Koala's in Cairns- my home for a month! :/

What to Expect

Basically hostels are as plain jane as accommodation comes, but with a price that reflects this from $10-$35 a night.  You can expect basic bunk beds with your standard sheets and a pillow, a common area, and a common kitchen.  When booking a hostel there are a few things you need to consider regarding what type of room you choose.  Hostel rooms aka dorms generally sleep anywhere from 4-10 people in a room, but private rooms are usually also available at a higher price.  The dorms either have bathrooms attached, which is called “ensuite” and I think is key- or bathrooms down the hall.  An option for ladies that don’t feel comfortable with random boys in your room or want a more low-key experience without the chaos and mess that guys bring, most hostels offer girl only dorms for a few dollars more and can be worth the investment.  While traveling the coast my friend actually got all her stuff pissed on by a guy in our hostel when he came home drunk one night- so ya those things do happen, but hey it could have just as easily been a girl.  More important factors for me were having air-conditioning in the rooms, internet access, proximity to the cities I was visiting, and the cleanliness of the hostel.  A lot of hostels in Australia have issues with bed bugs and this is definitely something you want to check out prior to booking.  Also you will find that many hostels have their own bars on site, which is nice but be careful about sneaking in your own booze- as they may try and confiscate it.

A great site to check out different options for various cities and reviews about hostels is Hostel World.  Also Trip Advisor has reviews on most hostels and is usually a good source.

Base Hostel on Magnetic Island- in an all girls suite! Much cleaner!

Safety

Also a lot of people, as I was, are concerned about safety of themselves and their belongings while staying in rooms with strangers.  Honestly I never had an issue or knew anyone that did but you should be careful.  Don’t leave electronics or valuables out obviously, and keep your bags closed up while not in the room.  All hostels should allow you to check your valuables ie passport, extra cash, credit cards, laptop, etc. at the front desk so you don’t have to worry about having any issues.  Just be smart about it and if you don’t feel comfortable about the room you were put in, ask to be switched.

Experience

The main reason why I would recommend staying in hostels, minus saving tons of money, is the experience it brings.  For myself, the experience of getting over sharing a room and a bathroom with complete strangers definitely was an adventure that changed me and I love that.  Also the random people that you meet at each hostel is amazing- well usually.  I still keep in touch with tons of people that I met and partied with in my hostels all the way down the East Coast of Australia.  I feel that after I first lived in a hostel for 5 weeks in Cairns and then stayed in various ones down the coast for another 3 weeks my maintenance level has definitely gone down and that’s a good thing. You have to learn to get the most out of situations that aren’t exactly ideal.  Of course I would have rather stayed in a gorgeous hotel with my own room and bath, but would I have all these crazy hostel stories to tell down the road?  Hell no.  I will never forget the stories or the crazy people that go with them, and for that I love that I’m no longer a hostel virgin!

Great group @ Koala's Cairns - French, Japanese, Americans, and English all love to party!

Just some drinking games with some new friends @ Nomads in Noosa!

Hope this entry helped ease some nerves of you hostel virgins out there and provided you with some helpful information.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns about your upcoming travels!

The Grand Hotel

The Basics

Most Australians are very serious about two things: their local pub and their booze of choice.  Being a bartender in this country gives me a sense of power and importance to the locals- plus they love my outstanding service because I am an American!  Understanding the different beers, their sizes, and the appropriate slang were all very important aspects in my success in bartending in Sydney.  It took me a few weeks to get down the lingo for their booze and my pour to perfection but I can proudly say I can pour a mean beer with the perfect amount of head.  Here are the basics for those traveling to Sydney- and throughout New South Wales- in the alcohol culture of a pub.  Keep in mind the beers, names and pours do change from state to state.

• Middy:  The smallest most ridiculous glass that holds 285 ml / 10 fl oz
• Schooner:  The standard pour in Sydney- 425 ml / 15 fl oz
• Pint:  570 ml / 20 fl oz
• Jug:  America’s “Pitchers” 1140 ml / 40 fl oz
• Nip of spirits:  Shot; Must be measured with a shot glass and is 30 ml / 1 oz- They are serious about this!!
• Wine:  100 ml pour

Keep it Simple

One of the amazing things about working a pub in Australia is the simplicity of their beverages of choice; beer, wine, or basic mixed drinks.  Typical pubs will have about 10 beers on tap that are mostly Australian- no they don’t drink Foster’s- and an additional 20 plus beers in bottles that are both local and imports.  Most stick to the Australian beer basics such as: Victoria Bitter / VB, Carlton Draught / Draught, Toohey’s New / New, and James Boag’s Draught.  Some of the more upscale favorites are Coopers Pale Ale, Hahn Super Dry, Pure Blonde, and the numerous Jame’s Squire Ales.  I’ve found that with each beer comes a typical profile of drinker, which really becomes quite obvious the more time spent in pubs.  Generally the really old school Australian men prefer VB and are quite upset when the keg is temporarily out of order.  Younger pub go-ers tend to drop that extra dollar and go for something a little less basic.  When it comes to spirits most Australian’s don’t specify their type of alcohol and since their “house” spirits are generally good quality unlike the plastic bottle booze that is typically served in the states.

Me enjoying my favorite Australian beer- a Pure Blonde!

Some Tips

~Don’t order a “light beer” unless you want a low percentage- 2%- alcohol beer- If you want low-carb stick to Pure Blonde.

~They refer to Sprite as lemonade while our lemonade is their lemon squash.

~When you order a single shot drink- expect that.  Free-pouring is illegal in Australia and damn is it hard to get a buzz from spirits!

~When ordering a shot don’t expect it to be shaken and chilled or for them to be familiar with most common shots.  Stick to the basics, expect it to be room temperature, and in a standard small ass 30 ml shot glass.

~Watch your behavior in the pub- they are very strict about cutting off customers and kicking them out of the pub if they are being obnoxious or seem intoxicated.

~There generally aren’t seats at the bar so don’t pull one up unless the bartender is keen.

~Don’t bother asking for a wine from any other region in the world- most pubs only carry wines from Australia and New Zealand.

Gambling in Pubs?

One aspect of the Australian pub culture that came as a shock to me was the Australians obsession with gambling.  All traditional pubs have a separate room with “pokie machines” aka slot machines in them, which seem to be constantly occupied.  In addition to the pokies a lot of pubs have a Tab Sports Bet inside as well, which allows people to bet on pretty much anything their little hearts desire.  Try to stay away from these if you can- drunken gambling is never a good idea.

The Crowd

Obviously all pubs do tend to draw a different type of crowd to some extent, but after working in one for months and frequenting many other pubs in Sydney there are a few generalizations that I have drawn.  The main one that is most apparent is the ratio of guys to girls, which tends to range around 10 men to 1 woman.  Ouch.  Not the best odds for the men in these pubs, but oddly enough the Australian men don’t seem to care.  Unlike some cultures- cougggh the USA- the men here aren’t about constantly chasing girls and being surrounded by them.  They simply enjoy having some schooners with their friends and nothing more.  The attire of pub-goers also tends to vary depending on the time of day, but is generally quite laid back.

There are hundreds of pubs in Sydney so you definitely have your options depending on what you’re looking for and what area of town you’re in.  Some of my favorites are The Local, The Grand, The Beauchamp, and Beach Road Hotel. I’ve obviously been to and enjoyed dozens more pubs in Sydney but for some reason their names seemed to have slipped my mind.   If you have any questions concerning working in a pub, recommendations, or just general questions please comment or contact me!

Just a few Americans enjoying some beverages responsibly!

Taxes

Everything is expensive in Sydney, but alcohol is sooo expensive it’s seriously disgusting.  At bars, clubs, restaurants, and in the “Bottle Shops” the amount they charge for booze here should be illegal! For example, if one were to buy a bottle of Smirnoff here it would cost about $40, in the US $12, and a good bottle like Grey Goose will cost you $90, in the US $40. Ew. Right?  Plus who even drinks Smirnoff?  Even a 6 pack of Corona’s or other import can cost you $20 at a local bottle shop in Bondi.  Wine is the one alcohol that you can get at a decent price.  Most younger Aussies and backpackers drink “Goon” which is boxed wine, that is disgusting, but for $10 you can get around 3 liters.  The origin of goon comes from the Aboriginal translation, which means pillow, because the Aborigines would drink the goon wine and then blow up the bag for a pillow.  Classy huh?  I’m hooked on a great $10 Rosé that I discovered at my local bottle shop on Beach Rd, and my most recent obsession, thanks to my fellow American Liz, is Passion Pop, which is a $6 bottle of sparkling goodness that does the job.

A classy box of Goon Wine chillin' on my balcony

Laws

In addition to placing ridiculous amounts of taxes on of their booze, they also have tons of laws and rules they have put into place.  RSA class or Responsiblity for Serving Alcohol, is a mandatory class for anyone that plans to serve alcohol for a job.  It was a 6 hour lecture about the dangers of drinking, binge drinking, “drink” driving, and the laws surrounding serving alcohol.  It was not a fun day and of course I went straight to the pub after for a beer.  Also the fines for serving minors or over-serving someone can cost you up to $11,000.  Alcohol can only be purchased in bottle shops aka liquor stores, and is usually not for sale after 10pm.  Most bars highly monitor who they’re letting in and will ask you how many drinks you’ve had, and if your answer is more than 2 they usually will deny you entry and tell you to come back later, which you then just head to another club.  Drinking on the streets and in public places is not illegal unless stated on a a sign, so that’s nice.  Finally the limits that they have imposed at sporting events, such as cricket, are horrible and you aren’t even able to get a full strength beer.

All the different "Standard Drinks" here in Oz

Hot Messes

Everyone knows Aussies are big drinkers and they know how to have a good time, and I love them for that.  I thought I was prepared for this but I was sorely mistaken.  Since I’ve been in Sydney I’ve learned the hard way that there is absolutely no way I can keep up with the Aussies.  I don’t know how they do it.  They will drink all day, while at a barbie or whatever it is they do, and just continue into the nighttime not even phased.  Well I mean they are usually wasted, or pissed as they say, but somehow keep it together.  I can’t do it, I’m one or the other: day drinking or night drinking.  Also a new term I’ve learned is to “skull” a beer, which would be like “pound” or “chug” in the American culture.  Oh yes all these life lessons the Aussies are teaching me.

A typical Aussie fridge in a bottle shop

Getting Around It

If you’re coming to Australia for a holiday or to move I would recommend buying the maximum amount of booze at the duty free store in the airport to save yourself some money.  These bottles will come in handy for your pre-drinking activities and your new best friend in Oz, your flask.  In the bars here a cocktail will literally be one shot, which is 30 ml aka about an ounce.  This caught me by surprise since I’m used to the states where normally your single cocktail will end up being a at least a double.  It’s actually sobering to drink single drinks here and is super expensive.  This has turned me into more of a beer girl and of course I am still enjoying my wine.

Don’t let this article leave a bad taste in your mouth about Australia.  It is unfortunate but believe me there are tons of things that make up for it in this country.  Hope this was useful information and gives you a better idea about what it’s like to drink Down Under.  It really hasn’t slowed me down, in fact Australia has made me much more of a lush but everything in moderation right?  Please comment and give me some feedback regarding topics you would like to know more about while living in Australia! Thanks!