Best Darts & Setup for Beginners in Australia (2026 Buyer's Guide)
Getting into darts is one of the cheapest, most satisfying hobbies you can pick up. You don’t need a gym membership, a teammate or good weather — just a board, a set of darts and a bit of wall. But walk into the world of darts gear for the first time and the choices can be bewildering. This Australian beginner’s guide cuts through it: what to buy, what to spend, and how to get set up at home so you actually stick with it.
What a beginner actually needs
Here’s the honest truth — to start playing properly you need just three things: a dartboard, a set of darts, and a way to mount the board at the right height. Everything else (surrounds, mats, lighting, cabinets) makes the experience better and protects your home, but isn’t strictly essential on day one. Let’s go through each.
Choosing your first dartboard
Your board matters more than your darts. A cheap board frustrates beginners with bounce-outs and wears out fast; a quality board rewards good throws and lasts years. The decision comes down to two types:
Bristle (steel-tip) boards
Made from compressed sisal fibres, bristle boards are what the pros use. The fibres “heal” around the dart holes, so the board self-repairs and lasts a long time. They use steel-tip darts and are the standard for leagues and tournaments. If you’re even slightly serious about improving, this is the board to get. Look for a board with thin, “blade”-style wiring rather than thick round wire — the thinner the wire, the fewer bounce-outs.
Electronic (soft-tip) boards
These use soft plastic-tipped darts and score automatically, which is brilliant for families, kids and casual players who don’t want to do mental arithmetic. They’re safer for homes with children and often include built-in games. The trade-off is they don’t replicate the tournament experience.
For most adult beginners who want to genuinely improve, we recommend a quality bristle board. If it’s a family games room or there are young kids around, an electronic board is the friendlier choice. Browse the full range in our dartboards collection.
Choosing your first set of darts
Beginners often overspend or overthink their first darts. Keep it simple with these guidelines:
Weight
Start somewhere between 22 and 24 grams. This middle range is forgiving, stable in flight, and the most popular weight band among both beginners and professionals. If you find you’re throwing too hard, you can drop lighter later; if you’re lobbing them, go heavier. You can shop directly by weight: 22g, 23g and 24g are the ideal starting collections.
Material: brass or tungsten?
- Brass darts are the most affordable way to start. They’re thicker than tungsten for the same weight, but for learning the fundamentals they’re perfectly good and easy on the wallet. See our brass darts.
- 90% tungsten darts are the smart upgrade. Tungsten is denser, so the barrels are slimmer — meaning your darts group more tightly on the board. If your budget stretches, start here and you won’t need to upgrade for a long time. Browse our 90% tungsten darts.
Our advice: if you’re testing the waters, a brass set is a no-regret purchase. If you already know you’ll play regularly, go straight to a 90% tungsten set — it’s the best value-for-performance jump in the whole hobby.
Grip
Choose a medium grip to start. Too smooth and the dart slips early; too aggressive and it can drag on release. Medium suits the widest range of throwing styles while you’re still developing yours.
Steel tip or soft tip for beginners?
This depends entirely on your board. Steel-tip darts go with bristle boards; soft-tip darts go with electronic boards. They aren’t interchangeable in practice, so decide your board first. Most adult beginners who want the “real” experience choose steel tip. For a deeper look, see our guide on steel tip vs soft tip darts.
The smart way to start: a bundle
If choosing every piece individually feels like a lot, a starter bundle takes the guesswork out. A good set pairs a quality board with darts and often a surround or mat, at a better price than buying separately. It’s the fastest route from “I want to try darts” to “the board’s on the wall and I’m playing tonight”. Have a look at our bundles & sets and our complete dartboards & setup range.
Setting up at home (the right way)
Getting your setup to regulation from day one means every hour of practice actually counts. The key measurements:
- Bullseye height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) from the floor to the centre of the bull.
- Throwing distance (steel tip): 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) from the face of the board to the oche.
For the full step-by-step including how to use the diagonal measurement to double-check your work, read our complete dartboard setup guide.
The extras worth adding (and when)
You don’t need these on day one, but here’s the order most players add them:
- A dart mat — marks your throwing line and protects the floor from dropped darts. Cheap and high-impact. See dart mats.
- A surround — protects your wall (and your dart points) from stray throws. Essential if you rent or care about the wall. See surrounds.
- Lighting — a dedicated light removes shadows and genuinely improves your scoring. The upgrade beginners are most surprised by. See lighting & scoring.
- Spare flights and shafts — flights are consumables; they bend and split. Keep spares so a broken flight never ends your session. See flights & shafts.
What should a beginner spend?
You can get a genuinely good setup without spending big. A sensible beginner approach:
- Entry: a quality bristle board plus a brass darts set — enough to learn properly and decide if you’re hooked.
- Recommended: a quality board, a 90% tungsten set, a mat and a surround — a setup you won’t outgrow for years.
- Complete: a setup bundle with lighting and cabinet for the full home-oche experience.
The best money you can spend is on the board and the darts. Don’t skimp there; you can always add the extras later.
Five quick tips to improve fast as a beginner
- Aim for treble 20. Don’t spray around the board — pick a target and group your darts.
- Keep a still head and a smooth follow-through. Consistency comes from repeating the same motion.
- Practise doubles. Most beginners can score but freeze on the finish. Drill D20, D16 and the bull.
- Play games, not just target practice. 501, Cricket and Around the Clock keep it fun — see our rules guide.
- Throw little and often. Fifteen focused minutes a day beats a marathon session once a week.
Ready to start?
The hardest part of darts is putting the board on the wall — after that, you’re away. Browse our dartboards and darts, or grab a ready-to-go bundle and be throwing tonight. Welcome to the best hobby you’ll ever pick up.