HI - Barmera Backpackers YHA Hostel

Not a perfect working hostel but close enough
First to say about the entry, the bicycle hire is free! And some more things, its a working hostel, so make sure you call Mark or John and find out which sort of work there is at the moment, if they only have orange picking and you don't wanna do this, don't go at this particular time! I had a couple of different jobs, all of them pretty much ok, much better then in some other working hostels (pruning, picking oranges, weeding, painting trees, irrigation stuff). But still, some may be on contract so make sure you ask what kind of job you'd get and think if you'd be happy with it! The people staying here are mostly asian -- Learnt some Japanese and Mandarin here. The dorms are ok, from twin room to three- or four-bed dorms, and each unit of one twin and one three-bed and one four-bed dorm share a clean and well maintained bathroom. The kitchen is more on the small side, but has everything exempt a working oven. And at peak times can get a little crowded, but you're perfectly fine if you try to cook outside these times. The outside lawn area with the barbie is really nice, especially in spring and maybe even better in summer! And I really miss the hostel cat Simba! He welcomes you when you come back from work, that adds to the "home away from home" feeling! There are two common rooms, not too big but not too small. Each has a TV and one of them a dvd player as well, you can get dvds from Mark or from the library or video rental shop (two-minute walk). The people who run the hostel are Mark and his Dad, John. Both are driving people to and from work, but you'll probably not see Mark too often. But John is usually there in the evening. Mark is a good bloke, but John is a legend, he'll do his best to help you in every way you can or can't imagine! For the fun, you can have a barbie near the lake or in the hostel outside area, and with two supermarkets within three minutes' walking distance and two bottle shops (one minute), this is as cheap as it gets! Wednesday there's free poker at the hotel, if you win you get a $50 voucher, second gets a $20 voucher, good fun! Internet at the Library (three minutes to walk, usually open till 5) is for free (bookings essential), and the computers that used to be at the hostel are now in the bonny deli, which makes sense because of its business hours. (Open from 8:30 a.m. till 7:30 p.m., and starting from $1 per fifteen minutes to $7.50 for three hours, or if you stay longer even $100 for fifty hours! And there's a bakery (two- to three-minute walk) as well, try the chocolate and walnut slice for $1.80!

Great for finding work. had the best job in the hostel planting almond trees, really relaxed, and good money. The hostel is ok, kitchen is small, one microwave, two ovens, one of which is switched off at weekends. Not many westerners staying here but the ones there are all kind of gel together. Supermarket opposite, cheap meals in the pub, nice lake with free BBQs next to it, and John the owner is a fantastic man, really nice and friendly, wouldn't hurt a fly, Mark's ok too but never really saw him as was at work in the day.