13.7% ▼ -7.3%
Higher than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 14.7%
- 2016: 14.2%
- 2021: 13.7%
Share of occupied private dwellings with no registered motor vehicle.
Balmain · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Transport & Vehicles in Balmain
How households get around — the vehicles they keep and the journey to work.
Working from home has exploded in Balmain, with 61.2% of the workforce now doing so compared to just 7.1% in 2011. This shift defines the local transport landscape, where a huge proportion of residents avoid a daily commute entirely. While many still rely on cars, the area is exceptionally well-connected to the city by transit.
Vehicles
Motor vehicles per home, and homes with no car.
Far more homes in Balmain live without a motor vehicle than in most areas, with 13.7% having none. This is well above the New South Wales figure of 9.2%, though the proportion fell slightly since 2011.
Motor vehicles per home
View on map →In Balmain, 1 vehicle is the majority at 54%; 2 vehicles is next at 27%.
Getting to work
How people travel to work.
Most workers now stay put, as 61.2% work from home—a figure far above the national 21%. This shift is reflected in the drop of people using public transport for their commute, which fell by 22 points since 2011 to reach 2.8%.
61.2% ▲ +767.0%
Higher than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 7.1%
- 2016: 8.0%
- 2021: 61.2%
Share of employed people aged 15+ who worked at home on census day.
2.8% ▼ -88.6%
Higher than 63% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 24.4%
- 2016: 27.0%
- 2021: 2.8%
Share of employed people who got to work by train, bus, ferry or tram/light rail as their only method of travel on census day.
Public transport access
Stops, services, routes and how far you can get by public transport.
Public transport is highly frequent here, with 2,305.6 weekly departures per 1,000 people, which is far above the state figure. Despite having fewer stops per person than most areas, the transit time to the city is much lower than in similar places.
40
Higher than 50% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Scheduled public-transport stops (bus, train, tram and ferry) located in the area, from the state GTFS feeds.
2.57
Lower than 74% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Public-transport stops per 1,000 residents — a measure of how densely an area is served (GTFS stops; population from the 2021 Census).
2,305.6
Higher than 86% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Scheduled weekly public-transport departures from stops in the area, per 1,000 residents — how often transit actually runs, not just whether a stop exists (GTFS schedules for a representative week; population from the 2021 Census).
6
Lower than 57% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Distinct public-transport routes serving stops in the area (GTFS feeds).
42,061
Higher than 84% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
How many people live within 30 minutes of the area by public transport + walking on a weekday morning — a measure of how well-connected the area is (computed with R5 over the GTFS schedules + OpenStreetMap network).
294,486
Higher than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
How many people live within 45 minutes of the area by public transport + walking on a weekday morning (computed with R5 over the GTFS schedules + OpenStreetMap network).
35
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Public-transport + walking time, in minutes, from the area to its capital city centre on a weekday morning (R5 over the GTFS schedules + OpenStreetMap network). Blank where no scheduled service connects the area to the city.
Getting around
Walking distance to transport and driving time to the city.
Getting to the city is very fast, with a drive time of just 7 minutes. Residents also have immediate access to transit, as the walk to the nearest stop is among the shortest in the region.
0
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Walking time, in minutes, from the centre of the area to the nearest public-transport stop, along the OpenStreetMap pedestrian network (Valhalla). Blank where no stop is within a reasonable walk.
7
Lower than 95% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Free-flow driving time, in minutes, from the centre of the area to its state/territory capital city centre, along the OpenStreetMap road network (Valhalla). Excludes live traffic.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
- Public transport timetables (GTFS) — State & territory transport agencies, 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (WA: custom PTA licence)).
- Transit accessibility (GTFS + OpenStreetMap, via R5) — State transport agencies & OpenStreetMap contributors, 2026 (ODbL 1.0 + CC BY).
- Road & path network (OpenStreetMap, via Valhalla) — OpenStreetMap contributors, 2026 (ODbL 1.0).
More for Balmain
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Transport & Vehicles in Balmain [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/120021387/balmain/topic/transport