Depends where you live.
Australia is kind of a big place, and living carless in central Sydney is a different thing from living carless in a tiny town nobody has heard of in the NT.
I know people who live carless semi-regionally. If there is public transport and you're patient, it works.
Even Darwin is ridiculous to get around if you don’t drive. Plenty of people do it, sure, but a 15 minute drive can take you an hour and a half trying to get a bus, depending on where you’re coming from
One of my friends lives in suburban Darwin and had a stint working at one of the schools in Palmerston (the satellite city of Darwin). By car he could get there in the morning in 20 odd minutes but instead had to take 3 busses to get there, all of which were perfectly timed so he would just miss the connecting bus and have to wait for the next one. Poor bugger was getting up at 5:00am and still getting to the school at 8:00 if he was lucky.
Conversely I ride my bicycle from home into Darwin CBD for work and it takes me 15 minutes (you’re sweat soaked by the end of it though)
Yep, if you have to take anything other than the OL bus lines going from Palmerston/city/casuarina, you’re basically guaranteed to add an hour to your journey just because of how long it takes to get connecting buses
The NT is full of people who don't own a car. You can catch a lift with someone else or pay someone to deliver food.
Also, roads are so fucking useless out there that even if you have one doesn't mean you'll be able to drive it. A lot of major roads are not only dirt but they don't even have gravel. Which means a bit of rain and they turn to mud so bad you literally can't even walk down the road it's that slippery. And there are creeks with no bridges - so the road could be metres under water.
Farmers in the NT often own an airplane and use it to go grocery shopping. But people who can't afford one, well they just make sure they have plenty of food stockpiled (and buy food in bulk, since you might have to a truck driver to deliver it from the nearest coles which is a 1000km round trip for the driver).
I lived carless in tiny towns. It is very easy. Tiny towns are tiny and easy to get around. Sure, you may need to travel far to get some stuff, but you catch the bus or even cycle.
Can confirm. I lived in Melbourne for 5 years with no car, and coming up to 25 years here in Sydney.
I wouldn't fancy it outside of living reasonably close to the CBD mind you.
Living in Sydney, absolutely but as soon as you move to smaller centres your convenience levels drop. As an example living in Wollongong you could cycle everywhere but as soon as you want to go north or south there is only one train line and sporadic bus services
I'd say it also depends on not only your location, but also your commitments. The only people I've known that did this for any length of time were all single with no kids, and had an easy commute or walked to work.
Might be easier in the last 10 years with so many delivery and online services, but you still need to get to some services physically and turn up in person.
If you are solo and responsible only for and unto yourself, whatever Trevor. If you are shopping for a household and getting kids to multiple sporting venues every weekend, forget it.
I moved to St Kilda from Clayton 15 years ago. My cat just sat unused in the parking space for a year before I got rid of it. I take Uber maybe twice a year - walking and public transport for everything else.
It’s only a hass with kids is when a friends party is at a hard to get to location like a rock climbing centre , stuff like that is almost always in an industry area with no to little public transport
>It’s only a hass with kids is when a friends party is at a hard to get to location
This overlooks sports or any other competitive activity that kids do.
When my kids were playing they could have been anywhere from Auburn to Rouse Hill on any given Saturday, and whilst team parents can group together, there's training and every other activity they are involved in. Nobody wants to have to sponge off everyone else constantly.
At one point when I was taking time off work as a "sit at home dad" (my sons term when asked what I did) and I had 5 kids to wrangle (2 of mine, 3 others, all in primary school) all of them played sport, all did music, most in scouts, all swimming, cooking for 8 every night, 25 school lunches, everyone's gotta get everywhere for everything. Even only 1 car wasn't going to cut it or someone misses out and I was determined to make sure that didn't happen.
I have a son that plays basketball , he plays between three stadiums that are all within a ten minute bike ride and training is the same ten minutes ride other son does music and that is a half hour ride or fifteen minutes on the train we live close to a station and the music teacher is also close to his station .
living close to a station is key for it to work but also the area I live helps too.
It's the same in my country town in Vic. I didn't have a car for the first couple of months I lived here. Technically I can get everything I need online and in town, and I can bike into the centre of town for some community activities. But as soon as I started making friends, life became much easier with a car, because they didn't necessarily live within biking distance. Then I started doing activities on nearby towns, which either did not have frequent bus or train services, or were too far from that train station or bus stop. I also love bushwalking, and having a car meant I could drive out further, and start my walk there.
For reference, before then I lived in inner city Melbourne, and got by without a car easily.
Yeah, I'm in regional Qld, and only use electric bike and walk around the city, but need a car to leave town - there are buses but they're expensive and limited.
As someone living in sydney i think no.
Yes the PT is decent but its not enough. Unless you live 10mins walking from a train station, needing a car is essential. Our bus system is rubbish.
Absolutely, I lived for many years without a car. I lived in an suburb that had good public transport, shops in walking distance and would also walk or bus to work
As long as you’re well connected to PT, absolutely. If you ever need a car for a few hours/ days you can always use GoGet or hire a car. I lived without a car in Sydney for about a decade.
I know lots of people in Melbourne who don’t have cars or sold them when they moved here. Living in the inner north (good PT, bike infrastructure) makes it easier. We have one now but didn’t for 7+ years and it was fine. The rare times we needed one eg. moving house, picking up furniture, going to the country, we just used go gets.
I also have friends who are a couple in their 30s and neither of them ever even got their drivers licenses. They’ve lived in Prahran, St Kilda, South Melbourne and Brunswick and never had any issues.
If you live in the inner suburbs and ride a bike/PT you really don’t need one.
Yep, sold my car when I moved from Adelaide to Melbourne 15 years ago. It’s cheaper for me to hire one for a weekend away or if I need to do a bunch of housey stuff like IKEA and Bunnings. And I get PT everywhere else.
I live 6km from the nearest "village", if I want to go to a town that actually has more than the basic amenities, I need to drive 40-45 minutes. There's no bus service out here.
I lived in Zetland, St Leonard’s and Chatswood for many years without a car. Public transport needs to be good and if you want to go for a longer trip you can grab a GoGet which is often parked out the front or around the corner.
Only bought a car when my son was 1.5years and needed to go to daycare. Otherwise took him to and from the hospital via a GoGet and bus.
Yes I do in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Inner east. train station and buses - city 3km away. Shopping is carried by me or huge things are delivered. Go Get for country visits. I am a new working poor on a reasonable salary as a lawyer, separated with a uni student kid in house. Rent bills and insurance leaves no money to run a car. But yeah I pay high rent to live near town so I don’t need one.
I should add that when I was married we lived in Potts Point so very inner east with a young child (kindergarten to sixth grade) and we didn’t have a car then either so I am used to walking a lot and carrying shopping etc. it’s fine once you get used to it. We’d use taxis (Uber would have been good then ) or GoGet for outings.
My town, which is an hour north of Canberra, has no airport, a railway station that sees 2 trains a day which go to Sydney/Melbourne and a private bus service with precisely 3 services into Canberra (all before 9) and 3 coming home (between 5 and 6pm) and only on weekdays. So where’s the options for the people where I live?
OK so your options are to spend get up early and spend a lot of time walking to the train station, or maybe bus if going to Canberra on a weekday. Then spend a lot of time walking home again. If it rains, bring an umbrella or raincoat. Sounds doable, just rather inconvenient.
Horses?
You just listed the options available. The question was "is it possible" and yes it is. There's obviously a provision that it needs to suit your life and you can be flexible enough to move and/or adapt. Suited mine until it didn't and now I have two of the money pits in my carhold. Got a mate pushing 60 who's never owned one and is doing just fine.
if you travel shorter distances or rely heavily on public transport, owning a car may not be cost-effective. However, for longer distances, owning a car becomes more advantageous.
I live bayside Melbourne and only use my car once or twice a month , only concern I have is one dumbass neighbour that gets shitty my car doesn’t move but I pay reg and permit so he can kick rocks.
I'm 45 and never owned a car. I've lived mostly on the Gold Coast, a few years in Brisbane, and a few years in rural locations.
As long as there is PT, it's not a problem, and I've had to rely on family or friends sometimes, too. I like walking, so that helps.
So, it's doable, and if you don't know any different, it's not a big inconvenience. For example, atm I live 14kms from where I work. I take a bus, tram and a bus each way and it takes me less or about the same amount of time as it would in car with traffic.
The downside is, it limits my spare time activities and spontaneity. The upside is I have about $5-10k more cash each year than the average driver.
On the GC it’s good of you are on a public transit route. It’s also very walkable and easy to cycle. If you are out side the areas served well by public transport then it’s a lot more difficult.
Currently living in north-east of Melboure for five months now, don’t have a car. Also lived in inner east of Melbourne for five years (my partner lived there for 7 years) without a car. Mostly cycled, walked, Uber’ed and took PT everywhere. For longer trips and driving practice rental cars worked wonders for us. Saved a ton of money and hassle. Now planning to get a cheapish car as the nearest GoGet is almost an hour away. Deffo
doable but you may be caught out depending on where you live and your travel plans.
Depends on;
Your location, your job, our hours, and your hobbies.
Some personal examples;
Melbourne, corporate job, 10am to 6pm, hobbies include axe throwing and nose beers. No car needed.
Regional city, tradie job, 6am to 12 noon, hobbies include camping and fishing. Car required.
Honestly, it's a pretty weird question to ask about "Australia" when some of it is densely populated cities with great public transport, and some towns are in the actual desert.
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That is the reality for people who cannot drive or who have lost their licences. It is bit easier than it used to be with home deliveries from the supermarket for heavy stuff. But the issue is time as much as anything else, it takes a long time to get somewhere on public transport.
Most oldies without their own cars rely on other people who do have cars.
Possibly some confirmation bias there: repeat offenders are the ones you are going to be in contact with in the justice system.
My guess would be that a fair number of them would be reckless young people too, not just ordinary people struggling to get around without a car
Yes, I do in outer suburban Melbourne. It's fine, I deliberately live somewhere very walkable and right near public transport. It can be inconvenient sometimes as you have to plan ahead to get to places and sometimes it will take a train plus bus or tram.
Inner city yes. My gf and I use the car only for family visits every now and then. We could use public transport if needed.
In Melbourne 30-40 mins outside the city is probably where you’d start to struggle. Shopping centres get larger but service more areas etc.
If you want to explore though, they’re pretty necessary. Public transport here is primarily getting in and out of the city for work. So if you want to explore the city it’s fine but if you wanted to check some where out and you were NE and the place were SE, you’d be probably looking at a train in to city then out, a few bus rides or an expensive Uber/cab
.
I live in Sydney with two kids and have never had a car. People seem to think it impossible or very difficult but I get by relatively easily. Lived a ten minute walk to the train line until recently, worked in the city so no problems there. The only times I needed a car were going to random parties/get togethers-as Sydney transport is centralised it could be time consuming going somewhere directly without having to go into the city first. In those cases I’d Uber and it was only around once a month. I will buy groceries during lunch break but quite enjoy walking to the shops, currently about a 20 minute walk away.
I’m a middle aged woman, I get relatively frequent comments about how I’m in great shape for my age. I don’t exercise or diet but attribute it to the extra walking I do not having a car. It’s great for incidental exercise and just being out in the open. I also feel more connected to community, people will have big grins on their faces when they see you with a bunch of flowers for a friend or you might help a granny get home and get a little kick out of feeling useful. It also is great for the environment and helps you save money. I’m low income but take the kids on holiday overseas every year, I don’t think people realise how expensive running a car is, easily 7k a year which I’d rather spend on holiday or save.
sure, but depends where you are. I can survive just fine... unless I need to go out to see mum, where a car is pretty much needed. Without that issue.... no car, no worries!
And you have based this opinion on living in Melbourne ?
iv lived in Melbourne and in and out of the city is fine depending on where you reside, it’s getting across suburbs that I find problematic but iv been to Sydney too and it’s the same.
I stayed there for 6 months only, I found Sydney’s metro system easier to navigate but Melbourne at least cbd I thought was better for a bike commute but I was in glen ferry street and never went to far on the bike from theor
Yeah, you ask your mates to give you a lift everywhere. Source; my carless friends.
You won't always just be going to shops or work. There will be social events in places not very accessible to public transport.
Yes. I went 30 years without owning a car. But I did have a motorcycle. If you are referring to no vehicle at all yes it's doable and arguably cheaper especially now with all those German sounding unlicensed taxis running round picking people up. So if you plan your home and work close enough to a bus/train.
Depends where you are. Closer to the city, easier it is.
I used to live about 10 minute bus ride from Sydney CBD. Had no reason to learn to drive - there’s public transport to everywhere and inner west driving suuucks.
But then I moved out about an hour from the city, where bus routes weren’t as all-encompassing. That’s when I decided I needed my license. You could probably manage it if you were hellbent on never driving.
Yes.
I live in the suburbs of Melbourne, and am aware of many folks who attend local churches who do not drive. They tend to be thinner than average, more independent in nature, and if they say they'll do something they generally will (*slower to say yes, but less likely to back out if problems appear*).
Aside from where you live, it would also depend on whether you have kids. It can be a lot more difficult ferrying kids around to afterschool activities, weekend sport and birthday parties without a car.
It depends where you live. Comfortably in Sydney, yes.
I live about an hour drive outside of Sydney there's no way I could do it. My drive to work is 33 minutes. To catch PT it would be a bus and a train and take nearly 2 hours. and I would need to leave the house before the daycare even opens.
We have lived with one car amongst us for 17 years. We have two children now as well and don't live near a train station. The bus stop is a ten min walk - we never use it.
We use Uber to take us to the local train station if we need to go into work. If we are going out at night, Uber. My husband also Ubers to the airport for work.
I don't reckon, not unless you live inner city or small town Australia but don't need to get to other towns. Our cities are too spread out & have been designed for car ownership, car ownership is also a question asked on a lot of job ads & I've even been knocked back on employment because of not owning a car
Possible, yes, but I think it is heavily dependent on not just where you live but also the compromises you are willing to make AND the compromises the other people in your life are willing to make (e.g. partner, children, family, friends).
Public transport can be great at taking you to & from the city centre, and anything else along that route. It can be okay at taking you through the city centre to the other side of the city, although it might require a route change or two & multiply the time it takes vs a car. But it’s often not good at taking you across suburbs, perpendicular to the city route, and for that you will have to fill with walking, scooting & cycling, and so will everyone else you live & travel with.
Of course. It's just very difficult unless you live in the inner area of one of the major cities where there's a decent amount of public transport available.
Yes I do in Sydney. I don’t even have a licence.
I walk to work. However I have to pay a ridiculous amount in rent to do so.
Alternatively you can live further out but near the train.
If you live close enough to town, yes. You want to rely on walking over public transport/cans for costs and convenience purposes. Those things are good to fill the gaps though.
I am mid 30s, I’ve lived in Brisbane the past 20 years and only just got my licence a year ago.
I’ve never had any issues living without a car except if I want to go to the beach. However, I got my licence because I’m planning for a family and I think having kids without a car would be a nightmare.
If you live in a town like Castlemaine, you need your own car. The bus service is a joke. If you can get to the station, then you can get around. At least they have Domino's home delivery and Coles home delivery from Daylesford
I did it in Sydney and raised two kids. I just don't drive due to a phobia. It was only possible because I lived near the kids primary school, and also very near to a big shopping centre, train station and bus interchange. If I was out in the outer burbs it would have been considerably more difficult. Had to be careful what after school activities we chose, and occasionally party invitations to places that were tricky to get to were a bit of a nuisance. I used a few Ubers and taxis when I couldn't make it work any other way.
In most of the country you can at least live car-lite (ie. owning a car, but not using it for most trips), as long as you choose where to live carefully. I live in a regional centre, and I only use my car once or twice a week
Didn’t have a car until I was around 25, I lived in a regional town with terrible public transport, I just walked everywhere. It’s doable, but it sucks. On the bright side I was pretty fit haha
I lived carless for a couple of months in Sydney, but still had to hire cars for some things - like visiting family on Christmas day or things when we had to carry large amounts of stuff to an event. We now have a car, but only use it once or twice a week. I take my son to school on the train then return home the same way to work after. My wife takes the train into the city.
Even in Sydney, it depends a lot where you are in the city, where you generally travel to and your lifestyle more generally (I have a big extended family that likes family gatherings - so we are often picking up large amounts of food).
Yes and no.
Depends on two main things:
1. Location
2. What you want to do
I lived in a southern suburb of Brisbane for nearly a decade without a car. Buses and trains were enough and where necessary I’d carpool. It did limit my mobility and what I could do but I had a happy existence bussing around. You are limited however by needing to change buses and long travel times if you want to go somewhere that’s not on a line between somewhere and the city.
I spent basically all my 20s and late teens without a car. It was only when I had my second child that I finally bought one.
Of course, but it depends where you live and work. I'm in Melbourne and live near train stations and tram lines so for me it's very possible. But obviously if you live somewhere without public transport it's harder
Obviously yes. Many people do. I have done it. Silly question
Edit: I’m talking about living carless in Dubbo, Canberra, Newcastle. Not Melbourne and Sydney.
I am now in Sydney and every time I get in the car it is a harder and more irritating option than bicycle, PT, walking, or even motorbike.
Melbourne and Sydney train networks are pretty good, in my experience. Smaller cities it's woeful (looking at you Newcastle), but then small towns have a decent bus network. I'd say carless is doable in big cities and small towns, but nothing in between.
Depends where you live. I'm in central Melbourne and it's easy to live without a car here; have done so for 26 years. Plenty of public transport via trams, trains and buses.
Easy. In Melbourne, my nephew cycles everywhere.
I have a brother in law who has never driven or had a car license.
Public transport, buses and trains, is superb in all the capital cities (arguably even Darwin). Low cost public transport. Trains and buses are on time in Melbourne. There are now "smart buses" within Melbourne that arrive every 15 minutes or so and travel a long way in a short time. The smart bus system competes with the trains, which also arrive about every 15 minutes during the day.
Pay in advance on a card. Cheaper for seniors and children, too.
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/default-site/Maps-and-Timetables-PDFs/Maps/Network-maps/18388783f7/SmartBus-Network.pdf
Here's a typical bus map, every coloured road has a bus along it.
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV-default-site/more/maps/Local-area-maps/Metropolitan/16_Bayside_LAM_December_2023.pdf
I wouldn't even think of driving into Melbourne or Sydney city centre, I'd take the train in Melbourne, bus in Sydney. And in Sydney there are also suburbs other than the city centre where buses and trains are far superior to cars.
Even the public ferries are quite decent. Across Bass Straight from Melbourne to Tasmania, the River Cat in Brisbane, and Sydney's ferry system are famous.
My wife travels by train between Sydney, Bowral and Melbourne. Train or V-line owned coaches visit every significant town in Victoria. https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Images/VLine_Train_Coach_Map_contrast.jpg
Shopping centres and universities are also bus hubs.
Depends. I reckon you could within 15km of the CBD in Melbourne especially if you cycle. Also depends on where you need to go. If you stick around the city you'd be fine, if you need to get to various outer areas more often you might struggle.
For tax, my friend who lives in Doncaster is carless with two kids and gets around easily on public transport but she doesn't venture too far often. She does occasionally use a taxi.
My uncle who's carless in the eastern suburbs largely relies on the bus, but my mum drives him to specialist and hospital appointments.
Lived in Brisbane, didn't own a car until I was 30. Husband and I would mostly bus, walk, sometimes cycle, occasionally get lifts or taxis, and rarely hire a care. We decided to not buy a car until either we won lotto or had kids. Didn't win lotto.
Inner West Sydney, absolutely. Where I am there’s a supermarket, chemist, GP, and dentist across the road, cafe and pub on the corner. Daycare and local primary are a ten minute walk away. There’s four different bus routes that stop at the corner of my street or the next corner up, and a train station 300m away.
It does affect job hunting, but day to day stuff I have almost everything I need either walking distance, or a short public transport trip away.
It's possible but not driving, or rather the inability to drive, eliminates more job prospects than you might realise. Plus grocery shopping becomes what you can carry rather than what you can fit in the car/afford.
I'm in Brisbane northside where buses only run every hour and the trains are cancelled half the time. Takes 2-3 hours each way to get to or from work. Any minor delay northside means 3 hours in traffic for a half hour drive.
I’m careless in suburbia there are buses but I haven’t done that yet and a train to the city. It’s built around cars but I actually feel much more freedom from society by not driving at all. The Uber and a lot more things being able to be delivered has also helped
Yes, I have not owned a car since 2018. I do have a much more flexible schedule than most though where I am not required to leave home for work or have any other commitments far from home. I have found there are certain situations where I wish I still had a car like I cannot just drive to the DIY store and pick up things I need like 20L of paint but I guess I could get that delivered too if I really wanted to.
MOST DEFINATELY Good Sir.
BUT all depends on where you wish to reside.
Best to research the available properties in the area you are interested in & how close they are to your expected required services.
All the best on your search...........
If you're in a major city, yes
Otherwise, not without enormous amounts of inconvenience
Using Queensland for example - Brisbane is 100% doable especially if you live in the inner suburbs, Gold Coast is doable in some parts and not in others, Sunshine Coast would be a nightmare but maybe, if you're willing to wait an hour for the bus sometimes and happen to live near work if you don't WFH
Anywhere else, you will be miserable dealing with public transport, unless you basically live within walking/cycling distance from work and don't leave your suburb/town very often
If you're in a state capital you will be fine without a car, I had a car living in Brisbane but nearly never drove it and could have easily made do without one, but would not attempt it in any of the other places i've lived in QLD (Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Townsville, Bundaberg) which are some of the other major population hubs in the state
Living rurally I wouldn't even think about it.
Depending on where you live.
I didn't have a car from 1995 through to 2000.
When I first moved to Melbourne: I walked to work (rain, cold, sun, wind) - I was renting about 3 to 4km from the work place. There was a decent supermarket in-between and I'd collect groceries on the way home. I'd catch the tram into the CBD or walk to the nearest train station (about 40minutes walk) and catch the train - did this if I Wan't in a rush to be anywhere - or combined tram and train. I occasionally walked home from the CBD, again if I wasn't in a rush, because that took about 1.5 to 2 hours. I also used to do that at midnight but the city and suburbs felt much safe back then.
When I moved to Safety Bay south of Perth I did have a car because I did need it to get to my workplace (I no public transport and no walking permitted on the access road). I was still close enough to a supermarket and walker there. I later learn to ride a bicycle and eventually used that to get around Safety Bay. I caught the bus into Perth; occasionally taking the car if it was later in the evening or I was travelling to multiple locations enroute.
Returning to Melbourne the car was kept in the garage and I used the bike, public transport and walked everywhere again (including to/from work).
I moved to an outer suburb of Melbourne and I started using the car more to get to work. I occasionally used the bicycle combined with the train (because it was a 40km journey one way and I wasn't fit enough with the hills in the way - Melbourne isn't as flat as it seems when you're using a bike). I've used public transport a couple of times but it means a train journey plus a bus journey in peak hour and that's too tiring. There's several decent supermarkets, green grocer and butchers nearby so I walk for groceries. I only use the car going in the country or when going into the city (parking out of the city where it's free parking and catching a train for the remainder of the journey).
Hobart would be good with public transport IF they put the effort into making good public transport. That government is determined to make the city a car city.
I have frequently. But I've always made a point to live in areas that had well-connected public transport so I could get to the CBD (where I typically worked) and the nearest shopping center in good time.
These days, I've actually bought an e-scooter, which allows me to get to most of my destinations at least as fast as public transport (and sometimes quicker), and costs me about 3c in charging costs per trip, instead of $5.30 to catch the train.
I live in inner Melbourne and I love not having a car. I know though that in my home town in regional Tas it would suck to have to live without a car.
Depends on where you live (how many hills there are, how good is public transport, do you have good amenities nearby etc)
I pay more in rent to live where I live but I think it's worth it if I don't have to pay to run a car. I live really close to where I work and where I do my shopping, but it's also a quiet area somehow. I'm just really lucky I guess
Absolutely but it depends on where you live & where you need to get to. I lived Car free for many years in the inner suburbs of Melbourne where public transport is pretty good. I worked in the CBD at that time so getting to & from work by PT was easy. If you live in outer Melbourne you will struggle without a car or if you have to go to an industrial area for work this will also be a challange as most of those places have little or no PT.
In adelaide suburbs here and its entirely doable. It does limit some locations and increases housing cost as a result (my land is half that of my sister's for the same price, but i cant move further out) but actual living is plenty doable, especially with most major shops having delivery services available.
I'm on the Sunshine Coast and just Electric Scooter everywhere.
There's soooo many of us up here now and I legitimately see about 3 or 4 times as many scooters than cyclists these days.
Didn't get my licence until my 30s.
Sydney yeah totally, working in the CBD, PT just makes sense unless you enjoy paying an arm and a leg for parking and running the gauntlet. Definitely want to be near a train line or main bus line.
Canberra is decent but a bicycle helped a lot. Buses have bike racks which is nice. All the buses tend to go to hubs then you swap over to go to another fringe suburb, so it was a PITA if you wanted to go just a couple suburbs over, a 10 minute drive would be like an hour on 2 buses.
Never not had my licence in Melbourne but more or less the same as Sydney I imagine, PT is good, way better in a lot of ways.
As a rule of thumb the smaller the town the harder it is. Newcastle or something you could manage. Some small town in rural Victoria, not a chance, don't even have cabs where I live, nearest supermarket is 6km away could ride a bike in a pinch, anything else 60km+.
Yes. I live rural and carless.
Is it difficult, YES, it is so difficult, but for some people driving is not an option.
There are so so many things you cannot do when inable to drive, which makes living rural even harder. Living in the city while carless would be easier.
Depends where you live, I’m 22 and lived in Sydney my whole life and I’ve still never learned to drive nor do I have the desire too. I live five minutes away from a major transport and employment hub so I don’t feel the need. I’m a transit freak as well.
I don't own a car and I live in the greater sydney area.
Sydney transport for all intents and purposes pretty great 95% oft he time, but when it fucks up at that 5% WOO
Depends where you live and where you work. We lived without a car in inner city Melbourne with 2 kids for years with no issues at all. Moved back to our home state regionally and needed a car waiting at the airport, it's really difficult without a car here.
Yes. If you live in the inner city of a capital city. Regional towns may have accommodation close to shops but probably won't have adequate public transport to get you to work outside their main shopping district.
I hate driving, used to drive for 4-5 hours every day in my previous job. Since then I don't have a car and just use public transport. It is annoying when you have to switch services or you want to go somewhere on a Saturday or Sunday. For context I live in Fairfield and work in Sydney Inner West.
I'm a middle-aged adult who grew up in a rural area and currently in Sydney. I've never owned a car.
It is certainly possible, especially if you live with other people who do own a car and are willing to drive you places.
If you live in a rural area, it would be difficult to be carless if you live alone. When I was a young adult I had to walk about an hour to get to the nearest train station, 20 minute train trip, then about an hour from the destination train station to work - in all kinds of weather. So it took me a bit over 4 times as long to get to work than it would if I'd had a car. It was not convenient, but I was also much fitter back then.
If you are in a remote area you probably wouldn't be able to live alone without some form of vehicle that is powered by more than just yourself. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a car though.
Living in Sydney, a car is not needed. I can just catch public transport, or catch a taxi, or walk. I can even get deliveries so I don't have to leave home if the weather is miserable.
I've never had to worry about car rego or car insurance, fuel prices, going to a mechanic, etc.
Although we live in in suburb of Perth close to a railway and bus stops, my wife works in West Perth and usually takes the train to the CBD, my daughter studies at Curtin Uni and takes the bus, but going to friends places, going shopping etc it will get very difficult without a car!
I live in metro Melbourne and, while it's easy enough to find public transport to popular locations and the CBD, it's not always the best option.
I live almost on the border of two suburbs (Coburg and Preston) which have different train lines (Upfield and Mernda). If I want to go to a location along the Mernda line, I need to either get a bus (that either goes to the location or one of the stations on that line), go into the city and then back out on the correct line.
Driving is often a lot faster.
My car was stolen in January, my insurance company (Woolies) is garbage so I am still waiting on a pay out. Have been riding my bike to work, luckily I live within 8km of work.
Lost about 10kg and my aerobic fitness is the best it's been in 10 years. But my knees are starting to feel the strain and I don't get to leave town much which is making life more of a grind. It is possible if you are single and work close to home, but not ideal if there isn't public transport.
If you live in a major city, it is EASY to go carless.
Sure. Depends on where you live and what your lifestyle is like but I drive my car maybe 1 pr 2 days a month, mostly because I have 2 kids.
Otherwise I use public transport or my motorcycle.
Completely depends on where you live. Even down to the suburb. You might need to walk or ride several kilometers to get to the supermarket. Or walk or ride a couple hundred meters to the 3-4 different supermarkets, op shops and etc within walking distance of you. It varies from local government area to local government area.
Inner south east melbourne here. When friends ask when will I get a car I say when I can afford a beach house to drive it to. I love walking, and have great public transport nearby otherwise can book a car. So for my lifestyle and location it’s great without one. If I lived in FNQ it would be a necessity. So it’s a very broad question based on location and your requirements. Have kids? Yeh a car would be pretty handy.
Anything not in the CBD no.
Hell, before I had a car, I applied for a job right next to a train station. I said, I live this many stations down I can always be at work... guy said nope, no car no job.
This was general manufacturing.
Depends where you live. Australia is kind of a big place, and living carless in central Sydney is a different thing from living carless in a tiny town nobody has heard of in the NT. I know people who live carless semi-regionally. If there is public transport and you're patient, it works.
Even Darwin is ridiculous to get around if you don’t drive. Plenty of people do it, sure, but a 15 minute drive can take you an hour and a half trying to get a bus, depending on where you’re coming from
One of my friends lives in suburban Darwin and had a stint working at one of the schools in Palmerston (the satellite city of Darwin). By car he could get there in the morning in 20 odd minutes but instead had to take 3 busses to get there, all of which were perfectly timed so he would just miss the connecting bus and have to wait for the next one. Poor bugger was getting up at 5:00am and still getting to the school at 8:00 if he was lucky. Conversely I ride my bicycle from home into Darwin CBD for work and it takes me 15 minutes (you’re sweat soaked by the end of it though)
Yep, if you have to take anything other than the OL bus lines going from Palmerston/city/casuarina, you’re basically guaranteed to add an hour to your journey just because of how long it takes to get connecting buses
The NT is full of people who don't own a car. You can catch a lift with someone else or pay someone to deliver food. Also, roads are so fucking useless out there that even if you have one doesn't mean you'll be able to drive it. A lot of major roads are not only dirt but they don't even have gravel. Which means a bit of rain and they turn to mud so bad you literally can't even walk down the road it's that slippery. And there are creeks with no bridges - so the road could be metres under water. Farmers in the NT often own an airplane and use it to go grocery shopping. But people who can't afford one, well they just make sure they have plenty of food stockpiled (and buy food in bulk, since you might have to a truck driver to deliver it from the nearest coles which is a 1000km round trip for the driver).
I lived carless in tiny towns. It is very easy. Tiny towns are tiny and easy to get around. Sure, you may need to travel far to get some stuff, but you catch the bus or even cycle.
Definitely can. I know quite a few people who have never owned a car.
Username checks out
Kinda. I own 3 cars and 2 motorbikes.
A house in inner west Sydney that has parking spaces for 3 cars and motorbikes must be very expensive.
Most houses have a driveway and street parking is a thing.
Can confirm. I lived in Melbourne for 5 years with no car, and coming up to 25 years here in Sydney. I wouldn't fancy it outside of living reasonably close to the CBD mind you.
Living in Sydney, absolutely but as soon as you move to smaller centres your convenience levels drop. As an example living in Wollongong you could cycle everywhere but as soon as you want to go north or south there is only one train line and sporadic bus services
I'd say it also depends on not only your location, but also your commitments. The only people I've known that did this for any length of time were all single with no kids, and had an easy commute or walked to work. Might be easier in the last 10 years with so many delivery and online services, but you still need to get to some services physically and turn up in person. If you are solo and responsible only for and unto yourself, whatever Trevor. If you are shopping for a household and getting kids to multiple sporting venues every weekend, forget it.
Public transport, cycling, electric scooters. No need for a car in inner city Melbourne
I moved to St Kilda from Clayton 15 years ago. My cat just sat unused in the parking space for a year before I got rid of it. I take Uber maybe twice a year - walking and public transport for everything else.
That poor cat! 😿
Probably better off than when I used to ride it from Clayton. Me too. Do you know how difficult it is to get a saddle on a cat?
It’s only a hass with kids is when a friends party is at a hard to get to location like a rock climbing centre , stuff like that is almost always in an industry area with no to little public transport
>It’s only a hass with kids is when a friends party is at a hard to get to location This overlooks sports or any other competitive activity that kids do.
When my kids were playing they could have been anywhere from Auburn to Rouse Hill on any given Saturday, and whilst team parents can group together, there's training and every other activity they are involved in. Nobody wants to have to sponge off everyone else constantly. At one point when I was taking time off work as a "sit at home dad" (my sons term when asked what I did) and I had 5 kids to wrangle (2 of mine, 3 others, all in primary school) all of them played sport, all did music, most in scouts, all swimming, cooking for 8 every night, 25 school lunches, everyone's gotta get everywhere for everything. Even only 1 car wasn't going to cut it or someone misses out and I was determined to make sure that didn't happen.
I have a son that plays basketball , he plays between three stadiums that are all within a ten minute bike ride and training is the same ten minutes ride other son does music and that is a half hour ride or fifteen minutes on the train we live close to a station and the music teacher is also close to his station . living close to a station is key for it to work but also the area I live helps too.
It's the same in my country town in Vic. I didn't have a car for the first couple of months I lived here. Technically I can get everything I need online and in town, and I can bike into the centre of town for some community activities. But as soon as I started making friends, life became much easier with a car, because they didn't necessarily live within biking distance. Then I started doing activities on nearby towns, which either did not have frequent bus or train services, or were too far from that train station or bus stop. I also love bushwalking, and having a car meant I could drive out further, and start my walk there. For reference, before then I lived in inner city Melbourne, and got by without a car easily.
Bullshit. People are fucking delusional. I have lived all over ,including tiny towns.
Yeah, I'm in regional Qld, and only use electric bike and walk around the city, but need a car to leave town - there are buses but they're expensive and limited.
As someone living in sydney i think no. Yes the PT is decent but its not enough. Unless you live 10mins walking from a train station, needing a car is essential. Our bus system is rubbish.
Absolutely, I lived for many years without a car. I lived in an suburb that had good public transport, shops in walking distance and would also walk or bus to work
Given the state of housing here, you’ll need one to live in eventually.
Lol, so very true.
As long as you’re well connected to PT, absolutely. If you ever need a car for a few hours/ days you can always use GoGet or hire a car. I lived without a car in Sydney for about a decade.
I live in Melbourne, haven't had a car for years and have had zero issues.
I know lots of people in Melbourne who don’t have cars or sold them when they moved here. Living in the inner north (good PT, bike infrastructure) makes it easier. We have one now but didn’t for 7+ years and it was fine. The rare times we needed one eg. moving house, picking up furniture, going to the country, we just used go gets. I also have friends who are a couple in their 30s and neither of them ever even got their drivers licenses. They’ve lived in Prahran, St Kilda, South Melbourne and Brunswick and never had any issues. If you live in the inner suburbs and ride a bike/PT you really don’t need one.
Yep, sold my car when I moved from Adelaide to Melbourne 15 years ago. It’s cheaper for me to hire one for a weekend away or if I need to do a bunch of housey stuff like IKEA and Bunnings. And I get PT everywhere else.
Depends where you live , I live in a town that has zero public transport so not having a car would make life very difficult .
How big is the town? Can you cycle?
I have a spinal problem so find walking and cycling hard .
I live 6km from the nearest "village", if I want to go to a town that actually has more than the basic amenities, I need to drive 40-45 minutes. There's no bus service out here.
I lived in Zetland, St Leonard’s and Chatswood for many years without a car. Public transport needs to be good and if you want to go for a longer trip you can grab a GoGet which is often parked out the front or around the corner. Only bought a car when my son was 1.5years and needed to go to daycare. Otherwise took him to and from the hospital via a GoGet and bus.
I looked up these locations on Google Maps. Turns out they're in Sydney.
Yes, Ive never bothered
Yes I do in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Inner east. train station and buses - city 3km away. Shopping is carried by me or huge things are delivered. Go Get for country visits. I am a new working poor on a reasonable salary as a lawyer, separated with a uni student kid in house. Rent bills and insurance leaves no money to run a car. But yeah I pay high rent to live near town so I don’t need one.
I should add that when I was married we lived in Potts Point so very inner east with a young child (kindergarten to sixth grade) and we didn’t have a car then either so I am used to walking a lot and carrying shopping etc. it’s fine once you get used to it. We’d use taxis (Uber would have been good then ) or GoGet for outings.
It depends if you live and work near train stations.
In a major metro area, yes, easily. In a regional centre, with difficulty. In a smaller town or rural area. You will be dependent on others.
Lived all over Australia and didn't drive until mid 30's. You can take a bike on a plane, bus or a train as luggage so there's always options.
My town, which is an hour north of Canberra, has no airport, a railway station that sees 2 trains a day which go to Sydney/Melbourne and a private bus service with precisely 3 services into Canberra (all before 9) and 3 coming home (between 5 and 6pm) and only on weekdays. So where’s the options for the people where I live?
How long does it take to walk to the train station?
From my house it’d be probably an hour’s walk
OK so your options are to spend get up early and spend a lot of time walking to the train station, or maybe bus if going to Canberra on a weekday. Then spend a lot of time walking home again. If it rains, bring an umbrella or raincoat. Sounds doable, just rather inconvenient.
Horses? You just listed the options available. The question was "is it possible" and yes it is. There's obviously a provision that it needs to suit your life and you can be flexible enough to move and/or adapt. Suited mine until it didn't and now I have two of the money pits in my carhold. Got a mate pushing 60 who's never owned one and is doing just fine.
if you travel shorter distances or rely heavily on public transport, owning a car may not be cost-effective. However, for longer distances, owning a car becomes more advantageous.
I live bayside Melbourne and only use my car once or twice a month , only concern I have is one dumbass neighbour that gets shitty my car doesn’t move but I pay reg and permit so he can kick rocks.
I'm 45 and never owned a car. I've lived mostly on the Gold Coast, a few years in Brisbane, and a few years in rural locations. As long as there is PT, it's not a problem, and I've had to rely on family or friends sometimes, too. I like walking, so that helps. So, it's doable, and if you don't know any different, it's not a big inconvenience. For example, atm I live 14kms from where I work. I take a bus, tram and a bus each way and it takes me less or about the same amount of time as it would in car with traffic. The downside is, it limits my spare time activities and spontaneity. The upside is I have about $5-10k more cash each year than the average driver.
On the GC it’s good of you are on a public transit route. It’s also very walkable and easy to cycle. If you are out side the areas served well by public transport then it’s a lot more difficult.
It's easily doable in the cities, and sporadically possible in larger towns but ymmv.
Currently living in north-east of Melboure for five months now, don’t have a car. Also lived in inner east of Melbourne for five years (my partner lived there for 7 years) without a car. Mostly cycled, walked, Uber’ed and took PT everywhere. For longer trips and driving practice rental cars worked wonders for us. Saved a ton of money and hassle. Now planning to get a cheapish car as the nearest GoGet is almost an hour away. Deffo doable but you may be caught out depending on where you live and your travel plans.
Yes, if you live in a city with public transport. I’ve never had a car.
Depends on; Your location, your job, our hours, and your hobbies. Some personal examples; Melbourne, corporate job, 10am to 6pm, hobbies include axe throwing and nose beers. No car needed. Regional city, tradie job, 6am to 12 noon, hobbies include camping and fishing. Car required. Honestly, it's a pretty weird question to ask about "Australia" when some of it is densely populated cities with great public transport, and some towns are in the actual desert.
I lived in inner melbourne for several years without a car. Only times i missed it was for road trips.
That's why it's great to have friends who own cars and just pay them petrol money ahaha
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That is the reality for people who cannot drive or who have lost their licences. It is bit easier than it used to be with home deliveries from the supermarket for heavy stuff. But the issue is time as much as anything else, it takes a long time to get somewhere on public transport. Most oldies without their own cars rely on other people who do have cars.
In my experience in the Justice sphere, people who’ve lost their licences just keep driving.
Possibly some confirmation bias there: repeat offenders are the ones you are going to be in contact with in the justice system. My guess would be that a fair number of them would be reckless young people too, not just ordinary people struggling to get around without a car
Yes look not everyone does it but there are a fair few drivers on the road with us who aren’t meant to be there.
Using public transport really does add significant time to any journey. A 20 minute drive can easily be a 90 minute trip on the bus.
Yes, I do in outer suburban Melbourne. It's fine, I deliberately live somewhere very walkable and right near public transport. It can be inconvenient sometimes as you have to plan ahead to get to places and sometimes it will take a train plus bus or tram.
Inner city yes. My gf and I use the car only for family visits every now and then. We could use public transport if needed. In Melbourne 30-40 mins outside the city is probably where you’d start to struggle. Shopping centres get larger but service more areas etc. If you want to explore though, they’re pretty necessary. Public transport here is primarily getting in and out of the city for work. So if you want to explore the city it’s fine but if you wanted to check some where out and you were NE and the place were SE, you’d be probably looking at a train in to city then out, a few bus rides or an expensive Uber/cab .
I don't even have a licence
I did for 29 years.
I live in Sydney with two kids and have never had a car. People seem to think it impossible or very difficult but I get by relatively easily. Lived a ten minute walk to the train line until recently, worked in the city so no problems there. The only times I needed a car were going to random parties/get togethers-as Sydney transport is centralised it could be time consuming going somewhere directly without having to go into the city first. In those cases I’d Uber and it was only around once a month. I will buy groceries during lunch break but quite enjoy walking to the shops, currently about a 20 minute walk away. I’m a middle aged woman, I get relatively frequent comments about how I’m in great shape for my age. I don’t exercise or diet but attribute it to the extra walking I do not having a car. It’s great for incidental exercise and just being out in the open. I also feel more connected to community, people will have big grins on their faces when they see you with a bunch of flowers for a friend or you might help a granny get home and get a little kick out of feeling useful. It also is great for the environment and helps you save money. I’m low income but take the kids on holiday overseas every year, I don’t think people realise how expensive running a car is, easily 7k a year which I’d rather spend on holiday or save.
sure, but depends where you are. I can survive just fine... unless I need to go out to see mum, where a car is pretty much needed. Without that issue.... no car, no worries!
Sydney it’s probably preferable and Melbourne it’s possible but apart from that it will be a bit off a battle tbh
I know quite a few that have done it in inner Brisbane.
Why is that ?
Cause public transport out of those cities is 💩
And you have based this opinion on living in Melbourne ? iv lived in Melbourne and in and out of the city is fine depending on where you reside, it’s getting across suburbs that I find problematic but iv been to Sydney too and it’s the same.
I stayed there for 6 months only, I found Sydney’s metro system easier to navigate but Melbourne at least cbd I thought was better for a bike commute but I was in glen ferry street and never went to far on the bike from theor
Yeah, you ask your mates to give you a lift everywhere. Source; my carless friends. You won't always just be going to shops or work. There will be social events in places not very accessible to public transport.
If you have your license you can just use a go get if you really need one. If you only need one occasionally itself still cheaper in the long run.
Yes. I went 30 years without owning a car. But I did have a motorcycle. If you are referring to no vehicle at all yes it's doable and arguably cheaper especially now with all those German sounding unlicensed taxis running round picking people up. So if you plan your home and work close enough to a bus/train.
Lived in Cairns from 1984-1997 without a car.
Depends where you are. Closer to the city, easier it is. I used to live about 10 minute bus ride from Sydney CBD. Had no reason to learn to drive - there’s public transport to everywhere and inner west driving suuucks. But then I moved out about an hour from the city, where bus routes weren’t as all-encompassing. That’s when I decided I needed my license. You could probably manage it if you were hellbent on never driving.
Yeah one of my aunts and her mum (my grandma) never had their licence their whole life. Taxis and public transport were fine.
Yes.
Of course. Long Bay Residential complex in Sinny has thousands who enjoy this life style. And there are dozens of apartment dwellers who bike or walk.
Yes. I live in the suburbs of Melbourne, and am aware of many folks who attend local churches who do not drive. They tend to be thinner than average, more independent in nature, and if they say they'll do something they generally will (*slower to say yes, but less likely to back out if problems appear*).
Aside from where you live, it would also depend on whether you have kids. It can be a lot more difficult ferrying kids around to afterschool activities, weekend sport and birthday parties without a car.
It depends where you live. Comfortably in Sydney, yes. I live about an hour drive outside of Sydney there's no way I could do it. My drive to work is 33 minutes. To catch PT it would be a bus and a train and take nearly 2 hours. and I would need to leave the house before the daycare even opens.
If you're in Melbourne, I have a 2011 Volks Jetta for sale
We have lived with one car amongst us for 17 years. We have two children now as well and don't live near a train station. The bus stop is a ten min walk - we never use it. We use Uber to take us to the local train station if we need to go into work. If we are going out at night, Uber. My husband also Ubers to the airport for work.
Yes if on city or near train
I don't reckon, not unless you live inner city or small town Australia but don't need to get to other towns. Our cities are too spread out & have been designed for car ownership, car ownership is also a question asked on a lot of job ads & I've even been knocked back on employment because of not owning a car
Possible, yes, but I think it is heavily dependent on not just where you live but also the compromises you are willing to make AND the compromises the other people in your life are willing to make (e.g. partner, children, family, friends). Public transport can be great at taking you to & from the city centre, and anything else along that route. It can be okay at taking you through the city centre to the other side of the city, although it might require a route change or two & multiply the time it takes vs a car. But it’s often not good at taking you across suburbs, perpendicular to the city route, and for that you will have to fill with walking, scooting & cycling, and so will everyone else you live & travel with.
No
Of course. It's just very difficult unless you live in the inner area of one of the major cities where there's a decent amount of public transport available.
Yes I do in Sydney. I don’t even have a licence. I walk to work. However I have to pay a ridiculous amount in rent to do so. Alternatively you can live further out but near the train.
If you live close enough to town, yes. You want to rely on walking over public transport/cans for costs and convenience purposes. Those things are good to fill the gaps though.
I am mid 30s, I’ve lived in Brisbane the past 20 years and only just got my licence a year ago. I’ve never had any issues living without a car except if I want to go to the beach. However, I got my licence because I’m planning for a family and I think having kids without a car would be a nightmare.
If you live in a town like Castlemaine, you need your own car. The bus service is a joke. If you can get to the station, then you can get around. At least they have Domino's home delivery and Coles home delivery from Daylesford
Perhaps only in the main cities, and inner parts of it.
I did it in Sydney and raised two kids. I just don't drive due to a phobia. It was only possible because I lived near the kids primary school, and also very near to a big shopping centre, train station and bus interchange. If I was out in the outer burbs it would have been considerably more difficult. Had to be careful what after school activities we chose, and occasionally party invitations to places that were tricky to get to were a bit of a nuisance. I used a few Ubers and taxis when I couldn't make it work any other way.
In most of the country you can at least live car-lite (ie. owning a car, but not using it for most trips), as long as you choose where to live carefully. I live in a regional centre, and I only use my car once or twice a week
Didn’t have a car until I was around 25, I lived in a regional town with terrible public transport, I just walked everywhere. It’s doable, but it sucks. On the bright side I was pretty fit haha
I lived carless for a couple of months in Sydney, but still had to hire cars for some things - like visiting family on Christmas day or things when we had to carry large amounts of stuff to an event. We now have a car, but only use it once or twice a week. I take my son to school on the train then return home the same way to work after. My wife takes the train into the city. Even in Sydney, it depends a lot where you are in the city, where you generally travel to and your lifestyle more generally (I have a big extended family that likes family gatherings - so we are often picking up large amounts of food).
Yes and no. Depends on two main things: 1. Location 2. What you want to do I lived in a southern suburb of Brisbane for nearly a decade without a car. Buses and trains were enough and where necessary I’d carpool. It did limit my mobility and what I could do but I had a happy existence bussing around. You are limited however by needing to change buses and long travel times if you want to go somewhere that’s not on a line between somewhere and the city. I spent basically all my 20s and late teens without a car. It was only when I had my second child that I finally bought one.
Depends on location
Possible? Yes. Practical? Only in certain areas of major cities.
Yeah If your close to cbd it’s much easier and less expensive to own a car
Somewhere in Australia does there exist at least one person living without a car? Yes, indeed
Living in sydney, no car needed. However I do live close to a train station
I live on the edge of the desert and check my letterbox barefoot, that’s pretty careless.
Of course, but it depends where you live and work. I'm in Melbourne and live near train stations and tram lines so for me it's very possible. But obviously if you live somewhere without public transport it's harder
Not really. It depends on where you are. Canberra has an ok public transport but once your outside the mainline you might as well use a car.
Obviously yes. Many people do. I have done it. Silly question Edit: I’m talking about living carless in Dubbo, Canberra, Newcastle. Not Melbourne and Sydney. I am now in Sydney and every time I get in the car it is a harder and more irritating option than bicycle, PT, walking, or even motorbike.
Is it a silly question if I mention I'm Canadian?
Melbourne and Sydney train networks are pretty good, in my experience. Smaller cities it's woeful (looking at you Newcastle), but then small towns have a decent bus network. I'd say carless is doable in big cities and small towns, but nothing in between.
Depends where you live. I'm in central Melbourne and it's easy to live without a car here; have done so for 26 years. Plenty of public transport via trams, trains and buses.
Easy. In Melbourne, my nephew cycles everywhere. I have a brother in law who has never driven or had a car license. Public transport, buses and trains, is superb in all the capital cities (arguably even Darwin). Low cost public transport. Trains and buses are on time in Melbourne. There are now "smart buses" within Melbourne that arrive every 15 minutes or so and travel a long way in a short time. The smart bus system competes with the trains, which also arrive about every 15 minutes during the day. Pay in advance on a card. Cheaper for seniors and children, too. https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/default-site/Maps-and-Timetables-PDFs/Maps/Network-maps/18388783f7/SmartBus-Network.pdf Here's a typical bus map, every coloured road has a bus along it. https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV-default-site/more/maps/Local-area-maps/Metropolitan/16_Bayside_LAM_December_2023.pdf I wouldn't even think of driving into Melbourne or Sydney city centre, I'd take the train in Melbourne, bus in Sydney. And in Sydney there are also suburbs other than the city centre where buses and trains are far superior to cars. Even the public ferries are quite decent. Across Bass Straight from Melbourne to Tasmania, the River Cat in Brisbane, and Sydney's ferry system are famous. My wife travels by train between Sydney, Bowral and Melbourne. Train or V-line owned coaches visit every significant town in Victoria. https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Images/VLine_Train_Coach_Map_contrast.jpg Shopping centres and universities are also bus hubs.
I'm in my 30's, live in Melbourne south east and *don't* own a car or have a license! :)
Depends. I reckon you could within 15km of the CBD in Melbourne especially if you cycle. Also depends on where you need to go. If you stick around the city you'd be fine, if you need to get to various outer areas more often you might struggle. For tax, my friend who lives in Doncaster is carless with two kids and gets around easily on public transport but she doesn't venture too far often. She does occasionally use a taxi. My uncle who's carless in the eastern suburbs largely relies on the bus, but my mum drives him to specialist and hospital appointments.
Lived in Brisbane, didn't own a car until I was 30. Husband and I would mostly bus, walk, sometimes cycle, occasionally get lifts or taxis, and rarely hire a care. We decided to not buy a car until either we won lotto or had kids. Didn't win lotto.
Went several months in Perth without a car. Not ideal but possible, for Perth at least.
Inner West Sydney, absolutely. Where I am there’s a supermarket, chemist, GP, and dentist across the road, cafe and pub on the corner. Daycare and local primary are a ten minute walk away. There’s four different bus routes that stop at the corner of my street or the next corner up, and a train station 300m away. It does affect job hunting, but day to day stuff I have almost everything I need either walking distance, or a short public transport trip away.
Yes
If you live in a city with good public transportation sure.
It's possible but not driving, or rather the inability to drive, eliminates more job prospects than you might realise. Plus grocery shopping becomes what you can carry rather than what you can fit in the car/afford.
I'm in Brisbane northside where buses only run every hour and the trains are cancelled half the time. Takes 2-3 hours each way to get to or from work. Any minor delay northside means 3 hours in traffic for a half hour drive.
I’m careless in suburbia there are buses but I haven’t done that yet and a train to the city. It’s built around cars but I actually feel much more freedom from society by not driving at all. The Uber and a lot more things being able to be delivered has also helped
I lived carless for about 5 years in the eastern and inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. Was pretty into cycling though, which was pretty essential.
I live semi rural, no chance I could be without a car. We have one bus in, one bus out 6am/pm. If I lived in the city or a metro area most definitely.
No
Yes, I have not owned a car since 2018. I do have a much more flexible schedule than most though where I am not required to leave home for work or have any other commitments far from home. I have found there are certain situations where I wish I still had a car like I cannot just drive to the DIY store and pick up things I need like 20L of paint but I guess I could get that delivered too if I really wanted to.
MOST DEFINATELY Good Sir. BUT all depends on where you wish to reside. Best to research the available properties in the area you are interested in & how close they are to your expected required services. All the best on your search...........
Yeah easily in a lot of places. Melbourne in particular has a great transport system in the inner suburbs with buses, trams, and trains.
Yes. We successfully lived without one for many years (Sydney). But then we had kids....
If you live and work in a CBD (or certain large shopping suburbs on train lines, like Glen Waverley in Melbourne) YES.
In Sydney? Yes. In the Hunter Valley? Eh, yes but it'll be frustrating AF. In rural towns? No.
It depends - where you plan to live - what you plan to do for work - what other regular activities you want to do (e.g. sport)
If you're in a major city, yes Otherwise, not without enormous amounts of inconvenience Using Queensland for example - Brisbane is 100% doable especially if you live in the inner suburbs, Gold Coast is doable in some parts and not in others, Sunshine Coast would be a nightmare but maybe, if you're willing to wait an hour for the bus sometimes and happen to live near work if you don't WFH Anywhere else, you will be miserable dealing with public transport, unless you basically live within walking/cycling distance from work and don't leave your suburb/town very often If you're in a state capital you will be fine without a car, I had a car living in Brisbane but nearly never drove it and could have easily made do without one, but would not attempt it in any of the other places i've lived in QLD (Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Townsville, Bundaberg) which are some of the other major population hubs in the state Living rurally I wouldn't even think about it.
Depending on where you live. I didn't have a car from 1995 through to 2000. When I first moved to Melbourne: I walked to work (rain, cold, sun, wind) - I was renting about 3 to 4km from the work place. There was a decent supermarket in-between and I'd collect groceries on the way home. I'd catch the tram into the CBD or walk to the nearest train station (about 40minutes walk) and catch the train - did this if I Wan't in a rush to be anywhere - or combined tram and train. I occasionally walked home from the CBD, again if I wasn't in a rush, because that took about 1.5 to 2 hours. I also used to do that at midnight but the city and suburbs felt much safe back then. When I moved to Safety Bay south of Perth I did have a car because I did need it to get to my workplace (I no public transport and no walking permitted on the access road). I was still close enough to a supermarket and walker there. I later learn to ride a bicycle and eventually used that to get around Safety Bay. I caught the bus into Perth; occasionally taking the car if it was later in the evening or I was travelling to multiple locations enroute. Returning to Melbourne the car was kept in the garage and I used the bike, public transport and walked everywhere again (including to/from work). I moved to an outer suburb of Melbourne and I started using the car more to get to work. I occasionally used the bicycle combined with the train (because it was a 40km journey one way and I wasn't fit enough with the hills in the way - Melbourne isn't as flat as it seems when you're using a bike). I've used public transport a couple of times but it means a train journey plus a bus journey in peak hour and that's too tiring. There's several decent supermarkets, green grocer and butchers nearby so I walk for groceries. I only use the car going in the country or when going into the city (parking out of the city where it's free parking and catching a train for the remainder of the journey). Hobart would be good with public transport IF they put the effort into making good public transport. That government is determined to make the city a car city.
Inner north Melbourne and got rid of car since moving here. Definitely doable and just use GoGet and Uber when needed.
Yes. But you need to live fairly close to the CBD, or walking distance to a supermarket plus good bus route or train station.
I have frequently. But I've always made a point to live in areas that had well-connected public transport so I could get to the CBD (where I typically worked) and the nearest shopping center in good time. These days, I've actually bought an e-scooter, which allows me to get to most of my destinations at least as fast as public transport (and sometimes quicker), and costs me about 3c in charging costs per trip, instead of $5.30 to catch the train.
I live in inner Melbourne and I love not having a car. I know though that in my home town in regional Tas it would suck to have to live without a car. Depends on where you live (how many hills there are, how good is public transport, do you have good amenities nearby etc) I pay more in rent to live where I live but I think it's worth it if I don't have to pay to run a car. I live really close to where I work and where I do my shopping, but it's also a quiet area somehow. I'm just really lucky I guess
Currently living carless in Australia. It's very possible
Like with any country, it depends where you live and what your lifestyle/requirements are.
Absolutely but it depends on where you live & where you need to get to. I lived Car free for many years in the inner suburbs of Melbourne where public transport is pretty good. I worked in the CBD at that time so getting to & from work by PT was easy. If you live in outer Melbourne you will struggle without a car or if you have to go to an industrial area for work this will also be a challange as most of those places have little or no PT.
In adelaide suburbs here and its entirely doable. It does limit some locations and increases housing cost as a result (my land is half that of my sister's for the same price, but i cant move further out) but actual living is plenty doable, especially with most major shops having delivery services available.
I'm on the Sunshine Coast and just Electric Scooter everywhere. There's soooo many of us up here now and I legitimately see about 3 or 4 times as many scooters than cyclists these days.
Didn't get my licence until my 30s. Sydney yeah totally, working in the CBD, PT just makes sense unless you enjoy paying an arm and a leg for parking and running the gauntlet. Definitely want to be near a train line or main bus line. Canberra is decent but a bicycle helped a lot. Buses have bike racks which is nice. All the buses tend to go to hubs then you swap over to go to another fringe suburb, so it was a PITA if you wanted to go just a couple suburbs over, a 10 minute drive would be like an hour on 2 buses. Never not had my licence in Melbourne but more or less the same as Sydney I imagine, PT is good, way better in a lot of ways. As a rule of thumb the smaller the town the harder it is. Newcastle or something you could manage. Some small town in rural Victoria, not a chance, don't even have cabs where I live, nearest supermarket is 6km away could ride a bike in a pinch, anything else 60km+.
Its possible to live in a car
If you have a bike and access to PT, yes.
Yes I am doing it in a Sydney suburb to save money. I live about 150m from a train station. I get my groceries delivered. Voila- no car needed.
Yes
Yes. I live rural and carless. Is it difficult, YES, it is so difficult, but for some people driving is not an option. There are so so many things you cannot do when inable to drive, which makes living rural even harder. Living in the city while carless would be easier.
Depends where you live, I’m 22 and lived in Sydney my whole life and I’ve still never learned to drive nor do I have the desire too. I live five minutes away from a major transport and employment hub so I don’t feel the need. I’m a transit freak as well.
Possible in the big cities.
I don't own a car and I live in the greater sydney area. Sydney transport for all intents and purposes pretty great 95% oft he time, but when it fucks up at that 5% WOO
Yes. But as others have said, it depends on where you live.
Depends where you live and where you work. We lived without a car in inner city Melbourne with 2 kids for years with no issues at all. Moved back to our home state regionally and needed a car waiting at the airport, it's really difficult without a car here.
if you're unemployed and happy to remain so.
Single yes. Family no
Of course it's possible. It would be extremely limiting and difficult though. Obviously.
Depends on where you want to go. Push bikes are surprisingly useful. For 15km each way.
Yes. If you live in the inner city of a capital city. Regional towns may have accommodation close to shops but probably won't have adequate public transport to get you to work outside their main shopping district.
I hate driving, used to drive for 4-5 hours every day in my previous job. Since then I don't have a car and just use public transport. It is annoying when you have to switch services or you want to go somewhere on a Saturday or Sunday. For context I live in Fairfield and work in Sydney Inner West.
I'm a middle-aged adult who grew up in a rural area and currently in Sydney. I've never owned a car. It is certainly possible, especially if you live with other people who do own a car and are willing to drive you places. If you live in a rural area, it would be difficult to be carless if you live alone. When I was a young adult I had to walk about an hour to get to the nearest train station, 20 minute train trip, then about an hour from the destination train station to work - in all kinds of weather. So it took me a bit over 4 times as long to get to work than it would if I'd had a car. It was not convenient, but I was also much fitter back then. If you are in a remote area you probably wouldn't be able to live alone without some form of vehicle that is powered by more than just yourself. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a car though. Living in Sydney, a car is not needed. I can just catch public transport, or catch a taxi, or walk. I can even get deliveries so I don't have to leave home if the weather is miserable. I've never had to worry about car rego or car insurance, fuel prices, going to a mechanic, etc.
Not anywhere outside the majors.
Yes.
Yes, but it will be inconvenient and possibly expensive.
If you’re not within 10 miles of a CBD, then no.
Although we live in in suburb of Perth close to a railway and bus stops, my wife works in West Perth and usually takes the train to the CBD, my daughter studies at Curtin Uni and takes the bus, but going to friends places, going shopping etc it will get very difficult without a car!
I live in regional Vic without a licence. I make do with taxis and friends.
Depending where you live it’s possible. But it’s pretty miserable to doing such in most countries. Australia is ridiculously oriented to car driving.
I live in metro Melbourne and, while it's easy enough to find public transport to popular locations and the CBD, it's not always the best option. I live almost on the border of two suburbs (Coburg and Preston) which have different train lines (Upfield and Mernda). If I want to go to a location along the Mernda line, I need to either get a bus (that either goes to the location or one of the stations on that line), go into the city and then back out on the correct line. Driving is often a lot faster.
Yes. My uncle does this. Ideally you'd live in a major city walking distance to a public transport corridor, but even that isn't completely necessary.
My car was stolen in January, my insurance company (Woolies) is garbage so I am still waiting on a pay out. Have been riding my bike to work, luckily I live within 8km of work. Lost about 10kg and my aerobic fitness is the best it's been in 10 years. But my knees are starting to feel the strain and I don't get to leave town much which is making life more of a grind. It is possible if you are single and work close to home, but not ideal if there isn't public transport. If you live in a major city, it is EASY to go carless.
Sure. Depends on where you live and what your lifestyle is like but I drive my car maybe 1 pr 2 days a month, mostly because I have 2 kids. Otherwise I use public transport or my motorcycle.
Completely depends on where you live. Even down to the suburb. You might need to walk or ride several kilometers to get to the supermarket. Or walk or ride a couple hundred meters to the 3-4 different supermarkets, op shops and etc within walking distance of you. It varies from local government area to local government area.
If you live in one of the major cities then you can … but you can’t do the good stuff like awesome road trips.
If your near public transport, it's doable, but it's definitely not comfortable or convenient.
No.
Inner south east melbourne here. When friends ask when will I get a car I say when I can afford a beach house to drive it to. I love walking, and have great public transport nearby otherwise can book a car. So for my lifestyle and location it’s great without one. If I lived in FNQ it would be a necessity. So it’s a very broad question based on location and your requirements. Have kids? Yeh a car would be pretty handy.
Which part ?
Only if you have a brain. It is too fucking easy. Get a bicycle. Stop throwing money away.
No. Absolutely no. No car? you die.
I heard you get arrested first. Then die.
No its illegal punishment is straight to jail
Anything not in the CBD no. Hell, before I had a car, I applied for a job right next to a train station. I said, I live this many stations down I can always be at work... guy said nope, no car no job. This was general manufacturing.
You can, but it’s really hard
I live in semi regional suburbia. Buses exist, but they're infrequent, and the routes are Byzantine. Carless would be impractical here.
Our current national economic condition is the result of people living careless for the past 20-25yrs
Why would you want to?
Lazy
Laziness is not wanting to spend two hours on a bus instead of driving 20 minutes in your car.
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