While the weather is still warm, there’s time to take your clothes off. But where?



Naked harbour

Despite participants being buck naked, the Sydney Skinny swim claims not to be about nudity. Rather, this annual dip is aimed at challenging people to step outside of their comfort zones (and clothes), back to basics and to feel the fresh ocean on their bare bodies. Held on 1 March from Cobblers Beach, Middle Head, Sydney, swimmers are invited to swim either 900m or partake in the 300m nudie novice. Money raised from this ticketed event goes towards rejuvenating Sydney Harbour national park, in which it takes place.

Ahhh - the feel of the harbour on the unclothed body! Photograph: Spencer Tunick/EPA

Naked canyoning

Combine a passion for nature with a lack of fitness and throw in some nudity and you’ve got the Fat Canyoners. This group, which prefers to toss away their clothes and strap on a backpack and boots, can be found bushwalking naked in picturesque places such as the Blue Mountains. Despite stripping back to basics, this group takes its hiking seriously, and even has a strict bushwalkers’ code which ensures those who join pay heed to the Indigenous culture of the land on which they walk, as well as the flora and fauna. Depending on the location, some walks end in a skinny dip and others in nude yoga. And, as the name suggests, there’s also some canyoning involved.

Imagine doing this … naked! Photograph: www.azoreschoice.com

Naked yoga for men



If you prefer your nude yoga in a studio instead of by a stream, then Naked Yoga Sydney is for you. Open to men only, the purpose of this St Peters studio is not about sex but sensuality. By yoga standards, classes are relatively cheap at $15 a pop, but voyeurs are not invited. Rather, it’s all about body acceptance here. There are, however, regular classes touted as A Touch More Tantric which do celebrate sexuality and sensuality through partner work, but again the studio stresses there is no “blatant sexuality”.

Naked caravanning



Plonked on 40ha of natural bush land in Litchfield, 70km south of Darwin, The Top End Naturist Recreation Retreat is a nudist caravanning and cabin resort for the whole family. Clothing is “not optional” here but an “all-over tan” is promised during the dry season, which runs from April to September. Shoes are allowed on the 3.5km of walking tracks, and there’s even miniature golf, table tennis, a pool and some of the tallest termite mounds in the Territory against which you can measure your height, in all its naked glory.

Naked art classes

While there are plenty of places around Australia in which to pick up a pen and join a nude art class, there’s something about doing it in the country’s capital of cool, Melbourne, which makes it all the more appealing. Melbourne Life Drawing has 15 male and female models of various shapes and sizes to sketch and a number of sessions in which to participate. Meanwhile, Melbourne Art Class has spontaneous drop-in life drawing Friday night sessions where no booking is required and for $20 you can simply arrive, pick up a pencil and draw to your heart’s content.

To draw a map of Tassie in Tassie, head to Hobart’s Adult Education Tasmania. While participants are invited to wear old clothes or a smock, their subjects are naked, as it is said to be easier to draw a body which is “unencumbered or obscured” by clothing. This comprehensive course covers everything from quick sketches and basic anatomy to exercises in right-brain thinking and developing confidence and risk taking.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Life drawing classes take place across Australia. Photograph: Graeme Robertson

Nudist resorts

Ironically situated near a place called Robe in South Australia, the Sunland Holiday Village claims to be Australia’s only ocean beach nudist resort. Run by long-term naturists, its mantra is to encourage “self-respect, respect for others and respect for the environment”. There are powered and unpowered caravan sites here, as well as a club house where guests gather for morning tea and happy hour. Enjoy the 100ha of bushland and sand dunes and take a dip along the nippy Limestone Coast upon which it is situated, if you dare.

In warmer climes, situated in Queensland’s Whitsundays, Taylorwood claims to be the region’s only nudist resort. Set in a peaceful eight acres of private land in the Conway Ranges, there are self-contained cabins and powered sites here. This adult only resort has a tropical pool around which residents can relax and if you’re lucky enough to be there on New Year’s Eve, there’s body painting. It’s also a 15 minute drive to Airlie beach, which is the launchpad to the Whitsunday’s 74 islands.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nudist beaches - make sure you check first that you are not breaking the law. Photograph: Jens Koehler/AFP/Getty Images

All over tan



With its tropical weather, Queensland offers one of the best places in the country in which to strip naked, and two nudist beaches are stand-outs in the Sunshine State. Framed by the Daintree rainforest, Cow Bay beach in tropical north Queensland offers extreme privacy for those who wish to take their clothes off. Further south on the Sunshine Coast, Alexandria Bay is considered Noosa’s “unofficial nudist beach”. Situated within Noosa’s national park, it has been prone to police crackdowns from time to time, but that just makes a visit all the more exciting.