
Awesome for:
- Rockpools
- Seclusion
- Hiking
- Nature
- Backdrop
Exploring more than just Margaret River beaches?
Traveling the the Margaret River? We recommend our 7-day itinerary in the region, which includes the best Margaret River beaches.
Or if you’re looking for Margaret River accommodation, click here.
Now traveling Australia by van
A fair few people say they are sad they never see gay couples in love, but we are proud to show that we are one such couple. And now, we’re continuing our travel adventures together in Australia and creating content as Australia’s first gay travel content creators! We’re so stoked. Who knows, maybe we’ll be famous gay lovers!
Check out more on our gay travel blog.
Absolutely gorgeous couple and love following u on your travels 😘 ❤️
Thank you so much Nicky!
I don’t think I have read a more human experience than that. Had me smiling. Adorable!