Dulwich Hill

One word -- horrible
When I first arrived, my partner and I thought "wow, this place could be o." Much to our dismay, we were wrong -- terribly wrong. We had to walk up stairs with all our bags only to enter a small sardine box, filthy floors, brick walls. It was stuffy and the window didn't open. The room smelt so bad, and with not insulation, over time it got worse and worse. And we couldnt keep the door open, cos there were some crazy people staying there. We ventured downstairs to cook some toast, where we were approached by some guy who was drunk and very creepy. The toasters were filthy and there was no cutlery or plates. We ended up existing quickly to our rooms because of the filth and the creepy people. The internet room had one computer working, the other two were never on. And when that one computer got a virus, the other two were turned on. However to use it you had to purchase internet time from the reception -- and there was never anyone at the reception. We stayed at the place for four nights, and in that time we never once saw the front shutters open, there wasnt even anyone to check us out. The bathrooms were old, the taps leaked, the sanitary bins were left unchanged the whole time. There were no lights in the toilets, so you practically peed in the dark. We wanted to watch some TV, too bad -- there was always the same guy sitting there on the same couch, watching fox classics. Every single day. And even when you waited for him to leave, he would just get up and turn on another movie. There was no DVD player. One night we went down to watch a movie, only to open the door and see a man passed out on the couch, surrounded in vomit. The next morning, vomit stains all over the ground. To top all of this off, my girlfriend got flea bites from the bed! Many of them. The woman who was running it was never there, and when it was time to check out, there was no one there to do so. So we had no where to put the key, and she called us thieves when we took it with the promise of returning it (we took it for safety and security reasons). She didnt ask us when we were checking out, nor did she make an effort to resolve the situation in a friendly manner. I would recommend no one to stay here, it was horrible. I wouldnt even stay here for free. I hated it, to the point that I want a refund, and I want to tell everyone I know to never stay there.

Can I give no Stars?
That's far the worst hostel I've ever stayed! Filthy bathrooms, too many floors for a building with no lift at all. It seems like no one ever cleans the kitchen and there is cigarette smoke everywhere you go here. Absolutely horrible!

This place is one of the best I've ever stayed in!! The dorms are fantastic, spacious enough to swing several cats in, beds are comfy and nice and there ARE lockers!! The kitchen is big, there's heaps of pans and pots and all the stuff you need and everything is clean. The bathrooms are very good and the TV Lounge is just wonderful, State of the Art TV, FOXTEL, DVD Player, extremely nice sofas and even a ping pong table. There is also something like a garden where you can lie down and get a nice tan! Staff are fantastic, helpful, nice and friendly (and the girl is pretty as well...) and I felt like I was home! There's absolutely nothing to complain about! What more to say?!

Terrible!!! Save your money and go to ANY other hostel but this one. I've never seen such a filthy bathroom. The kitchen is even worse! The entire hostel smells like smoke...A complete disaster!!!

Could it be more disgusting?!!!! The manager is ok but all the rest sucks!! A total nightmare! Go somewhere else! NO, NO, NO!!!

Dulwich Hill is a great place to stay for those on a WHV or studying. It's quiet in the week, there's loads of help available to find work, the job board is genuine and updated regularly, there's always someone to party with at the weekends. The weekly rates are low and being able to have a single room a real help to those with early starts or are just fed up with dorms. There are a number of older non-travelers in the hostel, most of whom are pretty friendly and add to the community atmosphere, but some can be a bit strange. Getting to the city and Newtown are straightforward but it can be a trek to the beaches by public transport, that said as the hostel has parking and plenty of street parking there's usually someone with a car that will drive to the beach on a sunny day. Rooms are basic and clean, duvets are fine but blankets are either old or shed loads of fluff, heaters, fans, and TVs are available. Bathrooms aging but clean, hot water usually fine. Although there are only two showers per sex on each floor I never had to wait to use one. You can always go to another floor or use one of the bathrooms in the main house if you're in a real hurry. It can be an intimidating place to come into due to the long-term people, but they're usually a welcoming bunch and you only have to smile and say hello to be included in conversation. The kitchen is huge and usually clean. The closing times (eleven to twelve-thirtyish in the day and elevenish at night) can get annoying at the weekends or if you're not working but that's the price for a clean kitchen and you soon get used to it. TV room often stinks and gets pretty full for sporting events and films, it has lots of sofas, foxtel, and a ping pong table. Laundry and Internet rooms are functional. Staff are mostly fantastic, friendly, and helpful.

Great place. I'm past partying every night but still want a laugh. This is a perfect hostel. Everything I needed and perfect for a couple of weeks. Really friendly. Highly recommend it.

No doubt that was the worst place to spend even a single night! The manager is great, a real gentleman, but that is not enough to pay a single dollar for a room. The kitchen is disgusting. Open trashcans all over the place, full of garbage and some flies around it. There were warning signs of "Food Thieves" all over the walls; the pans haven't seen a single drop of water for a long time, since no one around seems to be worried in washing anything but their own plates!!! Plates and cups could be arranged for a small fee of AUSD 10.00. Why? Because there were none, since people used to simple steal them from the kitchen. The rooms are suffocating: in a twin room there is no air conditioning or fans. The linens are ok but the whole room smells like "teen-after-100 miles-run-spirit." But you can open the window, if you can!! The red brick walls give a "abandoned-industry-look" to the place, which is not what a backpacker is looking for. No lifts/elevator and you have to go up to the third floor with your backpack. The bathrooms: STAY AWAY from them!!! They are segregated, which is good, but of the three toilets, two had dead roaches in them!! No privacy at all because the doors are impossible to be shut. There was a bathtub — absolutely filthy!!! Only two showers (for the entire floor, which has between 10 to 15 rooms) no hot water in one of them and not a chance to have your clean clothes dry before you have a shower, since there are no doors or curtains between the changing-room space. Internet: Give up. Three Internet stations, only one really working. No common areas besides the small garden turned into a "smoking-room." People seemed to be there for a long time, almost living there, which makes you almost an intruder when arriving. Definitely try another one even if it's just for one night before you take a flight the next morning. I'd prefer sleeping at the airport!!!

I can highly recommend this place to everyone, particularly those wanting a place a bit away from the crowds. It's really relaxed and friendly and a pretty good value with discounted weekly rates. I made some good friends during my stay at Dulwich Hill and I will be back next time.

So great, I couldn't get away from it! I stayed there for a few months, and met friends who have kept in touch and even visit me in Spain! Hello to Rob! And if you see Alistair tell him I've still got his hat! And say hi to all of you! See you soon!!

As a single traveller, I wanted somewhere safe and convenient. This hostel was clean, friendly and had a great mix of people of all ages. It catered to overseas travellers and natives from all over Australia, who were able to give loads of information on places to visit. It's a ways out of the city center, but there are regular buses, which stop directly outside. And about 500 meters away is the railway! Both the bus and train take you to Circular Quay.I had my own single room, which was clean and fairly quiet, and all for $160 (Australian) a week. Stay here!!!

I visited Australia in 2003 and this was the best hostel I stayed at - it was clean, friendly and very well served by transport links. Single room facilities were basic but clean kitchen was well appointed with everything you needed to cook a meal. The staff were helpful and informative. I will stay there again this year.