Australia is a net fossil fuel energy exporting country (coal and natural gas). Concomitantly Australia has recently been named the highest emitting country per capita in the world with over four times the world’s average level. However if the domestic energy uses per capita for both business and household electricity and fossil fuel are still very high by world standards (around 14 tonnes CO2-e per person per year), marginal variations from other OECD countries are recorded (15%). Remote Australia plays a critical role in the domestic energy consumption level, accommodating a majority of energy production facilities and housing the most energy intensive industries of the country. Furthermore in remote Australia, hot annual temperatures, very long distances of annual travelling and the coal and petroleum product reliant mix of the domestic energy production exacerbate household energy consumption levels. This article focuses on transport related emissions which are evaluated for different communities in remote Australia. The very remote population composed of a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, tends to travel very long distances on an annual basis mostly on unsealed roads via motorised vehicles. In larger communities travelling more frequently involves interstate and overseas air transport. The results suggest that the remote Australian transport system is associated with particularly unsustainable levels of carbon emissions. Moreover in a hypothetic scenario of a future carbon economy and related adaptation needs, remote Australian livelihoods would be exceptionally vulnerable financially. This could justify considering to accelerate a switch towards a renewable energy based transport system.