Aussie Hostels Now Rated in New Guide

You don’t have to guess the quality of independent hostels in Australia anymore.

The Australian Automobile Assn., supported by funding from the Commonwealth Department of Tourism, has established a Backpacker Accommodation Classification Scheme, much like the star systems used by many hotels and motels.

The hostels were inspected by an AAA representative, then they were rated--not with stars but with backpacks. A single backpack indicates a facility offering clean, simple and basic facilities, five backpacks indicates a superior standard of facilities.

The inspection was voluntary, and only hostels that were clean, well maintained and satisfied building, health, fire, safety and local council regulations qualified for inclusion.

A small, blue 50-page booklet, called the Backpacker Accommodation Ratings Guide, has been published with a listing of the results. It’s available for free at hostels and tourist information offices.

Only about 30 of the 300 hostels rated earned a five-backpack listing.

If Sydney is your gateway, here are the five-backpack facilities in the city and surrounding area:

* Surfside Backpackers at 186 Arden St., Coogee NSW 2034, telephone 011-61-2-315-7888.

* Sydney Hereford YHA Lodge at 51 Hereford St., Glebe NSW 2037, tel. 011-61-2-660-5577.

* Sydney Central Backpackers at 16 Orwell St., Kings Cross NSW 2001, tel. 011-61-2-358-6600.

* Eva’s Backpackers at 6-8 Orwell St., Kings Cross NSW 2011, tel. 011-61-2-358-2185.

* Billabong Gardens Hostel at 5-11 Egan St., Newtown NSW 2042, tel. 011-61-2-550-3236.

* The Jolly Swagman Backpackers, 27 Orwell St., Potts Point NSW 2011, tel. 011-61-2-358 6400.

* Forbes Terrace Accommodation at 155 Forbes St., Woolloomooloo NSW 2011, tel. 011-61-2-358-4327.

If Brisbane is your gateway, you’ll find five-backpack facilities at:

* New Brisbane City YHA at 392 Upper Roma St., Brisbane Qld 4000, tel. 011-61-7-3236-1004.

* Balmoral House at 33 Amelia St., Fortitude Valley Qld 4006, tel. 011-61-7-3252-1397.

Backpackers Resorts Australia, a network of independent hostels, has indicated which of their hostels were inspected and what their ratings are in their free, pocket-size, 160-page directory.

For example, one of the affiliated facilities is Terrigal Beach Backpackers Lodge, a 40-bed lodge that has only been open two years but has already won the Central Coast Tourism Award for Budget Accommodation.

The owners promote it as a good spot to stay before flying out of Sydney because it’s only about 1 1/2 hours from Sydney, and the Central Coast Airporter bus stops only about a block from the hostel. The trip costs $13.

Lodge guests stay in rooms shared by two to 10 people. There are also two common rooms with televisions, and kitchen and dining facilities, a barbecue and a big veranda; and it’s only a block from the beach.

The staff has made special arrangements with local tour operators. Central Kayak Tours will give hostel guests a 50% reduction on coastal, river and lagoon tours. That lowers the price of a tour, with a picnic lunch included, to $19.25. Packages including two nights accommodation with breakfast, plus one day para-sailing are $46.20. You can contact Terrigal Beach Backpacker Lodge at 12 Campbell Crescent, Terrigal, NSW 2260, Australia, tel. or fax: 011-61-43-853-330.

The average cost of a bed in a shared room at a hostel affiliated with Backpackers Resorts of Australia is $11.55 per night. The network now has a site on the Internet, https://www.backpacker.com.au/bpaus.html, that includes a listing of their hostels.