Barney Beach Accommodation Centre
Capricorn Coast & the Southern Reef Islands
Two kilometres east of the city centre, Barney Beach has smart units close to the foreshore, and is usually booked up by construction workers working on…
Must-see hotels in Australia
South Coast NSW
Smart, modern cabins and commodious bunk rooms with en-suite bathrooms are available behind Mogo's gold-rush theme park. Cabins are a decent size, with…
Tasman Peninsula & Port Arthur
Abalone? Abdominals? We suspect it’s the former, although the water-view deck at the best (and biggest) of these three brown-brick units affords the…
Launceston
It has to be said that this charming old hostel in the old Esplanade Hotel (1881) is looking a little weary. The 18 rooms (11 dorms) are reasonable –…
The Southeast
Upstairs at the rambling 1884 Commercial Hotel (aka 'the bottom pub') are seven decent pub rooms, quite recently dolled up and with little TVs, fridges…
Outback NSW
This historic homestead approximately 55km from Tibooburra is operated by the NPWS. There are comfy self-catered homestead rooms (communal kitchen and…
The Southeast
A handsome, red-brick heritage pub (the 'top pub') on the upper slopes of Cygnet’s main drag. Rooms are heritage chic and pubby, and downstairs in the bar…
Great Ocean Road
A fairly unique choice in town is this hospital turned guesthouse. While it's undoubtedly a little creepy, rooms are well presented, and there are plenty…
Broome & The Kimberley
This dusty campground is often full of travellers and tour groups waiting for fuel. There's a good swimming hole that costs $8 per person to visit if you…
Broome
Right next to Town Beach, this shady park has the best views, though you'll pay extra for a site with one. The amenities are barely adequate and there's…
Gulf Savannah
Behind the pub and roadhouse are some basic motel-style rooms and a grassy area for camping (no power). The pub serves dinner (mains $16 to $24) from…
Perth
Keen management and a city-side location go some way towards compensating for the very few windows here (skylights abound), but not all the way. It's a…
Southern NSW & The Murray
About 4.5km north of central Albury, with cabins and backpacker dorms. It's located within the BIG4 Albury Tourist Park and family-friendly facilities…
The East Coast
You can’t miss this clunky red-brick block on the beach as the road bends through Swansea. It’s an aesthetic poke in the eye, but some of the rooms have…
Byron Bay
Hidden within a town-centre commercial building a couple of blocks from the beach, this complex has a small set of apartments grouped around a swimming…
Whitsunday Coast
With Airlie Beach only a couple of hours up the highway, Mackay suffers from a lack of backpacker hostels. Gecko's Rest is about it, and while it's…
New South Wales
Look for the sign with the maracca-wielding silhouette, and book in for a comfortable night in this well-maintained motel on Tenterfield's main drag…
South Coast NSW
This headland property has a leafy setting and ocean views. Facilities are well kept, and there are good distractions for kids, including a playground,…
Southern NSW & The Murray
This is an airy old pub with high ceilings and basic rooms with grand beds and old bathrooms; ask for a room on the quieter 2nd floor. Downstairs, the pub…
Flinders Ranges
‘Real people only, no Yuppies’ is the slogan at Angorichina Tourist Village, midway between Blinman and Parachilna. It’s a shambling joint with a mix of…
Western Australia
Don't let the name fool you: this gold-rush joint hasn't been grand for some time, though the bar is atmospheric in a Wild West kind of way.
Victoria
Run by the team from Bayplay, a Portsea-based dive operator, this private grassy glampground overlooks a dam. Accommodation is in spacious bell tents that…
Gulf Savannah
You wouldn't stay here for the accommodation (slightly tired motel rooms, paper-thin walls), but the location, just up from the boat jetty, is excellent…
Cradle Country & The West
One of two free campgrounds near Lake Pedder's southern end, Edgar Camping Ground has pit toilets, fireplaces stocked with firewood and tank water. Sites…
Limestone Coast
These three old-fashioned, antiquey cottages are bright and tidy, each with two bedrooms and a spa if you need to soak off the terra rossa after a hard…
The Southeast
A bog-basic campground across the road from the Cygnet Hotel, with a handful of hardstand areas. It's essentially just a grassy paddock by the town creek:…
Cape Tribulation
Once a budget place (it still has air-con dorms), Ferntree is going more for the family resort look with a range of accommodation, pool area, Daintree Bar…
Outback Queensland
Shakespeare Hotel has the pick of the pub rooms in town, a cabin and good meals (mains $13 to $28, Thursday to Tuesday). It's the big red corner building…
Harrington’s 102 Accommodation
Hobart
After the shock of the naff postmodern office facade subsides, you’ll find the budget rooms here well equipped but a tad poky. Still, the price is right,…
Gold Coast
You can overnight at the Polish Place in European-style timber chalets with spectacular views. A fire in 2016 gutted the on-site restaurant and it was…
Burleigh Palms Holiday Apartments
Gold Coast
Even though they’re on the highway, these large and comfortable, if bland, self-contained units are solid value. And, most importantly, it's a quick, easy…
Fraser Island & the Fraser Coast
Right across from the train station, this unlovely hostel is one of the most reliable places to get steady farm work. Staff can help with paperwork and…
Victoria
The bushy Barmah Lakes camping ground has tables, barbecue areas and pit toilets. It's a remote experience and out of holiday times you're likely to have…
Outback NSW
This basic caravan park has coin-operated hot showers and laundry, free BBQs, a camp kitchen and a children's playground. It can also supply an excellent…
The East Coast
These family-friendly, self-contained units are old-school and they're right on the highway, but they're okay for an overnighter (you'll find more scenic…
Midlands & Central Highlands
Bothwell Camping Ground is a scant patch of gravel behind the visitor centre without a whole lotta charm – but the price is right if you just need an…
West Coast Australia
Not too far from the ocean beach, this small hostel is in a labyrinthine old weatherboard house with hammocks and a barbecue. It's a popular flophouse for…
Western Australia
This overpriced and unfriendly motel – with the priciest fuel along the Eyre Hwy – is the only place to stay along the loneliest stretch of road through…
The East Coast
This simple park is right on the highway – an unappealing locale, but at least affordable. There’s a camp kitchen, a laundry and a playground; aim for one…
Victoria
Sandors could fall into the ho-hum motel category; however, its location opposite the visitor centre may be handy if you're planning a trip. Light…
