Find a root buddy anywhere in Australia
Every Aussie knows what a root is, and most of us know the feeling of wanting one with nobody sensible to ring. Root Buddies fixes the second part. It's the hookup site Australia has been crying out for, built for finding a root buddy: someone near you who fancies you, wants sex without the relationship admin, and is happy to do it again when the mood strikes. Some members want that once. Plenty want it every second Thursday. Others prefer a drink and a flirt first, the casual dating side of the site, and see where the night goes. Everyone on here has already said yes to the idea, so you can skip the bit where you work out whether they're interested.
Locals who are keen
A handful of members from around Australia, blurred on this page and in full colour once you're inside.
What a root buddy actually is
A root buddy is the Australian version of friends with benefits, minus the pretence that you were ever going to be friends first. You meet because you want each other. You sleep together because it's good. Then you go home, get on with your week, and text again when it's been too long. No anniversaries, no meeting the parents, no "where is this going" conversation over a bowl of pasta you didn't want.
It's an old Aussie arrangement with a modern way of finding one. Your mates have probably had one. A few of them have probably been one. The trouble has always been the finding, because you can't exactly ask around at work. That's where a root buddy site earns its keep. If you want the long version of how the arrangement works, our guide to friends with benefits in Australia covers the lot, rules included.
How Root Buddies works
Say what you're after
A couple of photos and a line or two about what you want. Be straight about it. "Regular thing, weeknights, can host" gets answers. "Just seeing what's out there" gets ignored.
Look at who's near you
Search by suburb or set a radius. In the capitals there's plenty within a short drive. Out in the regions, people are used to travelling a bit further and planning a day or two ahead.
Chat, then meet
Message until you're both sure, pick somewhere easy for a first drink, and let it go from there. If it clicks, you've got yourself a root buddy. If it doesn't, no hard feelings, and plenty more on here.
A few of the phrases you'll see on profiles here:
Why the dating apps keep letting you down
You know the routine. Swipe for an hour, match with three people, two never reply and the third wants to know your five-year plan. The big apps are built for people looking for a partner, so anyone who just wants sex is either lying about it or getting unmatched for being honest. It's exhausting, and it makes a simple thing feel complicated.
Root Buddies works the other way round. Nobody joins to find a husband or a wife. Members are here for sex, flirting and something casual, and they say so up front. That one change takes out most of the awkwardness, because the question you'd normally spend three dates tiptoeing around has already been answered. If you're comparing options, here's how hookup sites in Australia stack up against the apps and against each other.
Why regular beats one-off
Here's what people miss about one-off hookups: the first time with someone new is exciting, but it's rarely the hottest sex you'll have with them. It gets better once you know what they like. The second time, you skip the nerves. The third time, they've worked out the thing you didn't have to explain. By the fifth, you're texting "around tomorrow?" at lunchtime and spending the afternoon not concentrating.
That's the appeal of a root buddy. All the heat of something new, with the ease of someone who already knows the way to your place. And because neither of you owes the other anything beyond a good time and a bit of honesty, it stays light. When it runs its course, it ends with a "that was fun" rather than a fight. We've written up what you actually get out of an arrangement like this, the downsides included.
A Thursday, the root buddy way
A message lands at lunchtime: "Still on for tonight?" You spend the afternoon pretending to work. At seven there's a knock, and neither of you bothers with small talk, because you both know exactly why they're there and exactly how they like it. A couple of hours later you're lying in a tangle of sheets, laughing about something stupid, and then they're pulling their jeans on, kissing you goodbye and heading home. Nobody asks what it means. Nobody needs to. You sleep like a log, and next week you'll do it all again.
That's the whole appeal in one evening. Real heat, real ease, and nothing tangled up in either.
Close by, wherever you are
A local root beats a long drive every time. Nobody wants a ninety-minute drive for a maybe. Members on Root Buddies are spread right across the country, from the inner suburbs of the capitals to the coast and the bush. You can find a root close to home with a search that thinks in suburbs, not states.
Root Buddies Australia-wide means exactly that: members in every state and territory. If you live in a capital, we've also written up how it works where you are, because a root in Sydney plays out differently to one in Perth. Start with meeting someone across Sydney's suburbs or how hookups go in Melbourne, and the other capitals are linked from there.
Keeping it between the two of you
Discretion is half the point. Profiles sit behind a login, so nobody finds you by searching your name. You decide which photos to show and when. Plenty of members leave their face out of the first picture until a chat is going well, use a first name only, and meet a suburb or two away from home. None of that is sneaky. It's just adults keeping their private life private.
And if you've never done anything like this before, you're in good company. Most members joined after one too many nights of wanting someone and having nobody to call. If you want a hand with the first message and the first meet, read how to get a root without the guessing. It's honest, it's short, and it works.
Questions about Root Buddies
What does "root buddy" mean?
In Australia a root is sex, so a root buddy is someone you sleep with regularly without being in a relationship. It's the local term for friends with benefits. You catch up when you both feel like it, keep it honest and keep it light. Some arrangements last a few weeks, some last years.
Is Root Buddies a hookup site or a dating site?
It's a hookup site. Members join for sex, flirting and casual arrangements, and they say so on their profile. Nobody is here to find a partner, so there's no pretending and no awkward conversations about where things are heading. Whether you meet someone once or every week is entirely up to the two of you.
Can I find a root buddy near me?
Yes. You can search by suburb or radius, so you see members close to home first. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide there are plenty of people within a short drive. In regional areas, members tend to travel a bit further and plan a day or two ahead rather than the same night.
Could someone I know spot my profile?
Only if they're members too, in which case they're hardly going to mention it. Profiles sit behind a login, so they don't show up when someone searches your name. You choose which photos to share and when, and plenty of members keep their face out of the first one until a chat is going well.
Who joins Root Buddies?
All sorts of Australians over 18. Single people who are over the dating apps, people who are newly single and not ready for anything serious, shift workers who can't do Friday nights, and people who enjoy sex and can't be bothered pretending otherwise. What they have in common is wanting something casual and saying so.
Your root buddy is out there
Somebody near you wants exactly what you want. Join rootbuddies.com in a minute, say what you're after, and see who's keen.