Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

TIPS ON ACCOMMODATIONS 77
accommodations, activities, and rates
at a range of properties. Rates vary, but
you will find many charging between
A$100 and A$140 (US$65–$91) for a
double, which sometimes includes
breakfast. Meals are often available as
an optional extra.
YOUTH HOSTELS & BACK-
PACKER LODGES Australia has
oodles of backpacker hostels. Some are
little more than grim dormitories
(without air-conditioning); others are
spiffy new complexes with cheerily
painted rooms, a pool, tour desk,
restaurant and bar, communal
kitchens, and Internet access. If you
like the idea of traveling cheap, but
aren’t wild about bunking with
strangers, opt for one of the many that
offer private double rooms or family
rooms. Some hostels will impose a
maximum stay of 3 nights; others are
happy to accommodate you for a week
or more. Blankets and pillows are provided,
but you may need to rent bed
linens for an extra $2 or $3 per stay;
bring your own towel. Look for hostels
that have lockers, as the backpacker circuit
has more than its fair share of petty
thieves. Hostels typically charge under
A$20 (US$13) per dorm bed per night,
and A$40 to A$50 (US$26–US$33)
for a twin/double private room. Private
rooms are in demand, so book ahead.
The Australian Youth Hostels
Association (YHA), 422 Kent St., Sydney,
NSW 2000 (& 02/9261 1111; fax
02/9261 1969; www.yha.org.au) is the
Australian arm of Hostelling International,
and has more than 140 hostels in
Australia. People of any age can stay at
them. Quality and facilities vary, but
YHA hostels are clean, and have communal
kitchens and 24-hour access.
You don’t have to join the association to
stay at a hostel, but members receive
discounted rates and are entitled to
myriad other discounts—on car rental,
bus travel, and tours, for example—that
can more the cover the membership fee.
In the United States, contact
Hostelling International/American
Youth Hostels, 802 Colesville Rd.,
Suite 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910
(& 301/495-1240; www.hihostels.
com) or join at any hostel in the United
States. In Canada, contact Hostelling
International-Canada, 205 Catherine
St., Suite 400, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P
1C3 (& 613/237-7884; www.
hihostels.ca). In the UK, contact Youth
Hostels Association (England and
Wales), Trevelyan House, Dimple
Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3YH
(& 1629/592600; www.yha.org.uk).
In Scotland, contact the Scottish Youth
Hostels Association, 7 Glebe Crescent,
Stirling FK8 2JA (& 1786/891
400; www.syha.org.uk). In Ireland,
contact Hostelling International-
Northern Ireland, 22 Donegall Rd.,
Belfast BT12 5JN (& 2890/315 435;
www.hini.org.uk), or the Irish Youth
Hostels Association, 61 Mountjoy St.,
Dublin 7 (& 3531/830 4555; www.
irelandyha.org). All of these offices are
accessible at www.hihostels.com. Note:
YHA properties are nonsmoking.
YWCA has comfortable budget
hotels in Sydney (& 1800/994 994 in
Australia), Melbourne (& 1800/468
359 in Australia) and Darwin (& 08/
8981 8644) with private rooms,
dorms, and family rooms—a cut
above the average backpacker digs.
Rates range from A$35 (US$23) for a
dorm bed or A$80 to A$140 (US$52–
US$91) for a double.
CAMPING & CARAVAN PARKS
Australians camp year-round, even in
remote desert outposts and in winter.
The only places you might want to
avoid are Tasmania and the mountainous
areas of New South Wales and
Victoria in winter, when it’s a bit
nippy, and the Top End in the summer
Wet Season.
Campsites are attached to nearly all
the country’s numerous caravan
(camper) parks, and many lodges offer