Cheap accommodation in Canberra

Isn’t life funny? we live in difficult times! I’m 57 years old & own my house, no debts no credit card & no cash lol! Asset rich but cash poor they say! Hard when you are doing it on a pension when you have been so ill.

Will follow up backpakers & YHA & YMCA

Makes you think about Canberra tourism, the good things about Canberra is that once you get there everything I want to see is free: the mint, old & new Parliament, National Museum, War Memorial, National Art Gallery, Sound Archives, National Library, National Archives, etc etc

I think that $100 a night for a room is outrageous! Just to let you know have had 2 short trip lately, 7 nights in Bangkok: my son got me a flight ($799 return)> world class hotel was only $48 a night & had trouble spending $20 a day on amazing food & drink.

Also a trip to Mudgee. Pubs offer night accommodation in lovely room with breakfast thrown in for $45 a night. Pub lunches & dinners are about $5/$10. Had a superb steak lunch for $5!

By the way verlove this site eI

Young man, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you’re short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It’s fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys …

Top Pub at Queanbeyan (aka Hotel Queanbeyan) is very cheap, and they also serve meals around the $8-12 mark. Assuming you have a car, it’s good. If you are arriving by train, it’s passable as it’s less than five minutes walk from Queanbeyan Station and has a bus stop at the door.

Just keep in mind that it’s rather basic, and, erm, Historic.

My ‘long time ago’ would have been about 25 years. Hells-Bells74 wins by a decade.

Just got home reading your comments, Will follow up on the net! Thanks for your help

housebound said :

We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before, and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep. But that was a long time ago.

To most people this comment would go down as intended.. But for me to read it, it’s interesting to say the least.

“We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before” – Yep, I did used to live there.
“and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep” – Wasn’t the case for my late brother and I.
“But that was a long time ago” – Yep, you are not wrong there, 34 years ago for me.

I did go back once to see a friend and I was ok, still haunts me to drive past though over the years. But I could never stay there, but know plenty of people it works for.

Good luck to the OP finding ‘nice’ cheap accommodation, definitely not an easy task in most cities.

Greenleigh Motel @ Curtin

We’ve done the caravan park at Fyshwick before, and it was just fine if all you want is somewhere to sleep. But that was a long time ago.

the ymca lodge in dryandra street, o’connor, has always apparently been good value and still close-ish to town…

there are other yha’s and hostels in civic, braddon and dickson, as far as i know… google will find them.

There’s the Greenleigh Central Canberra Motelout the back of Curtin (Cotter Road), near the riding school.
Yes, its the very essence of spartan.
A Review
They charge $65 a night.

Slum it at the Dickson backpackers for $30? (beware, reviews are mixed) or one of the other YHAs?

http://www.canberravillage.com/

Caravan sites are $31 per night so I assume tent sites would be half that.

Wotif.com.au should have something.
The caravan park in O’Connor is pretty good, they have cabins as well as campsites.
Australian Hotel School is also pretty good, it’s in a heritage-listed hotel a short walk from the Parliamentary Triangle (Art Gallery, Questacon, Parl Houses etc).
Or check stayz.com.au for a holiday apartment or B&B.

YHA‘s are usually pretty good. I’ve no experience with the Canberra City one – but the price is right. If you are driving up be aware there is no on-site parking. Plenty nearby, just add $9 a day during the week to pay for it.

If it’s basic accommodation you are after, you couldn’t go past the trusty Formule 1 at the Northern enter to Canberra;

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3505-formule-1-hotel-formule-1-canberra/index.shtml

Have a look on wotif.com and search for maximum price and you will come up with a few places less than $100. Formule 1 in Watson, Australian International Hotel School (Hotel Kurrajong) Barton, a couple of other places. I was curious to see what is around ACT under $100 and it turns out – not much! Hope you find somewhere suitable.

or the YHA in the city – you could share a dorm with 9 other people and only pay about $30!

Have you considered the Youth Hostel in Civic? Friends of mine have stayed there when visiting and found it quite acceptable. Another friend camped at the Caravan Park in Fyshwick, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. It was cheap and suited him fine. He had breakfast everyday at the markets and loved it, but it seems a bit down market for me.

The Canberra City YHA might suit.

YHA at the back of lyneham/o’connor.

Cheap accommodation is not something that is generally not heard of here in Canberra. You can normally get a serviced apartment during peak season right on the beach at the Gold Coast for cheaper than you can get a dodgy motel room here in Canberra or Queanbeyan. Low supply, high demand type scenario and a lot of business travellers.

Going by the wotif website, there are not too many options under $100. Greenleigh Central Canberra Motel had rooms for $65 a night (have driven past it, looks very Hitchcockesque…) while the formule (so called because the rooms are like stabling for mules) is $84.

You could try one of the caravan parks.

Wotif.com.au has rooms at Formula 1 (Antill Street, Watson) for $85. You probably won’t find anything cheaper. Premier Inn Belconnen around $115 or Pavillion on Northbourne also $115.

http://hotels.lastminute.com.au/accommodation/australia/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/curtin/curtin/greenleigh-central-canberra-motel

http://www.victorlodge.com.au/

http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/en/Accommodation/Hotels%20and%20motels/Accomodation%20Detail%20Page.aspx?ID=9002792&Title=Kambah+Inn

I’d be bringing a tent and camping down at the cotter. From memory it’s around $6. Not sure what the fee is for (maybe firewood). But basically it’s cheap, and about 20-25 minutes from the city.
Other wise http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3505-formule-1-hotel-formule-1-canberra/index.shtml from $79 per night.
There is a backpackers in civic, but not sure what the criteria is.