Can I learn to sail with no experience?

Yes. Every scheme taught in Australia runs courses that explicitly assume no previous sailing experience. Australian Sailing’s Start Sailing and Start Crewing, RYA Competent Crew and Start Yachting, IYT Try Sailing and International Crew, and ASA 101 are all written for people who have never been on a sailing boat.

The more useful question is not whether you can start, but what you should start on. A dinghy teaches wind awareness fastest and makes you independent soonest. A keelboat is stable, does not capsize, and teaches crew and helm roles. A cruising yacht puts you straight onto the kind of boat you may eventually want to charter or own.

None of these is a prerequisite for the others. You do not have to complete a dinghy course before a yacht course, despite how often that is implied. Choose the route that matches where you want to end up.

One practical caution: a two-hour "sailing experience" and a five-day liveaboard course are both sold as introductions, and they are not comparable. Check the hours on the water, the boat, and how many students share an instructor before comparing prices.