Hobbimate

The Hobbimate Journal

Ideas for a more active, more social life.

Practical guides for Australians ready to get active, explore new hobbies and meet people who share their interests. Discover helpful advice on finding a hobbimate, building a more social life through sport and getting more from every hangout.

Best Meetup Alternative in Australia for Hobbies — featured article image
Apps

Best Meetup Alternative in Australia for Hobbies

Meetup has served Australians well for group events and organised activities. But if you want a specific sport or hobby partner — someone to hit tennis balls with on a Tuesday evening, or a padel partner at your skill level — a different kind of app is better suited to the job. This guide compares the best Meetup alternatives in Australia for 2026, with a focus on one-to-one hobby and sport connections.

7 min readRead the Meetup alternatives guide

Latest articles

Apps

Best Social Sports Apps Australia (2026)

Finding people to play sport with used to mean relying on your existing circle or hoping someone at the park was up for a hit. In 2026, a new generation of social sports apps has changed that. This guide reviews the best options available to Australians — what each one does well, where they fall short, and why Hobbimate has become the go-to choice for people who want a genuine playing partner rather than a group event.

13 min readRead the Australian social sports app guide
Padel

How to Get Into Padel in Australia as a Beginner

Padel is the fastest-growing racquet sport in Australia, and for good reason. It is easier to pick up than tennis, more social than squash, and genuinely addictive once you get the hang of the glass walls. This beginner guide covers everything you need to get started — where to find courts, what equipment to buy, the basic rules, and the fastest way to find a padel partner near you.

7 min readRead the beginner padel guide
Sport

Padel vs Pickleball in Australia: Beginner Guide

Two racquet sports are growing faster than anything else in Australia right now: padel and pickleball. Both are social, beginner-friendly and easy to pick up. But they are quite different in feel, cost and where you can play. This guide breaks down the key differences — court size, equipment, rules, social factor and cost — so you can decide which one to try first.

10 min readRead the padel vs pickleball comparison
News

What Is Hobbimate? Find Hobby Partners in Australia

Hobbimate was built to solve a problem that millions of Australians face: wanting to stay active and social, but not having the right people around to do it with. This article explains how the app works, why it was built with a local-first approach, and what makes it different from general social platforms. If you have ever wanted to find a hobby partner near you, this is where to start.

6 min readRead the Hobbimate story
ExploreFind your next hobby.Browse all hobbies

Start here

New to finding hobby partners?

These guides are the best place to begin. They cover the practical side of finding a sport or hobby partner in Australia — from choosing the right app to planning your first session with someone new.

Explore by hobby

Find guides for your sport

Whether you play tennis, padel, pickleball or prefer walking and hiking, we have written practical guides for finding partners and getting more out of each activity.

TennisPadelWalkingBasketballPickleballRunningHikingGolfAll hobbies →