But a new project has found a way to support them.
One woman, who does not want to be identified, told SBS she had been abandoned by her community after fleeing an abusive relationship.
She spoke no English and had no family in Australia.
"No one here really wants to be in this moment or in this really bad time," she said.
(Click on the audio tab to hear 'Little boxes offer support for the forgotten')
For the woman and her children, the holiday season is a particularly isolating time.
But this year things could be a little brighter, thanks to the "New Day Box" project, which provides shoeboxes filled with gifts and messages of support to women living in refuges.
New Box Day organiser Selina Ife said it was important these women were recognised.
"What we felt was that there were a lot of charities that organise gifts for children, which is obviously fantastic, but the mums themselves are often forgotten," she said.
The group will give away 500 gift boxes to refuges across Victoria, and for those receiving gifts it is an invaluable gesture.
"We were talking to one of the managers who works at one of these domestic violence crisis accommodation places and she just burst into tears when we told her what we were planning and said, 'I don't usually get emotional but this is just going to mean so much. Some of these women have left with only the clothes on their backs'," Ms Ife said.
Find out more about how you can contribute to making a gift box for the project on the New Day Box project website and on Facebook.
