Category Archives: Advice

Jun20

Hostel Review – Aquarius Backpackers

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Hostel Review – Aquarius Backpackers
Hostel Review – Aquarius Backpackers

Situated in Byron Bay, the location of this hostel is great! It’s only 100m from the beach, and only a couple of minutes walk from the town centre.

We had a large room for an 8-share dorm, it wasn’t in any way cramped and we even had a seating area in the room; a table and 4 chairs which was great for relaxing. Our room was en-suite and the bathroom was spacious as well.

The kitchen area in the main section was absolutely fantastic; modern appliances and a huge communal table. The bar area is located next to the kitchen and there are plenty of drink specials so you can get your evening started, and also games are played, which everyone can get involved in. The prize for the evening I was there was a bar tab which is always a crowd pleaser!

Everything is extremely clean and well cared for. The staff were fantastic too, obviously Chris and Kez rate top! But the whole atmosphere of the hostel is great, it has a really casual, chilled out vibe and it’s a really welcoming place.

The only issue we  had whilst staying had been that reception had not provided us with any sheets, but when I went to speak to security about it at 2 in the morning they immediately resolved the issue and were very gracious about it.

It isn’t the cheapest hostel in town, but prices are still pretty competitive. 10 share dorms are $30pn, but if you are planning on staying for 3 days + then it drops to $28pn and if you stay a week then it’s even cheaper at $26pn.

Genuinely a great place

Cleanliness – 5/5

Atmosphere – 4/5

Facilities – 5/5

AQUARIUS BACKPACKERS

Jun18

STA Student Card

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STA Student Card

On the day of travel to Port I finally organised myself a student card, which I bought through the local STA Travel office in Warringah Mall. The cost of the card in the UK is only 9 pounds whereas it costs $25 in Australia so it’s worth sorting it out before you travel!

Technically I’m not a student, so I should have received an Under 26 ISIC card, however STA just put me down as a domestic student who studies at the University of NSW. Fantastic!

 They are so worth getting as you really do save so much money paying concession prices rather than full fares. And since I am apparently a domestic student, I even gain discounts at some places where international student cards don’t apply! Good times!!

Apr19

Hostel Review – Ozzie Pozzie

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Hostel Review – Ozzie Pozzie

I found Ozzie Pozzie via a google search and since it was reasonably priced I called up and booked myself a few nights.

I paid $30 a night to stay in a 6 bed dorm. The bed I stayed in was comfortable and the rooms were clean. You have a key to let yourself in and out of the room, but if you are security conscious then lockers are available.

It isn’t a large place but it has a great atmosphere. The rooms are situated around two courtyards, which are broken up by a middle section, in which there is a substantial kitchen, a TV room with cable and a computer section. Free internet is provided, and although not wireless, there are 4 computers to use.

The layout means the courtyards become a cosy social meeting space with plenty of table space and its a great place to chill out in the evening and meet others as everyone tends to congregate here. You can even have a swing in the rather comfortable hammocks.

There is a swimming pool on site and also a games room, where you can play pool or have a game of air hockey, for no charge.

The staff are really friendly and informative. The owner, Richard, offers personalized recommendations and organises activities.

The hostel itself is only a 5 minute walk to town and when the greyhound bus arrives in town, the hostel sends down a convenient free bus that picks you up, which saves you trekking around with all your bags. It’s also only a short walk to the local beaches.

If you want to take advantage of the 9 beaches around Port, you can rent bikes for $5 a day, or hire surfboards for only $20. Alternatively you can use the boogie boards free of charge.

It is a stipulation that the courtyard area is cleared at 11pm, which means that if you do fancy an early night you aren’t kept awake with chatter outside your bedroom, or if you want to carry on then there a few local pubs, such as Finnians or the Macca.

Port isn’t party central, but it’s a great place to stop if you want a break in between Byron and Sydney as it’s a halfway point between the two.

Cleanliness – 5/5

Atmosphere – 5/5

Facilities – 4/5

OZZIE POZZIE BACKPACKERS 

Nov20

RSA

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RSA

On Wednesday I decided it was time to bite the bullet and do my RSA, now I’ve been umming and arring about doing this but since I was starting work (yippee I got a job at a restaurant on Dee Why beach) and since it is a necessity if you want to serve alcohol I figured I should really crack on. Now for those of you that don’t know, the RSA or the Responsible Service of Alcohol, is a legal requirement if you want to serve alcohol in Australia, i.e. bar work, hotel work, bottle shop etc. Some employers will turn a blind eye if you don’t have it, but you really should take it.

For $85 I bought myself a days tuition. Well 6 hours in a small room with 30 other students, and it was the most boring thing I’ve ever done. The course focuses on who you can’t serve and what you should do if someone is intoxicated. Because in Australia it is illegal to serve someone who is intoxicated, i.e., you can’t serve a drunk man a beer. So if your drunk you won’t get served, madness to me. When I go out on a night on the lash, I have the intention of having a few, but if your a little bit pissed in Australia it’s illegal to serve you any more. But honestly I wouldn’t worry, I was battered on Saturday night and they kept serving me, but I think this course is just designed to freak out every Pommie in Oz on purpose. Scare us into changing from the English yobs we truly are. Anyways, it was a bloody boring day… I learnt that when you want someone to leave you

            1.         Stop serving them any alcohol

            2.         Ask them to leave and escort them out

            3.         Call the police if necessary to get them to leave

No shit sherlock!

Another fascinating piece of information I learnt is that you can’t serve someone who is under-18 and you should ID them, but surely thats just common sense! Anyways I passed my test and got myself a certificate so now I’m legally allowed to keep the grog flowing, WOOP!