Byron Bay & Northern NSW
Guests might struggle to leave this self-contained cabin with a saltwater pool and a Finnish sauna on the edge of a rainforest. It sleeps up to seven…
Must-see hotels in Australia & Pacific
Surfers Paradise
Laidback Budds has small, basic dorms and private rooms, but there's a sociable bar and pool, all just a short hop from calm Budds Beach. There are four…
The East Coast
There are free grassy unpowered sites, toilets and showers next to the town oval. It’s a right turn after the rivulet off Gray Rd (A4), heading out of…
Queenstown
This little hostel sits on a quiet hillside west of the town centre. There are no bunks but no en suites either. The views from the deck are like a…
Outback Northern Territory
This motel, close to the airstrip on the main road through town, is clean and comfortable, with cabins and guesthouse rooms set in tropical gardens. It's…
Limestone Coast
A neat (if a little old-fashioned) U-shaped collection of drive-up motel units in the shadow of the pub, with trim topiary trees dotting the car park. OK…
Western Australia
Reliable, centrally located motel with spacious rooms complete with fridges and microwaves. No restaurant, but you can arrange for breakfast and dinner to…
Midlands & Central Highlands
Basic camp site off Interlaken Rd on the shores of Lake Sorell. The easiest way to get here is to take Interlaken Rd off the Midland Hwy at Oatlands, then…
Snowy Mountains
Australia’s highest hotel, and one of Perisher’s oldest lodges, the Sundeck has a comfy bar and great views – mountain-view rooms cost more. It's…
Bremer Bay Beaches Resort & Tourist Park
Southern WA
This park has shady campsites and a well-equipped shared kitchen. It's a 1.5km walk through the dunes to the beach. There's also a seasonal pizzeria and…
Marlborough Region
This bright, YHA-affiliated backpackers has a blooming garden and sociable outdoor areas, plus in-demand en-suite rooms. Queen Charlotte Track bookings…
Tasmania
There are neat and well-equipped motel rooms here, as well as one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The gravel car park leads to a fair bit of noise,…
Outback Queensland
This compact little caravan park with grassy sites is only a short walk to the town centre and pubs. The friendly management also runs the local roadhouse…
The East Coast
Free camping among wombats and an old shearing shed, roughly a three-hour walk south from the ferry pier at Darlington. BYO everything, including water…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Modern, spotless and central, Tussock Peak has colourful decor and friendly service. Units come in studio or one- and two-bedroom incarnations; some have…
Townsville & Mission Beach
Banana Barracks is the go-to backpackers for wannabe fruit pickers in the Tully region. The hostel is also the hub of Tully’s nightlife, with an on-site…
Queenstown & Wanaka
These old-fashioned A-frame units have a family-friendly stamp. If the kids still have energy after a day’s travelling, wear them out in the swimming pool…
Mt Surprise Tourist Van Park, Motel & BP Roadhouse
Gulf Savannah
This is an all-round operation with camping, cabins and comfortable rooms around a shady palm-fringed pool. There's also a cafe, roadhouse, resident emu…
Marlborough Region
About 500m from town, this compact, well-kept park has plenty of lawn and picnic benches, plus crowd-pleasing facilities including a playground, barbecue…
Hobart
Out near the airport, this slick chain hotel caters mostly to business bods with an early flight. Rooms are predictably corporate but immaculate, and…
Tasmania
One of a trio of properties managed by neighbouring Duck House, this substantial, self-contained three-bedroom house sleeps up to seven.
New South Wales
This neat and tidy family-owned motel has 21 large, tidy, updated rooms, a convenient westside location opposite the Tamworth Golf Club, a small pool and…
The Daintree
Great-value accommodation comprising simple, freestanding cabins with covered decks in a tropical orchard close to the beach, forest and swimming holes…
West Coast Australia
There are five basic, quiet rooms (shared bathrooms) in this atmospheric old police barracks by the sea. BYO food; there's a guest kitchen, a barbecue…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Once a vicarage, this relaxed hostel has bunk-free dorms and wood-trimmed bathrooms. Tucked just behind is Little Tree Studio, a self-contained unit…
West Coast Australia
Backing onto the dunes down by the estuary, Guilderton's caravan park gets crazy-busy in summer, and has plenty of level sites and 10 simple self…
Southern WA
It's hard to imagine a more idyllic location than this, under shady trees above the sheltered waters of the inlet. A spacious recreation room and smart…
New South Wales
This clean and well-kept motel — with a number of room configurations — has a central location opposite Victoria Park and the historic buildings of the…
Broome & The Kimberley
The mission has an attached low-key campground (power $12 extra per site; dongas available), a fledgling art studio and a small museum.
Broome & The Kimberley
Shady, pet-friendly park right on the water's edge, within walking distance to the Pumphouse. Can be quite cramped during peak season.
New South Wales
This small, quiet and pretty tourist park even has a spacious aviary to keep you, or the kids, entranced. If that doesn't work, the playground and in…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
This water’s edge campground looks shabby from the road but has comfortable cottages, plus cabins and camping with shared bathrooms. Two-hour kayak hire…
Kaikōura Waterfront Apartments
Kaikoura
Pricey, smart apartments and studios across the road from the beach with full kitchens and plenty of room. Plump for the units at the front with…
West Coast Australia
North of the centre, this resort offers spotless, tastefully appointed apartments with a corporate vibe, across from the excellent St Georges Beach…
Coromandel Peninsula
The Mahamudra Centre is a serene Tibetan Buddhist retreat with a stupa, meditation hall and regular meditation courses. It offers simple accommodation in…
Victoria
This is the only one of the four camping grounds at Lake Tyers State Park to have toilets (they're non-flushing); the campsite's about a 40-minute drive…
Southern NSW & The Murray
Most of the fairly standard rooms here at the northern end of town have shared porches overlooking McLean Beach and the Edward River.
Great Ocean Road
Beach- and riverfront caravan park with powered sites and comfortable cabins, along with a pool, wi-fi, two camp kitchens, a jumping pillow, an indoor spa…
Taranaki & Whanganui
On the road into Inglewood from New Plymouth, White Eagle Motel is a small, old motel, but very tidy. The two-bedroom units feel bigger than they are…
Coromandel Peninsula
At Stony Bay, where the east coast road terminates, there’s a DOC campsite with toilets and cold-water showers, and a small DOC-run bach (holiday home)…
