This was just what I needed!
I had to get escape Sydney for a bit, and was amped to check out the sand dunes in Newcastle for the weekend. So I took the train 3 hours up, and walked the 2 blocks from the station to the YHA.
And talk about prime real estate! As soon as I walked in, I almost see the house's history seeping through the walls. After a quick tour, it was pretty obvious that this was an old gentlemen's club back in the day. It had that look about it - the old dancing hall, quaint private rooms, and of course a beautiful grand stairwell pouring into the front room.
Due to its classic Victorian architectural design, it was easy to get lost in a nice, relaxing perch just about anywhere. The old dance hall, however, has been declared the main room for eating and social gathering. In this room you can join one of the many circles of travelers around the TV, the small library and book exchange, or any of the tables spread all over the room.
I went up to Newcastle alone, but instantly made friends at the YHA. There were quite a few backpackers looking for work in the area, thus becoming leaders of the next night's random pub crawl through town! The hostel staff were great as well. One of the guys on staff at the time admitted that they didn't coordinate many events until last minute since the travelers kind of predicted how the nights went. And it makes sense really. Unless you're an obsessed fan of Silverchair, people come here mainly to check out the sand dunes; therefore forcing their nights to be cut short for the next's morning's early outing. But if you're night is free, the nightlife is well worth the time.
Oh and fyi, If you ARE a Silverchair fan, you are in luck! I've been told that no matter what there's always someone in the hostel who can tell you where to go to find any of the native band members. Btw I love that people actually still care about this. Woo! 1990s! Silverchair yeah!
Anyway stay here. This hostel is rocks. There's no way a place this grandiose could let you down. read more