Australia Hotel Tips by darthmilmo

Instead of staying the night on the touristy Port Arthur town, we opted to stay at the Seaview Lodge near Nubeena. Getting there would be an adventure as we derived off the paved/sealed road and thru an unpaved/unseal graveled road. Maneuvering the car through this road turned out to be a challenge. We managed to get by in one piece, less a side mirror. Unfortunately, one of the small pole reflectors on the side of the road decided to cross the road as we drove pass. The impact to the side mirror caused the Plexiglas to explode into thousands of little pieces. We kept driving as there was nothing we could do about it. In the end it was worth it as we pulled into the beautiful scenic Seaview Lodge resting atop a hill overlooking the sea and the Tasman Peninsula. It was as though it was a scene out of a fairytale. To top it all off, there were only two other people staying there that night. It was a chilly night so the fireplace came in handy.

Unique Qualities: -Awsome views of the coast and hills.
-Excellent Kitchen facilities
-Nice cozy tv and recreational room
-Table Tennis

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Theme: Pension/Guesthouse
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (03) 6250 2766
Directions: In the hills near Nubeena, Tasmania

I stayed on the quiet and cozy YHA Riverside Hostel at Murwillumbah. For those that plan on climbing to the top of Mt. Warning, there is a free shuttle service provided by the owner. All he asks is for you to stay 2 nights. Then, he will drop you off and pick you off at the start of the trek. He will even through in some witty commentaries of the region as he drives you through the scenic route. The price of accommodation also includes free ice cream in the evenings. You can enjoy this treat as you play one of the many complementary board games for the guests. As if that wasn’t enough, you can borrow a bike and a canoe for free. He provides several maps so you can explore the Tweed Valley and Tweed River by land or by river. This is one of the best hostels I’ve ever been to.

Unique Qualities: -Free Bike and Kayak hire
-Free dropout at the start to the Mt. Warning trek
-Excellent Kitchen facilities
-Free ice cream every night
-Tons of resources on what to do in OZ and this region

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (02) 6672 3763
Address: 1 Tumbulgum Road, Murwillumbah 2484
Website: http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=24
Other Contact: email: mbahyha@norex.com.au

We continued driving inland to Mt. Field NP. Finding accommodation tonight proved a bit more difficult as the YHA near the NP had closed. Therefore, we had to keep on going to the next town of Maydena, where we found a room at the gorgeous Green Giant Cottages. It was a perfect place to end the day. At the back of the facilities lay a nice pond. Later that evening, after sunset, Lynda and I went for a walk to spot platypodes. I had previously seen them in Queensland and knew what to look for. It was a long shot, as they are extremely shy animals, but we lucked out and saw three platypodes in the wild. The platypus is one of my favorite Australian animals. Seeing three of them once more was a real treat, especially for Lynda since she hadn't seen one before.

Unique Qualities: -Resident platypodes on their pond
-Restaurant on premisses

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Theme: Motel
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$20-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 03 6288 2293
Address: Maydena, Tasmania 7140
Website: http://www.tvlodge.com/
Other Contact: email: info@GiantsTable.com

While visiting the gorgeous Great Keppel Is, I based myself out of the YHA tent village, which offers a really nice setting. If you plan on visiting the island for more then one night, then go ahead and book a room at the YHA through the Downtown Backpackers Hostel (not affiliated to the YHA) in Rockhampton. I bought their 3 day package to the GKI and so saved more money then purchasing it separately.

Unique Qualities: -Free snorkel equipment with selected packages
-Excellent kitchen facilities
-Ample dinning area

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (07) 4927 5288 or (07) 4933 6416
Address: Great Keppel Island
Website: http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=49
Other Contact: Email: yhagreatkeppelisland@bigp

A visit to Australia wouldn’t be complete without sleeping in swag. My first experience sleeping on one came on the first night of our Top Ender tour with Wilderness Adventures. We spend the night at the McDonald WW2 Airfield (rarely use, but not abandoned). We slept on swags, which is a unique Australian thick mattress. We set them up right in the middle of the landing path! It was wonderful to sleep below the stars with nothing obstructing the view :).


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Theme: Campground

Address: McDonald WW2 Airfield

On our trip down from Darwin to Alice Springs, we stayed overnight on the Juno Horse Farm, a few km away from Tennant Creek. We slept on a swag tonight, which is a cross bread between a regular sleeping bag and a mattress. However, several of the group slept in tents as well. The swags make for a far more comfy sleep.


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Theme: Campground
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Near Tennant Creek

After a full day, I retreated to our accommodation for tonight, which was on an underground bunkhouse of sorts. It was a room cut into the hill. Sleeping underground has its benefits. Besides being cooler, it meant it was also 'pitch dark'. After all, sunlight can't travel through the rock!

Unique Qualities: -Underground Accomodation carved into a hill
-Spaceship from Pitch Black is within walking distance of hostel

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Coober Peddy

We arrived later that afternoon to the town of Halls Gap, which is one of the hubs of the region. We stayed at the comfortable and cozy Brambucks Hostel, which is owned by the local Aboriginals. It's the kind of place you wish you could stay for a week. Alas, I just had one night so we had to do the best with it. I went out with Rene, Maria (both from Denmark), and a girl from Germany across the road, past the visitor center, across the bridge, and into a vast grass field. It was here that we came across hundreds of grey kangaroos. After months of traveling down under, I hadn't seen a sight like this. It was amazing. I could count 5 distinctive groups of kangaroos. Although I didn't count them all, I’m sure there were over 200 of them. The large males were easily over 2 meters in height. Nevertheless, Rene and I stayed for a while and got to approach many of them. I remember getting as close as a meter or two from several of them. It's nice to see the animals in the wild and this close. The reason they don't ran from you is that they now better. They are way faster then we are and so if they felt threaten in any way they would skip their way out of trouble. Being so close allowed us to see many of their habits. We saw mothers carrying their young in their pouch. Some of the baby kangaroos were poking their heads out, while others had their feet hanging from the pouch (wonder how they can breathe with their heads in there...hehehe). I even came across one of the finest and most sentimental actions I’ve seen from an animal as a young kangaroo approached its mother and gave her a hug. I know it sounds strange, but it really happened. It was a nice site. As it was getting dark and the Antarctic wind was getting colder by the minute, Rene and I headed back to the hostel. That night I got to see England beat France on the Rugby Semi-Finals. After this game, the final was staged for next week on a battle of the wits between the English and the Australian rugby teams.

Unique Qualities: -Excellent Kitchen
-In the forest, away from town
-In front of the Park Offices and the Visitor Center
-Resident wild Kangaroos nearby (5 min walk)
-Owned by Aboriginals

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (03) 5356 4250
Address: Dunkeld Road, Halls Gap
Other Contact: email:bramback@netconnect.com.au

I went ahead and stayed on Kelly's Beach Resort in Bagara, which is a beach town/suburb near Bundaberg. Kelly's Beach Resort is more then a hostel, it's a series of in suit villas with their own kitchen, TV room, and a/c.

I spent the several days watching TV, enjoying the pool, taking a relaxing session on the sauna, and basically relaxing for a change. It may sound boring, but I hadn't done that in a while :). I did go to the beach during those days though as it is located minutes away from the hotel :). For those keen in playing tennis, you can rejoice and enjoy a game or two on their good kept courts.

Backpackers can sometimes stay on hostel like accomodations so inquire at reception. This is an OZ expereince stop.

Unique Qualities: -Each unit comes with its own kitchen, TV room, and a/c
-Swimming pool
-sauna
-tennis courts
-bbq area
-walking distance to the beach

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Theme: Motel
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$20-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 1800 246 141
Address: 6 Trevors Rd, PO Box 8115, Bargara, Bundaberg, Qld Australia 4670
Website: http://www.kellysbeachresort.com.au/

Out of the tourist scene, the traditional Australian accommodation is at a pub, where the top floors are converted to rooms for the tired traveler. It roots from an old English tradition.

Unique Qualities: -Might get noicy at times (after all, you are staying on a pub/bar)

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Croydon, QLD
Directions: Don't blink or you'll miss it :). Croydon is a small town in the Outback so you'll bound to see it as soon as you cross the town. If you don't, then you may want to get your eyes check :P.