The most common bunking choices of travelers are to stay in a hostel, stay in a hotel, or to camp outside.

Hostels

Hostels are the easiest way to go. If you've never stayed in a youth hostel, here's what to expect: for the cheapest accommodation available, you will bunk down in a room with five or six similarly sexed people. You will pay between $8-12 a night for this privilege, and may be asked to do some very easy housekeeping chores. You will usually be asked to rent sheets (which is a comforting way of assuring a healthy distance from the last bed occupant) for between $1-2 a night. Although the quality of hostels differs depending on where you are staying, those in Sydney (a backpacker's haven) are known to be quite competitive and offer such amenities as swimming pools and free weekly barbecues.

It's a good idea to get a Youth Hostel Identity Card because hostels offer discounts to card-carrying members. And besides, it only costs $25.

For a list of hostels in Australia, check out:
www.hostelaustralia.com
http://www.yha.org.au/
www.travelaus.com.au

Also check out Australian Tourism Net, which offers such cool services for backpackers as message service to and from the folks back home.

Hotels

If you did the dorm thing in college and can't bear the thought of snoring along with a group of other smelly people, then you can stay in a moderately priced hotel. Here is a comprehensive list, but we warn you: it's much more fun staying in a hostel.

Camping

Another way to accommodate yourself in Australia is to simply go camping. For a list of places to legally pitch your tent, check out www.camping.com.au or www.auscamps.asn.au.

No matter where you stay, you'll need to know that Australia operates on a 220-240v electricity system (compared to the 110v system in North America). Make sure to bring both an adapter (which converts the plug shape) and a converter (which converts the voltage). Both can be purchased at larger hardware stores and should be bought ahead of time.

SoYouWanna know more? Check out our full-length article SYW plan a trip to Australia?