Guesthouse Name: Flinders Backpackers
Address: 35 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
I stayed at the Flinders Backpackers in Melbourne, Australia. I booked a private room with a shared bathroom for the rate of $75 AUD ($50 USD). There’s alway a bit of sticker shock when I return to Australia direct from Southeast Asia, and this room was the cheapest I could find in the city area. Usually I would stay in an Airbnb room in Melbourne, but in this case I was arriving late and I was planning to go out of town the next day, so booking an Airbnb wasn’t appropriate. My criteria for booking was to be a private room, in the city, with 24-hour reception.
Flinders Backpackers is as central as it gets, being at the Flinders Street Station end of Elizabeth Street. Here you are in the middle of the Central Business District action. It gets a bit lively here at night with a seemingly higher proportion of drunks than other parts of the city, which was noticeable when I arrived late at night.
The hostel is in an office block with its own secure entrance. The reception area is in a huge space that shares with the common area and kitchen.
I got a private room with a shared bathroom. The room had a bunk bed, which was indicated when I booked. This would actually be good value if you are travelling around Australia with a friend, making it $25 USD for a bed for the night.
The room was a classic minimalist room, with just the basics on offer. Everything was in good repair.
The room had a fan which was ok for this day in October. Not sure how it would be in the summer months.
There was one male bathroom on the floor with toilets and showers in the same room that felt very institutional.
Considering how big this hostel is and how many people use the bathroom, the toilets were kept in good order during my stay.
There is a free breakfast so that was a bonus. It’s a help-yourself service, with bulk-sized crates of cereal, toast, and pancake stations.
The kitchen area is built for a big crowd, and it’s here you can see how this hostel is run like a tight ship. This kitchen could easily devolve into chaos with so many backpackers staying here, but it was kept in a clean state throughout.
There is a pool room and hanging out space in the common area, and it seemed like a social hostel. When I arrived at 11.30pm there were a bunch of Southern Europeans making dinner.
Another condition when I make a booking is free wifi, and this hostel didn’t have data limits (unlike many other hostels in Australia I’ve stayed at).
As a former resident (and someone who still refers to themselves as a Melburnian), I liked being in the city for my brief visit. From the airport Skybus it’s a 20 minute walk, or you can get the free city tram from Spencer St to Elizabeth Street.
Checkout is at 10am, which is a common time in Australia. They closed the bathrooms at 9.30am for cleaning as well, so there is no chance to sleep in or linger here.
Overall this was a good hostel to stay at in Melbourne, especially if you are looking for a vibrant backpacker hub.
Book the Flinders Backpackers online or search for more hotels in Melbourne.
I’ve also stayed at other hostels in Melbourne, including Space Hotel and Melbourne City Backpackers.
