The guidebook pirate is joking about is the Lonely Planet one, the one published by this site. There is also a Rough Guide one. These used to be the backpacker's Bibles, but now many just use the internet. Both have sections on the east coast.
I reckon a guidebook is useful as it can tell you about p!aces worth visiting and you can read through and see what takes your fancy then plan your route accordingly. With the internet it tends to tell you what you asked, rather than leading you through the area.
The guidebooks list some accommodation, often with email and phone. A combination of that and internet should get you sorted. Of course a highly rated place will often put up prices and standards can fall quickly. Once you know the area that accommodation is located, it is easy to wander about and see what takes your fancy. You can also bargain.
Apart from the first night off the plane, I normally just turn up and sort something out.