Kingstown Barracks YHA Hostel

The Kingstown Barracks YHA isn't really a "hostel" in the traditional sense; it's just the only dormitory accommodation available on Rottnest Island, so if you want to stay overnight on the island it's your only choice. On the up side, it's very clean and well-maintained; on the down, don't expect any of the "extras" you get with some hostels. While it does have a kitchen and a lounge with a TV (and a very expensive Internet terminal), there's only a staff member at the hostel until 2:00 each afternoon, so there are no planned activities, and no one to ask questions of if you have a problem, and not much in the way of hostel "atmosphere" (rooms are spartan, much like you might expect a "barracks" to be). The hostel rooms are in an old army barracks and all the rooms face outwards onto a large courtyard which the hostel shares with some other Rottnest Island accomodation areas. Without a shared internal hallway, it's sometimes hard to meet people from outside your room, as the kitchen and lounge are used by other people staying in the area. It also means that if the single washroom in the kitchen area is in use, you have to exit the courtyard area and go to the separate toilet block. It's often cold even in summer after hours, so bring a sweater for late night toilet runs!

There is a mess hall in the barracks area where you can get meals, but they're not as cheap as they claim; lunch and dinner are $8.00 each, so it's cheaper to go into town and buy from the general store and cook for yourself. There's little to do here after the sun sets and the hostel forbids all alcohol on its premises.

Most people are staying at the hostel just for a night, so don't expect this to be a good place to meet people. It is a good place to go if you just want to spend a little more time on the island---which is well worth the visit---and need a place to crash that isn't a tent.

Important point: you must check in at the main jetty (where the ferry lets off), not at the hostel itself. If you fail to do so and let time wind away, you may find yourself locked out as there's no way to check in after 6:00. Check out at the same location. The accommodation services at the jetty will give you a map to the hostel, but neither the map nor the signage is very clear; after following the main road as per the map, you will come to a spot where there is a small yellow wooden hut at a railway crossing and a small sign saying "Welcome to Kingstown Barracks." Here you must turn left to get to the hostel. Many people fail to turn and find themselves kilometres further around the island than they intended to go.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2005