The Friendly Hostel

Hervey Bay may not have much going for it (Fraser Island aside), but staying at the Friendly Hostel will certainly remedy that. The hostel is centrally located in the Scarness area of Hervey Bay. It's a good ten- to fifteen-minute walk to any decent shop and the beachfront, so a little isolated. Although the hostel is not within easy walking distance the hostel will collect you from the Greyhound dropoff point. Oddly enough though, they won't prearrange a pickup, you must contact them on arrival. [The hostel has told us that this is because the bus is rarely on time and this small hostel only has one person on duty so they can't have someone waiting at the bus stop for the bus to arrive. They also point out that it's a free call. -- Editor]

It's unlike any other hostel we've every stayed at to date. The hostel is divided into units -- each containing a kitchen, bathroom, lounge, and two or three bedrooms. All these areas are immaculately clean. The dorm bedroom we stayed in only had three beds. There are no bunks and the hostel is very proud to make this point known. The other two bedrooms contained a double bed each, so one makes the assumption that each unit can only ever hold a maximum of seven people. There's plenty of room for them too!

The kitchen is clean and well equipped, the bathroom also well looked after. The communal lounge contains a TV and DVD player. A large selection of DVD's may be rented for a few dollars each, which we felt was steep, considering the DVD we received was not a genuine version and most other hostels either ask for a returnable deposit or don't charge. An coin-operated internet facility is available outside on the upper floor, which costs a small fee for ten minutes. A telephone is also available here for eight-hundred numbers and can receive incoming calls. The owners at the hostel are very keen to book you onto a Fraser Island tour and offer you a 'free' breakfast if you do.

Our only gripe with the hostel is charges applied to using a credit card or the EFTPOS payment system. The hostel levies a two-and-a-half percent charge to standard credit cards and a fifty-cent charge to EFTPOS. We've never been charged this before. Your 'free' breakfast if you book a tour with the hostel will actually be paid for by the two-and-a-half percent!

These charges aside, this a top-quality, clean, and above all, living up to its name -- 'friendly' hostel.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review