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Please see Bundaberg for other available Bundaberg hostels and accommodations.
Please see Bundaberg for other available Bundaberg hostels and accommodations.
Description
Federal Backpackers Details
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Map
Location/Contact| Address | 221 Bourbong Street, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia |
| Location | Opposite the Train Station, across the road from Hungry Tum. |
| Website | www.federalbackpackers.com.au |
| Telephone | +61 (7) 4153-3711 |
| Fax | +61 (7) 4151-0266 |
How is Federal Backpackers rated on other websites?
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Leave fast! Horrible! dirty and bedbugs in all the beds! — Anonymous , France (2011-08-04) A worldy experience well where to begin. Fedral backpackers is probably the best place in Bundy! it was one of my favorite times spent in Australia. Its old, dirty, small kitchen and a hardly working tv. But heck who cares about all this! the beer garden is amazing the staff are wonderful work is available and most of all the wonderful people u will meet here! i love Federal Backpackers, will never forget it and all the memories made here, so do the right thing, GO TO FEDERAL! — Brittany , Canada (2011-04-16) What a dump when i first arrived in federal i thought holy sh*t where am i?? and then i realised it was as bad as it looks!! the kitchen is never clean, some nights you finish work at half eight and by the time you get home you cant get your food out of the fridge as its locked at nine o clock every night!! I was woken one night by a mouse in my bed and when we eventually left we found the mouse in one of our bags!!! this place is disgusting and i highly recommend that nobody go here!! the place needs to be shut down!! the people there are lovely and you make friends but you can do that anywhere!! the staff are all ignorant f**ks that dont feel like they need to answer questions as if your troubling them!! — Anonymous , ireland (2011-04-01) 'The Bundaberg Trap' What a waste of $1000. Basically we spoke to Belinda about 5 times over 3 months and she told us that the beginning of march to april would be the time when it got busy and there would be loads of work. The last time I spoke to her before we flew to Brisbane and then got the 7 hour greyhound there Belinda said she had 'a few people on hold', this was a total lie. When we actually got there and checked in we had a little look around and there were the work sheets from each day pinned up on the wall from the past weeks. We could see that there was a lot more than a few people on hold. The particular day we got there 23 people were working and 28 people were on hold, to me that is a lot more than just a few. I looked over the past weeks and it was exactly the same each day so you could easily analyse the statistical data. Basically they get your there and get you enough work to pay your rent and a little money for food which is clearly 'the Bundaberg trap'. There is no way of saving to do any more traveling because these guys control who gets the work and how often you work, You are just working to stay in the filthy hole, reinvest it into a run down hostel and pay the high lives of the people who run it. We wasted between $800 - $1000 because there was two of us and after 3 hours we got the Greyhound back down the same night. I just hope this helps because its horrible to have to work to save up enough to go somewhere and it being a total waste. — Anonymous , British (2011-03-20) Leave this one OUT First arrival, I nearly cried at how dirty the place was! In the morning I feared for bedbugs! Which the hostel is RIFE with and do not expect the 'Staff' to be too concerned about this. It's like Boot camp for children. Belinda is nice but basically not all too helpful, expect to wait at least 30 min for ANYTHING! POM is also nice, when he wants to be, just expect to be treated like a kid, even though YOU are paying the wages, who wants to be spoken to like a moron when you just finish work???! You may be lucky enough to share your BED with mice, if not in your bed, maybe your room, the kitchen or if you're really lucky in your fridge box of food! And if not mice, there's a friendly possum too! There is NO work here either. Maybe enough to cover your rent if you're lucky! And when you leave, expect to be told that there is only work in Bundaberg. YEAH ALRIGHT! Enough of the Bullsh*t already. Basically, this place is a dirty rip off without enough work to cover you and they will not turn people away, so even if you've been there AGES, you will be likely to get screwed over too. Unless you were lucky enough to get there early and find a 'regular' farm.
On the upside, the only upside, there are wonderful people there. Really wonderful and it is a shame to have to leave them. Without the people, I think I would have cracked finally! — Anonymous , Europe (2011-03-17) Football/Soccer in Bundy I stayed at the Federal two times in 2007 and 2008. I loved every minute of it, my mate and I however got in with Alloway Football Club in Bundy and it was absolutely brilliant. They got us jobs and we stayed and played football/soccer for their whole season. We used to come back to the backpackers and have cheap jugs after games on a Saturday. We lived in the pool and at the bar. Pom was a funny old bastard and John seemed alright back then, maybe he has changed a bit I don't know but the footy club did so much for us with our time here in Bundy. I LOVED IT. — Tuck , British (2011-01-29) The Federal Family Rocks! There's a saying written on the wall saying 'you cry twice when you come to the Federal -- once when you arrive, and once when you leave', and this is completely true. When i first arrived in the Fed i thought it was a complete sh*t hole -- writing all over the walls, centuries old sofas in the tv room, manky kitchen, and tiny dorm rooms. But i learnt to never ever judge a book by it's cover. After a couple of weeks i felt comfortable enough to cancel all my plans -- i had booked all my travel up to Cairns, including hostels and greyhound and canceled it all at last minute to stay and im so glad i did! You need to be a special type of person to stay at the fed, to put up with the hostel, those many days in the stand-by club when you first arrive, 5am starts and those many days out in the fields. To be honest all the negatives bring everyone closer together. Everyone sits out in the beer garden together or on a sunny sunday sit on the park together talking, drinking, having a laugh in the sun. And the Fed fancy dress parties are legendary -- i'll never forget our super heroes party and the day after everyone was still dressed in their outfits havin a sunday sesh in the beer garden! It's a great life. When i left after 5 months i was more upset than i was when i left home - the people who stay there are truly amazing, and really do become your family. So if your going to Bundy, please please stay at the Fed -- when people ask me what was my favourite part of my 11 month trip around the world, i say wholeheartedly that my time at the fed was my favourite. I was the happiest i have ever been in my life when i was there and miss it so much! Keep the Bundy dream alive and the goon times rollin'!!! — Rach (a.k.a Nancy) Barlow , English (2010-12-13) You Gotta Do It Baby When i first walked into Federal i thought what the hell is this place, walking through a lounge covered in writing on the walls, i knew i was going to hate it. But I loved this place, its one of the best places you will ever stay if you go to Bundaberg. The staff are great, especially the Old Pom, he give you a few kicks up the ass at 5am in the morning when your late for the work bus, but he has a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone out. When you stay in Federal you become part of the family there, the best family you could ever wish for. I stayed there for 4 months and had the time of my life, yeah fair enough the facilities are not great but they have a great beer garden to help get through that. I even did my own bit of writing on the wall before i left. Please guys you've got to go Federal, keep that place alive please. — Neil 'Superman' , England (2010-11-05) THE CRAZIEST, BEST, AWESOME HOSTEL IN BUNDY When you come to this 130 years-old hostel (it's a quite old in terms of Australia's history), you will naturally feel old, small, dirty, not so tidy. The Kitchen is not that clean, the toilet is so small and sometimes no toilet papers. It's true that many people are unhappy at first. BUT, Most of them realise that this hostel has something unique power, friendly atmosphere and awesome crazy coolest backpackers ever. I've stayed there over 4months now and seen lots of people who are staying longer than me. Because, you can't help, but making loads of good people, having fun parties and saving money. PLUS, get a 2nd year visa. It has a pub downstairs and has a few felicities you can enjoy. So people usually just get together, cook, talk, and make friends. We called ourselves in the hostel "Federally Family." Come and check it out. — Anna Lee , Seoul, Korea (2010-06-06) The best hostel/people i've ever met Ended up staying in Federal for just over five months. Didnt think much of it at the start but it has def been my favourite experience in Australia. Staff are amazing, Belinda is mummy bear. They never see you stuck and did a lot for me, my sister, and my friends! Met the most amazing people that i hope are friends for life. Best hostel in Bundy, thats why all the other backpackers try to take over our beer garden, cause they dont have one of their own and if they do its sh*t cause there aint any of the federal crew around! Love it, when i'm passing through again i'll be sure to stay at federal. — Linzi , Belfast (2009-10-30) Bedbug heaven i've been traveling for a couple years and the hostel is a sh*thole, the worst ever. i got bitten to f*** with bedbugs they bruised and i have never seen anything like nor did the people staying there. we stayed for a month. the staff are rude and they are ruff as f***. beer garden is sh*t. i met some cool people there but they do not make the hostel. the whole set up is a joke, the mattress was a piece of foam (sperm soakers). bedbugs, the biggest cockroaches ever seen -- they will make the Thailand ones look like babies. rotten food all over the place. in general the whole place is a ran down sh*thole. let's hope the place gets shut down or bombed! — stavros , spain (2009-10-24) The best time ever. All in all, i spent about six and a half months living in that sh*t hole and i don't regret a minute of it. I think i am the only person i know who did my three months for my visa extension, left to travel australia only to return a year later for another three months completely voluntary. This is because it has a fantastic atmosphere. I had the time of my life there. It's complete escapism; there is just the farm work in the sunshine during the day and the beer garden during the night. After three months, you'll get to know the people here so well you'll feel like your leaving your home again. The place gets under your skin. As the old adage goes "you can check out, but you can never leave." Go to federal, stick it out for a few weeks until you settle in and have many, many happy and blurry memories drinking Passion Pop in the beer garden. Don't worry about the farm work -- if i can get through six and half months of it anyone can. — Monkfish (2009-04-18) Awesome, best in oz this place rocks. i stayed there for a very long time, about eight months in all. every time i was passing though that part of the coast i always stopped in. the staff were brilliant especially pom. the old fella was like a grumpy old grandad to me and a few mates of mine. he would always see you right. bloody legend. this place gets mixed reviews. often the bad ones are from short time stayers that dont get a real feel for the place. it has a better atmosphere than any hostel i ever stayed at. some of the best times of my life i had in that beer garden. make sure you stay here. get the feel of the place give it a week and you could stay a year! — TOM THE POM , POM (2008-11-12) What a dump! It really is horrid First of all when you arrive you will see the ogre of a woman that is on reception, after she has spent ten minutes on the phone on a personal call she will check you in and look at you like you just stole her daughter. Then you walk inside and oh my god, what a dump, the rooms are filthy, the walls and ceilings are filthy, and the bathroom is just terrible, I do not know how the authorities allow this place to open. The old bus driver is sleazy and there is a guy selling drugs from the top floor, never ever again will I find such a horrid place, I hope. — Kirsty , England (2008-09-16) Great place, i didn't want to leave I stayed here for three months and had a great time. there are no mice or cockroaches running throughout the place. But yeah, it is a bit old and the kitchen is not perfect, but it is a wonderful place to stay work and party, great people, and great staff. — Jackie , England (2008-04-16)