If you’re thinking of travelling down the east coast of Australia, but finding the list of hostels overwhelming then hopefully this blog might be helpful! I’ve collated a list of all the hostels we stayed in on our trip which began in Cairns and ended in Sydney.

Disclaimer: we were in Australia from November 2019 – February 2020 so some of these hostels may not be open anymore.

TOP TIPS

– The chains are often pricier and not always the best. We relied on this when booking our Byron Bay hostel, we were very disappointed and wished we gone for an independent one.

– We used the Hostel World app to book all of our stays which was the easiest way to book we found. It’s always have a look at the reviews before booking! We found google had some reviews for places too and it can be worth seeing if it’s cheaper to book directly.

– If you’re staying for a while or are booking as you go down the coast (we started off booking a week up in one go) then booking only a night or two at a hostel will give you the opportunity to move elsewhere if you’re not sure about the one you’ve chosen. 

– Finally, if you get a bad vibe or don’t feel comfortable, look for another hostel. This is important, especially as a female traveller, I would say trust your gut! Staying somewhere that doesn’t give you good vibes can change your whole experience of a place or travelling.

HOSTELS

Cairns – Mad Monkeys

We stayed in Mad Monkeys Village Backpackers and it was a great first hostel in Australia. Good deals on drinks and entry and they were big on encouragement to go for nights out. Plus, a bar, nice staff, free dinners on certain nights and a pool. It was really lively every night and seemed a really good spot to start as loads of people were either starting here or ending their journey up the East Coast here. We were able to arrange free pick up from the airport too – this was such a relief for us!

Townsville and Magnetic Island – Reef Lodge and Base

We stayed our one night in Townsville in the Reef Lodge Backpackers. It was ok for one night, clean enough but a strange hostel for sure. We stayed here as its closest to the ferry terminal for Magnetic Island which we went over to for 3 days. The return ferry ticket and our hostel – Base (there’s only a couple on the island so worth booking in advance) were arranged through Ratpack.

Base was a party hostel, loads of socialising and drinking games, a really fun hostel to stay in. Plus, the accommodation was cute beach hut style rooms with a pool too which is always a bonus. Only slight downside, it’s a prettyyy pricey hostel but trust me, it is worth it for the beauty of the island. Top tip: an island bus loops past the hostel so it’s the cheapest and easiest way to get there, and (did) cost $2 each way.

Airlie Beach – Magnums

We stayed in Magnums Backpackers whilst in AB. Really nice accommodation, wooden style houses with en-suite bathrooms, which was really handy. It’s also the first hostel we cooked in! A decent sized kitchen and right next to a woolworths too. There’s a lot of food venue in the hostel if you don’t fancy cooking, plus an area of BBQs. The Wi-Fi was limited to a specific spot but it was fairly decent and had charging points. Just watch out for the bush turkeys.

Agnes Water (1770) – YHA

Spent our time here in the 1770 YHA Beachside Backpackers in a 10 bed mixed dorm. Cute hostel, with a local dog that came to visit, decent sized kitchen, private access to the beach and hostel run tours – one of which was the kangaroo sanctuary. If the YHA isn’t your kind of hostel, loads of people we met stayed in Cool Bananas and said it was pretty good too.

Hervey Bay – Flashpackers

Pretty nice hostel, about 10 mins to the beach. Rooms were ok and they had a bonus en-suite but it did really feel like an American motel but with dorm rooms. There was a swimming pool, free pancakes on the weekend, decent Wi-Fi, pool tables and big (actually comfy) sofas. If you do find yourself heading here, get confirmation for the shuttle bus they offer, no one wants a 45-minute walk from the Greyhound bus stop.

Noosa – Nomads

We stayed in Nomads because we were doing the nomads tour to Fraser Island. Good hostel, but an awful kitchen with 2 hobs and no cutlery. Pros were the pool, bar, nice staff secure luggage storage and en-suite rooms. We did have a really good time at this hostel despite the kitchen situation.

Brisbane – Bunk

Here we stayed at Bunk and it was a nice hostel. Separated by a bar and a really tiny but cute pool. Once side is the hostel, which feels like a hotel mixed with a school and this was our first 20 bed dorm. The room came with lockers and private toilets. The toilets were a bit questionable but the amenities outside the dorm were decent. Other side of the club/bar/pool area was the kitchen which was really big, with good sized fridges, plenty of space to eat and was very clean. The nights out and hostel entertainment were fairly good – we had a few fun nights out! Also, tours can be booked through the hostel/done with the hostel which is a huge bonus.

Surfers Paradise – Budds Inn

This was a good hostel for somewhere we weren’t sure about. It had a free breakfast, a pool, bar, friendly staff, good kitchen and events such as nights out! Rooms were pretty basic but the showers/toilets were some of the cleanest and were actually pretty nice for a hostel bathroom.

Coolangatta – Komune

Hostels were odd in this town and the one we stayed in ‘Komune’ was more of a really cheap hotel/beach club. There was a pool, bar and if you’re there when there is an event then it was probably a really good place to stay. As we weren’t, it was super quiet so we made the most of the pool and Wi-Fi in the bar. Not far from Komune was the Pink Hotel which looked adorable and we wished we’d known about as it would have been worth the extra money to stay there but if that doesn’t appeal, Komune serves perfectly well. Just be aware there is no kitchen or fridge access for guests but we spoke to the receptionist and she very kindly offered to store some of our essential bits in the staff fridge.

Byron Bay – Nomads

This was not a good hostel, it had real positives on paper and we thought we couldn’t go wrong with the chain. However, I absolutely would not recommend and there are better hostels which were safer, quieter and better equipped for sure. I wasn’t going to put this one on here, but I thought it would be better to add as a warning, haha! Our friends stayed in alternative ones and said that they were lovely. Popular, nice ones seemed to be Byron Bay YHA, Cape Byron YHA, Backpackers Inn and Aquarius Backpackers.

Yamba – YHA

There’s only one hostel in Yamba and it’s this one. Run by a lovely local family, nice and spacious with clean amenities and a café/bar downstairs. We were supposed to stay in a 4 bed dorm but got upgraded to a private room so not sure what the dorms were like but the room/bed was lovely, even got towels and free soap! Definitely recommend the stop here and we would have absolutely stayed longer.

Coffs Harbour – Hoey Moey

We stayed in ‘Hoey Moey Backpackers’ and unfortunately I do not have a recommendation for this stop as it was possibly the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in. Do not stay here. It’s a motel with a bar/restaurant open to all the locals and it was awful. We felt totally uncomfortable, didn’t have a nice experience when we went back to our dorm to go to bed, the kitchen was grim, as were the rooms and bathroom and pretty rubbish staff. If you do happen to stay, our friend stayed at the YHA and actually enjoyed his visit to the town and said the hostel and staff were really nice.

Port Macquarie – Port Macquarie Backpackers

The hostel we stayed was really nice. It looked like an old house and it has a big kitchen, lovely staff, free pancakes on the weekend, clean bathrooms, a pool with hammocks, and a TV and games room. Because it’s not the most popular spot the hostel was pretty chill and not too far a walk from the bus stop, pub or supermarket. Only downside when we stayed was the unfortunate people in our dorm but other than that, it was a good stop.

Sydney – Wake up! Bondi Beach and Wake up! Central

In Sydney, we stayed in 2 hostels over a 14-day period. We were only supposed to stay in the Bondi Beach one before picking up our campervan and driving all the way to Melbourne. However, due to the bush fires our plans were changed so we moved into the central one to stay with our friends and explore the city from there instead. The Bondi Beach Wake Up! was really clean, light and well looked after. It wasn’t ridiculously busy and so it was easy to get showers, use the kitchen and we felt really safe and comfortable there. So essential when you’re spending so long there. The central one was more out-dated, the rooms were much older and the beds not so comfy but it had more of a ‘buzz’ about it. There was a bar/club directly beneath it and always something happening. Here we got given a private room for 1 night (was absolute heaven, best sleep I’d had for a while) and then the rest we spent in a 6-bed dorm. It was pretty spacious and we were with lovely people so it was ok! Both have their pros and cons but I’d stay in either one again. Also, if you want to do a good walking tour, Wake Up! central has one which went daily (this might be different now) and if it’s still running definitely tag along. Walking tours haven’t previously been a choice of mine but this one was worth it as it’s so informative and helps find your bearings in such a big city.

Really hope that this list helped narrow the list down a bit! It really is personal preference for hostels and I wouldn’t say we chose the cheapest but we also didn’t choose the most expensive. But as I said and as we found in Byron, the chains aren’t always the nicest so it’s absolutely best to read the reviews before you arrive for the most up to date thoughts! Also, you might prefer to do it differently but once we relaxed into the swing of moving around every few days, we were booking our hostels the night before or sometimes, the day of. This gave us better flexibility to go choose one our friends were staying in or changing based on word of mouth reviews, so if you can I’d definitely hold off all your hostels and stops in one go.

lots of love,

Han x