Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel
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Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel
262 Walker St, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia
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Avg. AU$76 /night, 1/18 - 1/19
AU$76
per night
AU$72
per night
AU$68
per night
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About
#1 of 7 hostels in Townsville
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Recently renovated and now voted one of the TOP 10 HOSTELS in Australia, the Civic Guest House is a friendly, charming hostel in the heart of Townsville offering clean, safe and cosy accommodation for the budget conscious traveler. Free Wi-Fi and a friendly service are what we consider a must. We also offer free transport to/from the Ferry and Greyhound bus terminal.Our aim is to provide our guests with a comfortable and quiet place to stay in a relaxed and friendly environment. You can chill out in the lounge room, prepare a meal in our large communal kitchen, or have a game of chess in the new game room. Conveniently located in a quiet street in Townsville's CBD, the Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel gives you a broad choice of room options ranging from shared dorms to private double rooms with en-suite bathrooms.Townsville is a great place to experience a laid-back tropical city lifestyle while enjoying the fantastic wildlife and exceptional sights of the Great Barrier Reef and Magnetic Island. Take a tour, enjoy numerous free activities in and around town, or simply relax by the beach.
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Property amenities
Free public parking nearby
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Vending machine
Bicycle rental
Game room
Shuttle bus service
24-hour security
BBQ facilities
Paid public parking nearby
Street parking
Wifi
Board games / puzzles
Baggage storage
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Shared kitchen
Shared lounge / TV area
Sun terrace
24-hour check-in
Laundry service
Self-serve laundry
Washing machine
Ironing service
Room features
Air conditioning
Oven
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Electric kettle
Kitchenware
Bath / shower
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Languages Spoken
English
Location
262 Walker St, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Australia
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 88 out of 100
88
57 Restaurants
within 0.5 kilometers
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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Detailed Reviews
This hostel is fairly centrally located. It is clean and well maintained. The policy of no noise after 10pm means we can all rest!
The staff are friendly and helpful. Pick ups and drop off to the ferry terminal are much appreciated.
Cathy and Joe merit a special mention as they give advice, are very welcoming and are happy to assist in whatever way they can. I am grateful for all that they did for me and the manner in which I witnessed them helping others seek work, etc.
Covid 19 safety precautions are being observed. That is not always done at other hostels.I felt safe here.
I am an older, experienced traveller but never did I feel unwelcome and I enjoyed many interesting chats with Cathy and Joe.
This hostel had a great vibe and I really recommend it. It has everything you need if you are travelling on a limited budget
The staff are friendly and helpful. Pick ups and drop off to the ferry terminal are much appreciated.
Cathy and Joe merit a special mention as they give advice, are very welcoming and are happy to assist in whatever way they can. I am grateful for all that they did for me and the manner in which I witnessed them helping others seek work, etc.
Covid 19 safety precautions are being observed. That is not always done at other hostels.I felt safe here.
I am an older, experienced traveller but never did I feel unwelcome and I enjoyed many interesting chats with Cathy and Joe.
This hostel had a great vibe and I really recommend it. It has everything you need if you are travelling on a limited budget
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place has a good safe atmosphere and is pretty central to anything most would want to do in Townsville. It’s a great place for backpackers to stay for awhile and get a job elsewhere. I’m staying in a dorm but there’s plenty of nice cheap private rooms when I want to get more privacy
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I thought it was really good, it is in a good location a few mins walk from a woolworths, a mcdonalds and not too far from the sea front or the train station (15 mins walk) The whole place seemed to be nice and clean and the price is good. Staff were friendly.
The only negative things I can think of are that there was no socket near the bed and a privacy curtain on the lower bunks would be good. Would recommend and would stay again.
The only negative things I can think of are that there was no socket near the bed and a privacy curtain on the lower bunks would be good. Would recommend and would stay again.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All the ladies we met at reception were fantastic, really kind and happy to help us with anything we needed, even giving us a lift into town! There was a shuttle to and from the greyhound terminal which was really great, and the kind ladies behind reception allowed us to store our luggage there for the day.
There are a lot of people just living at this hostel, so their stuff was everywhere in the dorm and it was hard to find any space for our own belongings. Also, due to so many people literally living here, sometimes the common spaces didn’t feel so welcoming to backpackers who were only around for a few days.
The WiFi was a big issue for me. There is no WiFi at all in the bedrooms, kitchen or common spaces. This makes it extremely difficult as a backpacker to try and plan your trip on the go and communicate with family back home as you can only use WiFi in the lobby, and even then it’s not great connection.
The “lights out & quiet time” policy at 10pm is also a bit ridiculous. Given that the WiFi only works in the lobby and all the lights get turned off in there at 10, to be able to use your phone or laptop after 10 you literally have to sit in the lobby alone in the dark. The American guy (Joe?) working behind reception was also quite patronising - telling us at 9.30 to “eat up” our dinner so we “can get our dishes done before the kitchen closes at 10 and the lights go off”! I felt like I was at brownie camp as he was often telling us about rules and what to do.
There are a lot of people just living at this hostel, so their stuff was everywhere in the dorm and it was hard to find any space for our own belongings. Also, due to so many people literally living here, sometimes the common spaces didn’t feel so welcoming to backpackers who were only around for a few days.
The WiFi was a big issue for me. There is no WiFi at all in the bedrooms, kitchen or common spaces. This makes it extremely difficult as a backpacker to try and plan your trip on the go and communicate with family back home as you can only use WiFi in the lobby, and even then it’s not great connection.
The “lights out & quiet time” policy at 10pm is also a bit ridiculous. Given that the WiFi only works in the lobby and all the lights get turned off in there at 10, to be able to use your phone or laptop after 10 you literally have to sit in the lobby alone in the dark. The American guy (Joe?) working behind reception was also quite patronising - telling us at 9.30 to “eat up” our dinner so we “can get our dishes done before the kitchen closes at 10 and the lights go off”! I felt like I was at brownie camp as he was often telling us about rules and what to do.
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Date of stay: June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CathyKowner, Owner at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel
Responded 20 Feb 2020
Hello, Thanks for taking the time to review us. We are pleased you had a great sleep and found us ladies friendly! I am sorry you had trouble with the Wifi as our Wifi is very good. We have 2 networks that work at the hostel - one that works in all of the rooms/dorms and common areas and one that works only around reception. I am thinking from your comments, that you must have not known about the wifi network that worked everywhere and only about the reception/lounge area. Sorry. The lights go down in that area as we have private rooms close. (so they can sleep) If you would have known about the other network, perhaps this would not have been a problem for you! Wish you safe travels!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I booked this accommodation for 8.12.22 till 10.12.22 via Booking.com The headline of the description is “Bed in 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room”, there is no information about the restriction that it is only allowed for people of age 18-35. I also printed this out because I recheck almost everything. Also on this print out is no information of the restriction.
As I arrived I was refused with the comment that there is this restriction. I double checked it again (with new dates in the future), just to know if I have overseen something. Again, I didn’t found any info. The person on the reception meant it is written there, so I checked also the accommodation guidelines and room guidelines. I didn’t found anything.
The solution was, that I had to click inside the room information again on “Weiterlesen” (meaning “READ MORE”) to get this information. For me it is a joke, that I have to search for such important information. In my opinion it shouldn’t be hidden somewhere in the description of somewhere but be shown in the headline so it is absolutely clear that there are restrictions.
I asked the man on the reception why the accommodation doesn’t make it as clear as others, but he claimed, that it is not possible to write it in the headline. Booking.com doesn’t allow this. You can check it as an example in the headline of the Summer House Backpackers Cairns. It is possible and it is 100% clear, which rooms are only for women, which are only for 18-35. Nothing hidden somewhere where you have to search it, just clear. You can also check the Choice Backpackers in Auckland. It is 100% clear in which rooms are only women allowed.
In the end they charged my credit card and refused me to use the accommodation.
My feedback is about the “service”. But this leads to the bad overall rating.
As I arrived I was refused with the comment that there is this restriction. I double checked it again (with new dates in the future), just to know if I have overseen something. Again, I didn’t found any info. The person on the reception meant it is written there, so I checked also the accommodation guidelines and room guidelines. I didn’t found anything.
The solution was, that I had to click inside the room information again on “Weiterlesen” (meaning “READ MORE”) to get this information. For me it is a joke, that I have to search for such important information. In my opinion it shouldn’t be hidden somewhere in the description of somewhere but be shown in the headline so it is absolutely clear that there are restrictions.
I asked the man on the reception why the accommodation doesn’t make it as clear as others, but he claimed, that it is not possible to write it in the headline. Booking.com doesn’t allow this. You can check it as an example in the headline of the Summer House Backpackers Cairns. It is possible and it is 100% clear, which rooms are only for women, which are only for 18-35. Nothing hidden somewhere where you have to search it, just clear. You can also check the Choice Backpackers in Auckland. It is 100% clear in which rooms are only women allowed.
In the end they charged my credit card and refused me to use the accommodation.
My feedback is about the “service”. But this leads to the bad overall rating.
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Date of stay: December 2022
Service
Room Tip: Check the room guidelines carefully
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Cathy K, Owner at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel
Responded 10 Jan 2023
Hi Dirk, We are sorry that we could not accommodate you. We have tried to work closely with Booking.com to get the age restrictions for our many room types clearly displayed but have been advised that this is the only way to advertise. The restrictions are on several areas of the booking platform and guests do tick that they have read the fine print,where the age limits are the first line. Thank you for giving us some examples of how other hostels have outcome this problem. We will approach Booking.com again with this information.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A good little place to stay for an evening on our way south. The staff were friendly, the private double room was small, but perfectly formed, with a very welcome private bathroom. The kitchen area, outdoor eating/socialising area and washing facilities were all great. Wifi was good too.
Initially a bit loud at night but, to their credit, the staff did go around saying that people either needed to head into town to continue their evenings there, or go to bed - cue instant silence! This was, however, broken by some serious hoovering outside our room at 8am on a Sunday... grateful for the clean hostel, but 8am on Sunday seems a bit intense! :) We just found this mildly amusing and headed out for breakfast.
Overall - a great place to pause - good nights sleep and a great chance to reset with cleaning washing etc.
Initially a bit loud at night but, to their credit, the staff did go around saying that people either needed to head into town to continue their evenings there, or go to bed - cue instant silence! This was, however, broken by some serious hoovering outside our room at 8am on a Sunday... grateful for the clean hostel, but 8am on Sunday seems a bit intense! :) We just found this mildly amusing and headed out for breakfast.
Overall - a great place to pause - good nights sleep and a great chance to reset with cleaning washing etc.
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Date of stay: July 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here for 2 nights and was not that impressed. The location is good and the room was fine. Free washing machines to use is useful. Wifi is quick. Not the most social hostel and one staff member with beard from UK had abit of attitude and didn't seem to like his job. I would not go back if ever back in Townsville.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I booked into the Civic Guesthouse recently with a friend and we were made very welcome by the young man at reception and when I realised I had made a mistake re. date he immediately set about rectifying it.
The kitchen downstairs is huge with a number of fridges, microwave, hot water, kettle, pots and pans etc. etc. and there are quite a few tables where you can sit and eat or chat to other people. The room whilst very basic had a fridge and the beds were comfortable and clean. (The pillows could be a bit bigger). There seemed to be a number of bathrooms which were all clean.
The laundry is well equipped and there were plenty of lines for drying.
In other words: a backpackers’ haven.
The kitchen downstairs is huge with a number of fridges, microwave, hot water, kettle, pots and pans etc. etc. and there are quite a few tables where you can sit and eat or chat to other people. The room whilst very basic had a fridge and the beds were comfortable and clean. (The pillows could be a bit bigger). There seemed to be a number of bathrooms which were all clean.
The laundry is well equipped and there were plenty of lines for drying.
In other words: a backpackers’ haven.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: Meter Parking is in the street. Free parking after 5 pm and on weekends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have been staying at the Civic Guest House for 3 weeks now and have had an incredibly pleasant stay - the hostel is quiet and comfortable enough to live in while working but also has a great social scene. Facilities are excellent - WiFi is really fast and has great coverage around the building, kitchen is clean and well maintained and there is a common area with TV and streaming services. Would definitely recommend
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was such a bad experience I arrived at the hostel at 1am after a flight. A man was in my bed and it was dirty I rang the company and they came to clean the bed which was good. However he kept coming in and out of the bedroom so I got no sleep at all. He was not even meant to be at the hostel. I asked for a refund or some money back and they did nothing. As a solo traveler having travelled the east coast I would not stay here again or recommend this hostel.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Teng, apologies for the delay in my reply. The Deluxe twin double room have two separate beds.
You are welcome to send me an email if you still need a booking with us you are welcome to go to the Civic Guesthouse website and send us an email.
Kind Regards,
Zenobia
"Don't stay here!!!! Vile vile vile. Bedrooms....don't get me started.... my nans house has more class then this hostel. So embarrassing that they acc let ppl stay here "Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
AU$66 - AU$69 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
AustraliaQueenslandTownsville
NUMBER OF ROOMS
29
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel
Which popular attractions are close to Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Nearby attractions include Sunday on Flinders. Cotters Markets (0.4 km), Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts (0.3 km), and Mary Who? Bookshop (0.3 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, laundry service, and shuttle bus service.
Which room amenities are available at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a refrigerator, and an oven.
What food & drink options are available at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Guests can enjoy barbeque facilities during their stay.
Is parking available at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Yes, free public parking nearby, paid public parking nearby, and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Conveniently located restaurants include The TapHouse Townsville, Cowboys Leagues Club, and Sakana Sushi Bar and Restaurant.
Is Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.4 km away from the centre of Townsville.
Are any cleaning services offered at Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Yes, laundry service and self serve laundry are offered to guests.
Are there any historical sites close to Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Kissing Point Fort (2.3 km) and National Trust Heritage Centre (1.5 km).