Our Fave BackPacker Hostels on the East Coast

Hostels hostels hostels….. Other than ‘are you travelling up or down?’ ‘where are you going next?’ and ‘where are you from?’…. ‘what hostel are you staying in next?’ will be one of your most asked questions whilst you are travelling in Aussie. Lucky for you, the East Coast is FULL of some sick hostels to crash out in during your trip.

We’ll be sharing with you:

  • How to book a hostel..
  • Making pals in hostels…
  • The do’s and dont’s of hostels..
  • How to be cash savvvvvvy

The RatPack crew have popped together their ULTIMATE hostels on the East Coast, we’ve been there and stayed there and now sharing our tips with you…

Click images to see more.

The best spots to stay as a backpacker

Hostels are a travellers best friend when it comes to meeting absolute legends that turn into travel buddies and having crazy experiences that you’ll never forget.

Trust us, you will learn some cracking drinking games, how to drink goon, witness some strange concoctions in the kitchen and you’ll see some hilarious drunken antics…. {We won’t talk about the streaking around a hostel in Agnes Water after a competitive game of drunken Jenga!}.

Australia is FULL of hostels, in the majority of spots you will be spoilt for choice of good quality hostels in great locations, with awesome facilities, events and good value for money. We love hostels in aussie because you’ll bump into the same faces up/down the east coast and will become pals with a lot of legends!

The best hostels

Cairns

Hostel: Mad Monkey

Vibe: Super Social

About: Be prepared to have a lot of choice of hostels in Cairns, it’s a backpackers paradise {when you visit you’ll see} we’ve bounced around a few of the hostels and love Mad Monkey. It’s got a great social vibe with loads of events on in the huge outdoor bar area, we’re talking pub quiz, beer pong & they even have free pancakes for brekkie >> yewwwwwww!

Magnetic Island

Hostel: Base Magnetic

Vibe: Party

About: This little slice of paradise is a hostel like NO other, you’ll honestly be surprised that this place is a hostel. It is right on the beach with its own pool, huge bar, and the rooms are set in little huts in the lush tropical grounds.

This place is renowned for its awesome night time entertainment…. Boozy bingo being one of them, get involved and get up to the bar for happy hour or for some of the epic food. We offer an epic package that includes your return ferry transfer, 2 or 3 nights accom and we’ll even throw in a few vouchers yewwwwwww….

Airlie Beach

Hostel: Magnums

Vibe: Tropical party hostel

About: This place is set out in a jungle theme and each room is in a little shack, expect to see bush turkeys, parrots, possums and a couple of spiders around the place! This place is surprising because even though its chilled…. It has its own bar and nightclub attached to it which create some pretty hilarious nights before or after your Whitsundays trip!

Agnes Water/1770

Hostel: Cool Bananas

Vibe: The most chilled of all things chill

About: This is without a doubt one of RatPacks absolute faves when it comes to our vibe… This little surf town is abit of us and Cool Bananas hostel is all about that relaxed chilled pace, were talking hammocks everywhere, cosy common room, campfires with someone playing the guitar. The crew that work at this spot are legends and can help you organise surf lessons and how to see this epic little town.

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Noosa

Hostel: Nomads

Vibe: Proper Party

About: The ultimate Fraser Island after party hostel… If you head out on the Nomads Fraser Island Tour, we can hook you up with $10 a night stays at this legendary spot in the heart of Noosa. By staying here before & after your trip, you’ll get extra time with the legends on your tour, we promise that you won’t want to miss the after party, at the Nomads very own bar KB’s.

The hostel is basic but is in a great spot and provides a good time!

Hostel: Flashpackers

Vibe: Luxury

About: This spot is epic and is for the flashpackers amongst us {clues in the name!}, you’ll be impressed by the up market quality of the facilities here and how awesome the crew are! The hostel is a beauty and has a pool, the best kitchen we’ve seen in a hostel and the room facilities are great. These guys have a shuttle bus from the bus station and they put on loads of events throughout the week inc. BBQ, cheese and wine, all you can eat pizza & movie nights.

Brisbane

Hostel: Summerhouse

Vibe: Super Social

About: Located just near the transit centre (roma street) is Summerhouse, we love this cosy hostel and not just because it has a rooftop with epic views of the city, they host so many events inc. BBQ, Cheese & Wine, Movie nights, Pub Crawl & even a talent show {rumour has it Miss Sophie Wilks won this one night…..}.

You’ll become part of the fam in this place and the location is awesome for exploring the city and the next neighbourhood Caxton, if you get time check out an event at the Suncorp Stadium just next door.

Surfers Paradise

Hostel: Bunk

Vibe: Super Social/ Party

About: This place is right next door to the greyhound so walking time is minimal yewwwwwwwww. This hostel is in the middle of Surfers Paradise and is super modern inside, each bed is a little pod so privacy is the one here.

The common area and pool is stylish and they hold events like BBQ, drinking games and you can get involved with a huge bar crawl with all the hostels in the town.

Byron Bay

Hostel: Backpackers Inn on the Beach

Vibe: Super Chill

About: This cruisy little spot is right on the main beach of Byron so if you want to get on the surf, enjoy being on the beach and be close to town then this is for you!

They have hammocks everywhere, a pool and its everything you’d hope to get from Byron Bay!

Hostel: Cape Byron YHA

Vibe: Super Chill

About: This spot is located right in the middle of town and a 3 minute walk from the beach. It has a real tropical chill vibe to it, the pool is surrounded by palm trees, hammocks and fairy lights >>> all about the Byron vibe.

These guys put on great events and make it really easy to meet others, they even do pancakes for brekky a couple of times a week.

 

Sydney

Hostel: Sydney Harbour YHA

Vibe: Epic views

About: You’ll be absolutely mind blown by the view from the rooftop of this hostel, you have the best view of the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and Circular Quay, trust us you’ll get quite a few cracking panos up here!

This hostel is based on an archaeological site and caters for backpackers, families and groups, so expect a mixed crowd in this spot.

Hostel: Sydney Central YHA

Vibe: Super Social

About: This hostel has undergone a makeover and when it comes to a beautiful looking hostel this one fits the bill yewwwwwww.

You’ll love the look of this place, it even has a rooftop with a pool & sauna. You’ll also find a cinema with a free popcorn machine << that’s what we’re talking about!

The crew organise events such as BBQ, cheese and wine & pub crawls so you’ll make friends in no time!

Melbourne

Hostel: Space hotel

Vibe: Flashpacker central

About: If you like things a bit fancy and prepared to pay a little bit more then check out Space in the centre of Melbourne! This is the hostel of all hostels as it has a beautiful rooftop with the best views of the city with an 8 person hot tub, not only that but it has a legit cinema, gym and a hilarious bar downstairs. You’ll be really impressed by this spot and will find yourself keep extending and extending……

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13 March 2023

Great experience with the RatPack travel team! Really went out of their way to help us book our Van’s for two different trips! They have great rapport with the various Van companies, were able to help us book the last available Van for our time in WA and were able to get us some discounts as well. Zan and Mikey were both so easy going, made it feel like we were chatting with friends who genuinely cared about our travels haha, awesome guys! Definitely recommend the RatPack service, will save you time and money fellow travellers!

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