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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
Cellblock Backpackers Details
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Location/Contact| Address | Quay and Maryborough Street, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia |
| Location | Quay Street (150 meters from POST OFFICE / RAILWAY STATION ) |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| Telephone | +61 (7) 4152-2212 |
| Fax | +61 (7) 4152-2216 |
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Work is there but only if you kiss ass!!! Firstly, I have to agree that the owner “John” is a complete and utter arsehole. It took us over 2 hours to check in at the hostel when we arrived as John was “busy” drinking at the bar with his hangers on (Bum scabs). When he finally made the time for us it was obvious that he was nothing more than a rude drunk with a massive attitude problem. We settled in and signed up for work, having been told on the phone that there was lots of work for men and women at the moment, and expected to be working within the next couple of days. We soon realised that there were quite a few people who had arrived like us with the promise of work but were still waiting for the work to actually materialise. As we got to know people around the hostel, we found that there was a lot of people who had a massive disliking for John but grin and bear for the sake of work and money. The few people who did get on well with John were his lackeys (Prison Wardens) namely “Jamo” and “Gary”. They followed John around the hostel obeying his every demand, running errands nearly every five minutes such as getting cigarettes for him, pouring his drinks, throwing girls in the pool and waking people up for work in the middle of the night. The demand for work and a nice place to stay has gone to Johns head and the fact that it used to be a police station makes him think he is actually entitled to act in this way (Psycho!!) He marches round like he is the “governor” with his lackeys in tow to make himself feel important. Day 2 John invited a select group of people from the hostel to go wake boarding for the day with his family. He paid for lunch and took them out all day on the boat whilst he made his wife cry in front of everyone to show what a big man he is!! When they got back they were told that they all had to get in the pool at the hostel and buy a minimum of one jug of beer as repayment for this privilege!! Day 3 in the hostel started by John entering the room at 6:00 a.m. turning on the lights so as to wake everyone up and demanding that one of the girls needed to get up and go to work. This was yet another demonstration of his massive unprofessionalism and his need to feel in control of everyone in the hostel. He must have known about this work the night before but decided to inform the girl in the early hours to test his control over her. When she got to the place she had been told to go it transpired that she was labouring all day for Johns Dad who was having a house built. The work was heavy work and the girl was petite and small framed so why he sent her to do this work when there were several men in need of work on that day can only be so as he could feel some sort of power over her. He paid her $100 for 8 hours work (half the amount she would have been paid for doing a days farm work!) The guy is a whopper!!! This confirmed to me that I couldn’t bear to be a part of this weird set up of “Johns World!!” and did not want to be anywhere near this power hungry bully! I requested to be taken off the jobs list as I would be moving on after my 7 day minimum booking had expired. Suprisingly that night I was on the jobs list to work the next day (no surprise at all really as this was just another one of his pathetic mind games) and it meant me having to approach John yet again to ask to be removed from the list which he eventually did. The next day John again burst in to the room when everyone was sleeping at 8:00 a.m. and told a different girl that she needed to get her bikini on and babysit his kids in the pool. The girl reluctantly obliged as John the bully continued to work his twisted magic on the single girls in the hostel. The next day the girls left as they could see where this was heading and did not want to have to give in to this vile mans demands any longer. The girls had not done a single days farm work in a week and had been informed by John that it needed to rain before they could start work, yet on the day they checked out they got a call from John at lunchtime stating that he was putting them down on the work list for tomorrow so could they return to the hostel? – Does he really think people can’t see through him and see what he is doing (thick pig). The hostel is dirty and understaffed due to John saving the jobs round the hostel for the people who do the most for him, which is a shame as the place has massive potential if only a normal human being was in charge! The bar was never staffed the whole time I was there despite Johns obsession with people not spending enough money on drinks at the hostel bar which is a sign of his academic abilities as surely it would be a start to actually employ someone to serve the drinks in order for people to spend money there!!?? I would not advise anyone to stay at this place whilst hitler and his cronies are in charge, if only I had read these reviews before hand. John and his chief warden Jamo did not speak a word to me during my week staying there as I refused to get drawn in to John’s silly ass kissing mind games. Good luck to anyone staying here in the future as John will gladly empty your wallet at the bar to fuel his own needs (his wife informed people on the wake boarding trip that he is 4 million in debt so not too hard to see why he is so greedy!) If you can keep your head down and stay clear of him he may give you work sparingly but don’t expect to get paid for it all (some people had not been paid for 5 weeks!), however if you want the better jobs on a permanent basis you should be prepared to kiss ass and buy “big John” a few drinks! GOOD LUCK. — Anonymous , UK (2012-01-17) Love it or Hate it You will either love the block or hate it! simple as! I spent my 3 months there and although I didnt play John's games, I did get on with him. He is not half as bad as people make out. He can get a bit moody but let's face it he has to put up with a lot of sh*t from people. Looking back on it now after 2 months in sydney (with everyone i met in cellblock) I really enjoyed my time there. I will admit the place can get a bit dirty and there are cockroaches but its Bundy the whole place is filthy and from what I saw of the other hostels Cellblock is great.
I will say its a party place and if your not up for a party dont stay here cause you will only end up hating it! In summary I would recommend Cellblock (and John) to any one that is not a boring old fart!!!! — me with the sad face , English (2011-12-29) Worst Experience! I was stupid enough to stay here after reading the reviews and thinking 'it cant be that bad' but it is! John is an absolute disgrace, he is never sober, constantly drinking at the bar trying to belittle people in front of his farmer friends. he only gives good work to people who become slaves for john and enjoy kissing his ass 24/7. He relies on people to drive other backpackers to the farms, he doesnt care if they are too hungover he lets them anyway, plus the cars are not registered so you could be looking on a big fine if u get caught driving, he obviously doesnt tell you this. he charges fr everything he can, late rent and you will be late because you never ever get paid when ur supposed to. john keeps it in envelope in his office and decides when he wants u to have it. he charges for new bed covers $4! the rooms are overpriced, the pictures are very decieving. he usually has a few of his favourite backpackers babysitting his children at the pool, who are brats, they were spitting in someones face last time i seen them. i really dont recommend this place, john is a vile human being, iv never hated someone so much, if you enjoy kissing ass & being a slave then this is the place for u ... if not & u have some respect for yourself then AVOID!!!! — Anonymous , British (2011-12-29) Mice, Bedbugs, asshole and no work Cellblocks is the most disgusting place I have ever been to. I cannot understand how you can possibly like a place like that! They told me they can pick me up from the bus station (it was 11pm). That never happened. Now I know why: John the owner is always drunk. He is disgusting and you need to be afraid of him. If you drink enough and like to be thrown in the pool for his amusement he likes you and gives you a job. If not too bad for you. 80% of the work is sh*t! For examples you have to plant vines for 60 dollars a row (you need about 3 hours to finish one when you are new). I never actually got my money. That might be because I checked out after 3 nights. I paid for one week in advance and didn't get back the money for the other nights. The rooms smell fu*king disgusting and are very dirty. One room had 13 mice in one week! If your room is faced to the side of the bar you wont get too much sleep! I would not recommend anyone to go there but especially girls who are traveling alone should never stay there! A few days after I left I got back to pick up my shoes I forgot outside. John waited until I left the hostel so no one could see that he was verbally attacking me. He wanted to call the police because 'I stole shoes' and told me that 'I had absolutely no respect'. This hostel is a shame. Especially when you think about the millions John got from the government to renovate the old police station. — Anonymous , Germany (2011-11-24) Quality place if ur up 4 a good laugh and want 2 meet people i arrived @ cell block in january 2009 i stayed there 4 months and had one of the best times of my life, life is what u make it and its a bit like cell block if u wanna keep urself 2 urself do so but if u wanna have an amazing time socialize. there r great people there from all over the world. the pool is big. theres 2 pool tables 2 tv rooms. every 1 is on the same boat wanting 2 find work and make a few good dollars then clear off. there r local night clubs. good spots for fishing. if ur gonna go and be an ass do urself a favour and stay @ home. every1 i met were sound. john is cool. as long as u have respect for the place u can pick almost anything in bundy. it was all happy days 4 me. 1 thing i would say is on cleaning day make sure u lift ur clothes and shoes of the floor r else they will b through out. have a good holiday. — colly known as cock block , british but some people think im irish (2011-10-03) I Did Time Easy Yeah at times John behaves like an arsehole but honestly he's ok. I spent 2 months in Cellblock back in the year Dec 2009 -- Feb,2010. I went to Oz for my Masters and during the semester break I went to Bundy for some sorta adventure. All in all I was pretty happy with the hostel coz u won't find a better hostel in Bundy other than Cell Block, moreover they always have plenty of jobs to offer you. I made good money in those odd 2 months. did all kinda work which was an unique experience for me. There used to be a guy namely Daniel who works in cell block and his friend Allan. they often used to take us to wake boarding and stuff for free. I met many people in there and we are still in touch, this is definitely the place to stay in mate. Yup I do reckon the room rent is bit high but who cares when you got money flowing in from the work they provide. Even we used to get free drinks passes for Central on Saturdays which was always a bonus. I'll surely go to Cellblock again. — Shawn , India (2011-09-12) Dump I'll get the positives out of the way first. You will find work at Cellblock! The negatives, this place is full of mice, rats and roaches and does not look like its been cleaned properly in years. It is 'cleaned' once a week by someone who literally brushes rubbish and dirt around the floor. The backpackers that stay here are pissheads with zero respect for each other. they take drugs and drink every night then complain about having no money to travel with. It doesn't matter if you have work at 6am, people hammer on your door and will throw you in the pool regardless and then have the cheek to bitch how hungover they are to you and whine how they didn't get enough sleep! Everything you have read or heard about the owner John is true. all he cares about is getting people drinking at the bar! Food was constantly stolen by aboriginals, the fridge would be locked for a few nights and then left open again for the food to be stolen again (this repeats). — Superhans , British (2011-09-05) AWWWWW MATE!!! i stayed in cellblock for 3 and a half months in 2011 and completed my second year visa there! and to be honest, the first couple of weeks were different. I had heard many stories of john and his antics, and although many are true, it was a brilliant place to stay, nightlife was awesome because of all the other backpackers staying there. The pool area and bar was good and had a great atmosphere on a saturday night before it went very quiet. The rooms were cleaned every thursday which was not enough, i stayed in a ten bed dorm which needed cleaning at least 3 times a week, but the beds were the best i have stayed in -- large singles and you could sit upright on the bottom bunk without cracking your head, and each bed had 2 plug sockets! showers were good a couple were very good others a bit sh$t. The kitchen was awful although it was cleaned everyday microwaves were never touched and other people never cleaned after themselves. I did have things nicked out of my fridge box but i nicked it from coles so its all good! there was a period where i had no work but after i spoke to john i had full time work! All in all i had a great experience i kept my head down from john did "my time at cellblock" and carried on with my travels, cellblock is a place for partiers!! — Anonymous , YORKSHIRE MATE (2011-07-30) Decent owner decent place. DONT BELIVE ALL THE BAD STUFF ABOUT THE OWNER OR THE HOSTEL!! My wife and I stayed here for just over 2 months. We had our own room with a fridge and tv and a spare bed, but John never let it out out share decency, While I was there I broke my ribs and couldn't work for a month. (Farmers wouldn't let me nothing to do with John) but john let me work on his own house mowing his lawns and doing odd jobs around his place so that I could still get my visa. My wife always had plenty of work. Johns "favorites" are those who can get their ass's out of bed in a morning, work hard and play hard! It's that simple!! The thing about the bugs??? Hello your in Queensland...no sh*t there's gonna be roaches. On paying deposits, Backpackers are not renowned for giving a sh*t about anything that isn't theirs. John is pretty clear on his policy about bringing in your own alcohol. DONT DO IT or get thrown out. It's a licenced place. you wouldn't bring a goon in to your local back home.
To sum up Bundaberg is a small place and think cell block is by far the best hostel there. I found John to be helpful and a laugh. Met some awesome people there and some d*ckheads but hey you get that. If you want your visa, work and good times, look it up. — Liam Toporowski , Uk (2011-07-27) Good hostel -- awful human being John who owns this place is the worst person I've ever met. I know so many stories about him he should be locked up. Saw him stub a cigarette out on someone and then throw them out for complaining. Don't try coming if you're not white -- there's a strict no asian policy. He's an alcoholic. He kills cats in the pool. He'll throw you out if you do anything to piss him off (this means that any work done towards your visa will be void- even if you've spent 2 1/2 months in a field). But, it's also by far the best hostel in Bundy. I can't recommend it because the guy's so horrific and I'd hate to see him succeed, but you will have a good time if you come. — Anonymous (2011-07-04) Nightmare What can I say one of the worst hostel's I have ever stayed in. I recommend that you don't stay here, the owner John is one of the most disgusting people I have ever been around in my whole life, he is a sleaze, and he robs the guests in the hostel. He is money hungry and does anything to get it; he makes you pay a deposit for everything and gives none of it back when you're leaving. He is also an alcoholic who drinks all day at his bar and you never get enough farm work from him he just lies. He likes to kick people out in the middle of the night with nowhere to go so if you're going to stay there prepare for this to happen. He picks his favourites and they get the work usually girls, the place is filthy nothing is ever clean and the rent is so overpriced. Just don't stay here this place is a nightmare. — Anonymous , Ireland (2011-06-25) Rather sleep in a gutter John the owner is the only person I have ever wished death on. When I was in Australia for 18months I was well used to arrogant assholes but John is one of the biggest you can meet. He is just a drunk alcoholic womanizer that thinks just cause he owns a hostel and people need a job to continue there travels he has the right to abuse his power. He made numerous girls cry by not signing there visas and if you had a boyfriend he would try and make you sleep in different rooms. He was extremely racist and tryed not to let asians stay at the hostel because they didnt drink enough. many of my friends were thrown out in the middle of the night for trival stuff. On one occasion a bottle of passion pop was found in a bedroom so he asked who owned it but no one stepped forward so he kicked 12 out of the room and didnt give them there work deposit or rent back. his farmer friends are another bunch of idiots that think that the girls are interested in them because they buy them drinks. All I can say is I wish the worst for this man and I know that soon he will be f***ed from drinking and smoking 24/7. I feel for his wife and kids but hopefully she has left this sham of a man. — James kelly , irish (2011-06-13) madness! i was the cleaner for 4 months and i had the best 4 months of my life! met some wicked people and generally had a ball organizing fancy dress parties and getting drunk most nites.. john was a great boss and his whole family were amazing!i will really miss them all,, i have met some really good friends and i think everyone should go to cellblock to experience the madness... (and the hard work) x — laurie patterson , scotland (2011-06-13) Overpriced and Riddled!! Worst hostel you could possible stay in!!! But you if are gonna stay in this hell hole here is some advice. Dont expect much, go with low expectations as there are cockroaches running up the walls in the rooms, rooms rarely get cleaned by staff, you have to pay to change your own bed clothes if you get caught washing your own you will be thrown out!! The Kitchens are infested with insects your food will also get stolen the rent is overpriced. This place is designed by John to take every penny you have if you wanna save don't stay here!! You have to pay $20 deposit for dishes and another $50 for transport. John the owner will try con you and keep this if he does go to the local police station as this will sh$t the coward up an he gives it right back. he always kicks people out (because his psycho and enjoys making people homeless) even though there rent has already been paid again go to the police and he will give it back! Pay you transport fee IN CASH (tax invasion). if not you will be kicked out or will lose your job. Also the work comes and goes quick as John fights with most farmers and is so locked that he f$$ks up the work list all the time! If he likes you, you get a job. If you're a girl it's a lot easier to get work keeping in mind that John gets to call you Bit$H any time he likes!! Be careful when getting into his transport vehicles as none of them are road worthy a lot of them break down or are in accidents your are not insured in these cars either! The bar which is located in the hostel it good for some cheap drinks and happy hour however if your a girl you will be dragged up to the bar and head put under the taps as a show for john and his pervy mates you will also be thrown into the pool for his amusement whenever he feels like it, pouring shots in you month but if you get naked he might pay you!! If you drink anywhere else he will kick you out. My advice is don't stay here and if you do stand up for yourself don't let John rob you as he is already in debt with his hostel and he cant afforded to keep it open he will take anything from you. He is a coward and gets his staff to do his dirty work, the RSCPA is also after him for animal cruelty he hides form them in his office. This is where he hides when his not at the bar drinking other than that you won't find him anywhere else! If he cons you report him if he shouts at you shout back everything he does is illegal so hold that against him. — Anonymous , Ireland (2011-06-11) You will LOVE or HATE this place I stayed at this hostel for 6 weeks in Nov 2010. A group of 4 of us arrived at 6pm and we all had jobs the next day. If you're looking for farm work, this is the place to go. Most of John's jobs are hourly wages of about $18 an hour -- which is much better than piece work (I also did orange picking and tomato picking at other places and was making only $50 a day -- no joke). You can make decent money here, but as all past reviews state -- you have to put up with John. That man is insane -- he does everything people talk about -- sprays people with hoses, makes you chug pitchers of bundy & rum (if you don't finish it -- you pay for it) and verbally and physically threatens people. Personally -- I didn't have any problems with him, so if you stay out of his way, go to work on time, and pay your bills, you'll be fine. The hostel is expensive and you tend to spend most of your wages on rent, food and drinking most nights -- so if you're looking to save a lot of cash, I wouldn't recommend it. It's a great place to get your 2nd year though, as people bond together over their hatred for the work and John and make it all bearable. (and you work 7days a week most jobs so you'll get your 3 months done fast). BOTTOM LINE: It's a sh*tty place but a great place to party and meet backpackers. If your goal is to make money/get a good night sleep -- GET THE HELL OUT. If your goal is to get your 2nd year/party -- YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. — Anonymous , Canada (2011-05-26)