New Australian Guide Rates 300 Hostels

Here’s help for budget travelers seeking clean, inexpensive accommodations in Australia: A new edition of “Backpacker Accommodations in Australia--A Ratings Guide” has just been published. Free copies are available at tourism offices throughout Australia, and it also is posted on the Internet at https://www.tourism.gov.au/publications/bac.

The pocket-size booklet, which rates 300 hostels around the country, was created by the Australian Automobile Assn. (AAA) with funding from the Office of National Tourism.

The tourism office and the AAA worked out the guidelines for rating the hostels, which volunteered to be assessed. The survey was completed in January 1998. Backpacker properties were defined as those that offered, at low cost, a range of sleeping arrangements, including dormitories, with communal and self-catering facilities and an emphasis on guest interaction. To qualify for the guidebook, properties had to be clean and well maintained. Each establishment also had to satisfy building, health and fire safety regulations.

The hostels earn a rating of one to five backpacks. One backpack indicates clean, simple and basic facilities, while five backpacks mark superior facilities. General information about travel in Australia is available at https://www.australia.com, or you can call (800) 333-0139 for a free Australia Vacation Planning Kit.

The information in the ratings guide is brief. Detailed information is posted on Internet sites published by the hostel networks. The Australian Youth Hostel Assn. (YHA), which is affiliated with Hostelling International, has a site at https://www.wha.org.au.

In addition to information on hostels, you’ll find route maps for setting up your own tours and information on discounts available to members of affiliated associations. The Nomads network of hostels has a site at https://www.nomads-backpackers.com that lists photographs and details on its facilities, and information on hostels that can help travelers who have work permits to find jobs.

For those using Sydney as a gateway, here are some hostels that earned the highest (five-backpack) rating:

* Nomads Captain Cook Hotel, 162 Flinders St., Darlinghurst, NSW 2010; telephone 011-61-2- 9360-4327.

* Wattle House, 44 Hereford St., Glebe, NSW 2037; tel. 011-61-2- 9552-4997.

* Eva’s Backpackers, 6-8 Orwell St., Kings Cross, NSW 2011; tel. 011-61-2-9358-2185.

* Globe Backpackers, 40 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross, NSW 2011; tel. 011-61-2-9326-9675.

* Sydney Central Backpackers, 16 Orwell St., Kings Cross, NSW 2011; tel. 011-61-2-9358-6600.

* Billabong Gardens Motel Hostel, 5-11 Egan St., Newtown, NSW 2042; tel. 011-61-2-9550-3236.

* Jolly Swagman Backpackers, 27 Orwell St., Potts Point, NSW 2011; tel. 011-61-2-9358-6400.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.