How to Open a Gym in Australia
How to Open a Gym in Australia
The short answer: Opening a gym in Australia comes down to eight steps, done roughly in this order: check the numbers work, find and secure the right space, get council approval, design the floor plan, order equipment and complete the fit-out, set your pricing and software, pre-sell memberships before you open, then launch. Founders who run design, equipment and building work in parallel rather than one after another typically go from signed lease to open doors in 8 to 16 weeks. The step that costs people the most time is starting equipment and design after the lease is signed, instead of before.
1. Reality-check the numbers
Before you sign anything, work out whether the gym you want can make money in a space you can actually afford. Most independent gym founders in Australia open in 150 to 400 sqm and spend $50,000 to $200,000 on equipment, so use that as your starting range. Model your fixed costs (rent, wages, insurance, software), your price per member, and how many members you need to break even before you get emotionally attached to any one site.
Use the free Financial Planner in the founder portal to run this in an afternoon, free with a sign-up. It walks through startup costs, monthly cash flow and a break-even member count so you know the shape of the business before you commit to a location. For the full worked numbers, see our gym business plan and break-even guide.
How long it takes: a few days to a week, done properly. The mistake most founders make: falling for a space first and working the numbers out after signing. By then the lease is fixed and the business case has to bend around it, instead of the other way around.
2. Find and secure the space
Look for 150 to 400 sqm with at least 3 metre ceilings if you want to run racks or rigs, a ground floor or an engineered slab that can take heavy equipment, parking your members will actually use, and a permitted use that covers fitness without a fight. Industrial and warehouse space is usually the most cost-effective option and gives you the ceiling height a strength gym needs; retail space looks better on paper but costs more per square metre and rarely has the clearance.
Read our gym lease guide before you sign anything: it covers fit-out contributions, rent-free periods, make-good clauses and the questions to ask before you commit. Once you have a shortlist, run it through the free Lease Reviewer tool, free with a sign-up, to flag risk before you sign.
How long it takes: anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on your market. The mistake most founders make: treating the lease as the finish line. It is the start line. The lease landing late is the single most common reason a gym opening slips, so the moment heads of agreement are close, start moving on design and equipment in parallel rather than waiting for signatures.
3. Council approval and compliance
Most councils classify a gym as a recreation facility (indoor) or the state equivalent, and that classification usually needs development consent, even in a space that was previously used commercially. Confirm the use class with the agent and the council before you sign, because a change of use application can add weeks you do not have. Typical council and certification costs run $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the council and whether the use class is changing.
If you are planning 24-hour access, expect questions about acoustic treatment and after-hours safety. Insurance (public liability, contents, business interruption) typically runs $2,000 to $5,000 a year and most landlords will want proof of cover before handover.
How long it takes: 2 to 8 weeks depending on the council and whether a use-class change is required. The mistake most founders make: assuming a commercial lease means the fitness use is automatically approved. It rarely is.
4. Design the floor plan
Zone the floor before you buy a single piece of equipment: strength, conditioning, functional space, reception, and if your model calls for it, a recovery zone and a reformer Pilates room. The 2026 trend among independent operators is adding both, because a sauna, ice bath and compression zone alongside a Pilates room widens who will pay to train with you beyond the strength-only crowd.
VERVE offers a free 2D and 3D gym design: send through your floor plan and structural constraints, and renders are typically back within a week, followed by a video walkthrough and as many layout iterations as it takes to get it right. One partner handles design through to delivery, so the layout and the equipment list are designed together rather than bolted on afterwards. See our fit-out and equipment guide for the full process.
How long it takes: around a week for first renders, then however many iterations you need. The mistake most founders make: ordering equipment before the layout is locked, then finding out a rack does not fit where they wanted it.
5. Equipment and fit-out
Equipment budgets scale with size and spec: a 150 to 200 sqm strength studio typically runs $50,000 to $90,000, a 200 to 300 sqm strength and conditioning gym $80,000 to $140,000, and a 300 to 400+ sqm full facility with recovery and Pilates $130,000 to $200,000 or more. On top of equipment, budget $20,000 to $80,000 for building fit-out (walls, bathrooms, reception, electrical, signage).
Freight is a real line item, especially for regional sites, so ask your supplier to itemise it up front rather than finding out at delivery. Get an Equipment Package Recommender quote, free with a sign-up, once your zones are locked, and use it to shop equipment finance if that is how you plan to fund the fit-out; many founders use the itemised quote to get finance approved.
How long it takes: 4 to 10 weeks from order to install, longer for regional freight. The mistake most founders make: buying cheap on the big items to save money up front, then replacing them within two years once members put real load through them. Buy once, on quality gear, and stock availability matters as much as price.
6. Set your pricing and software
Decide your membership model (open-gym access, group training, hybrid, or reformer Pilates) and price it against what your local market will actually pay, not what a spreadsheet says you need. Budget $300 to $800 a month combined for gym management software, access control and music licensing. VERVE also builds VERVE Pulse, gym management software from $199 a month plus GST, if you want member management, billing and access control from a single system.
Run your pricing through the business plan guide to see how many members you need at that price to break even, and pressure-test it before you commit to a rate you cannot walk back from once members have joined at it.
How long it takes: a few days, once your break-even model is done. The mistake most founders make: pricing to match a competitor down the road without checking their price actually covers their costs.
7. Pre-sell before you open
Nobody opens at break-even. A pre-sale campaign in the weeks before your doors open puts cash in the bank and members walking in on day one instead of a slow trickle over the first quarter. Budget $3,000 to $10,000 for launch and pre-sale marketing, and use the free Pre-Sale Member Calculator to set your pricing tiers and weekly sign-up targets, free with a sign-up.
A couple on Tasmania's north-west coast converted a 400 sqm shed into a 24-hour gym with a reformer studio and sauna recovery zone, on a $200,000 equipment budget, and went from first design to deposit in under seven weeks. Having their design and quote ready before the lease was finalised meant finance and fit-out started the same week they signed.
How long it takes: run pre-sale for 4 to 8 weeks before opening. The mistake most founders make: waiting until opening day to start selling, which means the first quarter carries the full cost base with almost no revenue behind it.
8. Launch
Opening day should be the least stressful part of the process if the seven steps before it were done properly. Confirm your equipment is installed and safety-checked, your software and access control are live, your staff or coaches are rostered, and your working capital buffer, ideally 3 to 6 months of operating costs, is sitting in the account rather than spent on launch marketing.
The mistake most founders make: spending the entire budget getting to opening day and having nothing left to carry a quiet first quarter. A slow first few months is normal. Running out of cash in month two because there was no buffer is not.
Typical timeline: lease to open doors
When design, equipment ordering and building work run in parallel rather than in sequence, most founders land somewhere in this range from the day the lease is signed.
| Phase | Typical duration | Runs alongside |
|---|---|---|
| Design and equipment quote | 1 to 2 weeks for first renders | Start before the lease signs if possible |
| Council approval and compliance | 2 to 8 weeks | Runs alongside fit-out planning |
| Building fit-out and equipment install | 4 to 10 weeks | Freight lead time adds to regional sites |
| Pre-sale campaign | 4 to 8 weeks, overlapping fit-out | Starts as soon as an opening date is set |
| Total: signed lease to open doors | 8 to 16 weeks | Shorter when steps run in parallel |
Get your free 3D gym design: send us your floor plan and most founders have renders back within a week, then a video walkthrough and as many layout changes as it takes. Request your free design here, or plan your numbers with the free founder tools.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to open a gym in Australia?
Typically 8 to 16 weeks from signed lease to open doors, when design, equipment ordering and building work run at the same time instead of one after the other. Regional sites tend to sit at the longer end because freight and trades take longer to book.
How much does it cost to open a gym in Australia?
Most independent founders spend $90,000 to $300,000 all in for a 150 to 400 sqm gym, covering equipment, fit-out, bond, compliance, insurance, software and a working capital buffer. See our full cost breakdown guide for the line-by-line numbers.
Do I need council approval to open a gym?
Almost always. Most councils classify a gym as a recreation facility (indoor) or the state equivalent, which needs development consent even if the space was previously commercial. Confirm the use class before you sign the lease, not after.
Should I buy or lease gym equipment?
Many founders use equipment finance rather than paying cash up front, and use an itemised quote from their supplier to get the finance approved. Talk to your accountant about what suits your cash position, but get the quote ready early either way.
What is the biggest thing that delays a gym opening?
The lease not landing on the date you expect, followed by finance approval and freight to regional sites. Founders who have their design and equipment quote ready before the lease signs move fastest, because the quote is what unlocks finance.
Can I pre-sell memberships before I open?
Yes, and you should. A pre-sale campaign in the weeks before opening gets cash in the bank and members walking in on day one instead of a slow ramp. See our business plan and pre-sale guide for how to structure it.
Do I need a formal business plan to open a gym?
You need the numbers worked out, even if it never becomes a polished document: fixed costs, revenue per member, break-even member count, and how many months of runway you have. See our gym business plan guide for the worked example.
Ready to see your gym before you build it? Request your free 3D design and have renders back within the week, or run your numbers first with the free founder tools.