Cardwell Backpackers Hostel

Cardwell

3 of 4

Address	178 Bowen Street, Cardwell Queensland, Australia Map
Price	yes

Location/Contact

Details

Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed above).

Description

Features

Kitchen

Ratings & Comments

3.1 Average from 18 Ratings

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Comment by Matt T, Wales

September 2008

Brilliant place
I stayed here in 1997 for four months and had a fantastic time. Yes we worked damn hard but we also played hard and i was lucky to meet a truly great bunch of people from all over the world who became good friends. Errol was a top bloke -- show him respect and he did the same in return. Strange as it sounds but my stay here was one of the highlights of my year in Oz.

Comment by Leanne

July 2006

My boyfriend and I stayed here for the three longest weeks of our lives in 2005. We did get work on a banana farm which was okay but the 'accommodation' was awful. People steal your food and clean dishes and there are no locks on the room doors (for fire reasons apparently)! The 'rooms' are like changing rooms -- tin walls and door don't go all the way to the floor or the ceiling, i.e. if you sit on the top bunk you can see in to everyone else's room! Takes a certain type of person to stay here and I'm not that type.

Comment by shilo sobott

May 2006

I did six months hard time in Cardwell working and drinking with some of the biggest characters in the business local and far. The place speaks of hardness and gives you adventure at your door step. Mind you the hardest thing was getting up in the morning.

Comment by zuriel garcia

January 2006

this makes me laugh! ha! Stu is definitely a classic. I lived out there for about four months and absolutley loved the place. I truly loved the heat, the job on the farm with david and narinder, and i definitely loved the crazyness the place brought out in me! If you ever feel like your life has gone grey buy a ticket to QLD and visit stu. The beer is cheap and plentiful and it is a f**kn riot! ill be back in 2007! As for stu and the fam i hope he's still there filthier than ever!

Comment by Alan from Newcastle

November 2005

I stayed at the hostel for around three weeks back in May 2005. I found Stewart a top guy to be honest. Some of the previous comments yes I will agree with, about his wife (scary!!). However Stewart worked very long hours and of course he's gonna get tired and irritable at times, aren't we all? The times you'd go in the kitchen and there would be used pans, plates, food lying around, this used to really piss Stewart off. The rooms were very small with bunks. There were two standing fans that really did nothing but circulate the warm dry air that was already in the room around and around. I never saw the rooms being cleaned in my time there and the dirt and dust on the floors was pretty gross. But the backpackers really made the place, some of the best people I've ever met. You know who you are!! I'm heading back to Cardwell and if it's true Stewart has sold, I'll not be staying there.

Comment by Girly

September 2005

I stayed at this hostel for almost two months in 2005. What can I say? It was both the best and worst part of my trip around Oz. I met some amazing people, had some great laughs and the best banter in the pub on Friday nights, but the wife's crazy. If it weren't for her I'd probably have stayed longer. I heard Stu's sold it since — shame, it won't be the same mental f***ed-up place that we knew and loved.

Comment by the one that got away

August 2005

I lived there for four months and it was a living hell. The wife was a mad mental bitch who went mad when the moon was high once a month. And as for Stu, that man has the most dirty mouth I have ever meet. He called all ladies C***S and all the guys were C**k Suckers. To me that is a person who has no respect for those who he makes his living off. Stu, go to hell you C**K SUCKER.

Comment by Dave Costello

August 2005

Stewart (the owner) can be seen in many different ways. If you are a moaning person he will know and he will pick on you. That goes for lazy people, too. He is the hardest hostel worker in Australia, and I've been all over the country in many different hostels. That says a lot about his work ethic. He gets up at 4:30 a.m. to get the place ready for people, and then basically he works his ass off till all hours in the morning. On top of this he has three kids, which he adores, to look after, and you can see he has a lot of time for them, unlike a lot of fathers these days. He tries his best to create a friendly atmosphere, and he doesn't want to extend the hostel with more rooms because then he'd lose that close relationship he tries to have with every person. I could go on a lot more, but at the end of the day he makes a sh*t hole of a town like Cardwell into a cool unforgettable experience, which I'll never forget! Thanks, man!

Comment by Sean

June 2005

Judging by some of the other reviews, it would appear previous guests have led completely sheltered lives. Sure Stewart can be seen as slightly insane but at the same time the man who calls you a "c**ks*ck*r" never stops working for you. He makes his money from people who need work! He finds you a job, and if you don't like the job you have, quit and he will find you another one again and again. I have three months of fruit picking experience in various places throughout Australia and not many working hostels are pleasant. The place is kept clean enough for it to be comfortable and the owner, despite his mannerisms, is genuine. He is friendly to those without their heads up their asses and a refreshing change from the all-too-frequent "Backpacker Rip off." Go there to work, not for a holiday! It was the best experience I have had to date in nine months of travelling!

Comment by Anonymous

March 2005

The owner is a very dirty pig who sees women as pieces of sh*t that he can walk over, judging by what people have already said. Make up your own mind if you want to stay here. I personally would have gone to Tully to look for work; at least there you will get kind people and not dirty perverts! Stewart told us on numerous occasions that we would get work but we didn't and he blatantly made us stay there so we would pay him the over-priced money to stay in a cattle shed! However, some good times were had and we met some awesome people! Have fun whatever you decide to do!

Comment by A banana humper

February 2005

I worked for a couple of months there late in 2003. People staying at the hostel were good people and I worked for a great family for two months who looked after me well. I must say the owner, Stuart, was the most unbalanced, unpleasant, Jekyll-and-Hyde character I came across in Australia. I witnessed him kicking Japanese guests and accusing a guest of being a pedophile for talking to his children. Lovely. As I said though, work was good and there was work aplenty.

Comment by Anonymous

February 2005

I stayed in this hostel in 1996. The owners Errol and Stewart weren't the worst; they got me work on a pine farm. The other guests were 100 percent. Stewart would go off on someone every other day but only to people who were untidy or rowdy. If you're there give it a go.

Comment by Mathijs

January 2005

I stayed in Cardwell Backpackers in August-September 2000, and I had a great time. The owner, Errol, was absolutely one of the best guys I met during my trip in Australia. The place has really gone bad since he left. I would love to come back to see the new owner and tell him how it was four years ago. Enjoy pineapple picking or sugarcane planting. (I worked for Allan, a great guy. It was hard work but one of the best times I've had.) Remember it's only for a couple of weeks and then you're out of there. Walk the Hinchinbrook Island track and you will know it was worth it.

Comment by Anonymous

October 2004

I stayed here in September-October 2000 and had the best time ever. There was no pool, no trampoline — there was nothing except for a really nice owner, who was called Errol. The place has gone bad since Errol left. There are lots more facilities, but no atmosphere. It's a shame. To everybody who's here at the moment: Enjoy picking pineapples, harvesting sugarcane or picking watermelons or bananas. You will look back and say it was hard work, but it was worth it. Enjoy your stay, and when you find some time off, try to walk the Hinchinbrook Island track. It's gorgeous!!!

Comment by Simon and Michelle

September 2004

We had the best time at this hostel. The owner swears a bit, but he is a genuinely good guy. I had a job within a day, and there was always new work arriving. Thanks, Stuart and family, for a great stay!!!

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