Sydney Backpackers and Hostels

Sydney backpackers and Hostels are a great alternitive to Sydney hotels. Whether you love them, hate them or are one of them, Sydney backpackers and hostels are an essential part of the tourism industry. Australia has been a staple favourite of backpackers for decades. The solid infrastructure, the political stability, the friendly people- we are Backpacking 101 for wide eyed and keen globe trotters. So what are the destinations that they will remember with a smile- where is it that they swilled the most beer, made the most mates, stole the most street signs? The following five spots are remembered fondly in most travel diaries, and should be on the 'to do' list of any rucksack toting young adventurer:

Byron Bay

Everybodys favourite hippy hangout, this northern New South Wales coastal town has a habit of drawing backpackers in like moths to a flame, then zapping them with a burst of lethargy that renders them incapable of continuing with their travels. Instead they lounge around Byron and nearby bastions of alternative living (think Nimbin) in a rather sweet smelling haze, eking a living out of mundane cleaning tasks or igniting dormant creativities and contributing to the arts and crafts industries to keep themselves fed and dry. And who can blame them really? With the surroundings of that part of New South Wales as a playground, Id find it hard to move on too. Pristine coastline with a generous swell and turquoise waters are complemented by the mountainous rainforests of the interior, providing a myriad of worlds for touring and exploration. Leave? But we've only just got here...

Airlie Beach

Airlie is the opposite to Byron Bay in many ways. No one comes here for too long- a week or two at the most and then theyre gone. The reason is simple: no bodies liver (not even that of a booze swilling backpacker) could survive any longer. Airlie's reputation as a party town is a large one, a reputation that transcends cultures, borders and continents, and leaves the one street town with a lot of expectations to fulfil. Yet Airlie never disappoints- and as a result its bars and nightclubs are spoken about in revered tones by swillheads and party animals the world over. But thats not the reason people come to Airlie Beach. The real reason is the Whitsunday Islands- 74 islands lying just off the coast, to which Airlie is an almost exclusive gateway. With attractions like Whitehaven Beach and a host of resort islands including Hamilton and Daydream, The Whitsundays are the perfect cure to any hangover.

Sydney

As our primary international gateway, Sydney is the first port of call for most backpackers. You can picture the views when landing- the large natural harbour with its famous residents the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House rising up to meet you; the city stretching away as far as you can see; the white specks of beach dotting the shoreline. Its hard to move on from a place as beautiful as this, and luckily for most backpackers there is enough work available in this big city to ensure they can stick around for a while. The bars and night clubs of Kings Cross provide a sufficiently seedy outlet for their hedonistic ways, and accommodation is easy enough to find either in hostel form or in semi permanent sub-lets. There is a cornucopia of attractions nearby that also help to keep the need to move on in check, including the Blue Mountains and the Hunter valley.

Sydney Backpackers are a great alternitive for those on a tight budget.