The location of Newtown is great, up and coming funky area with SO many bars, restaurants and shops. The hostel was a real disappointment, the staff were REALLY rude and unhelpful. Our room was in a building a couple of doors up from the 'main' hostel which was really rundown. There were bars on the bedroom window and the room... more

Pro's - Location excellent, right in the middle of Trendy Newtown, but away from the traffic noise. Close to lots of great cheap eats, pubs and cafes. A bus every few minutes takes you into the heart of Sydney and only a 10 minute walk to Sydney Uni. Rooms - our room was basic but comfortable and had a little... more

I stayed in Billabong Gardens when I first arrived in Sydney Jan '09. I had a single room shared facilities for a week and had a lot of my own space and bathrooms were clean, very pleasant stay and was able to rest after 24 hrs in a plane. I returned in Apr '09 on a slightly tighter budget!!..and stayed... more

This is a decent place to stay: clean rooms (on the smaller side), not great common facilities, decent layout. The building is fine, the location is good (just 2 blocks from King St, 25 minutes by bus to CBD). The only real problem we had was the other people staying: since it is a backpacker place, they were pretty loud.... more

I stayed at Billabong Gardens for three weeks on a working holiday - I got a private en suite room for the first two and a bit weeks, but had to move to a private / shared bathroom room for the last three nights. My experience was pretty mixed: Newtown is an awesome location, great pubs, bars, restuarants, a cool... more

We stayed here for a week in the neighbouring building and loved it! Our double room was huge, we had a balcony, TV and Wi-Fi, a bathroom shared by 2 other rooms, which was completely fine, nice kitchen, lovely staff, best neighborhood: forget about CBD and just stay in Newtown! Sooooo great! We loved it and wanted to stay there... more

Got a room that can fit 6 pax at AUS165 per night. Room (no.16) is a bit small but the arrangment of furniture is good so it feels comfortable. I like this place for its value, closeness to train station and 15 mins to city centre by bus. Staffs are helpful and its just 3 mins to King Street where... more

rooms are really nice! the kitchen in the main building and in the neighbouring building where we stayed at was really not ok! sticky and nothing there to clean it! location is ok, connects pretty good into the CBD via bus. free internet is brilliant! more

Stayed here for almost 6 months while backpacking around the world. It is indeed for backpackers; however the standard of the rooms are great, the people are friendly and it's very close to all the action. I have very found memories of my stay at Billabong Gardens. It's not 4 stars (if your looking for that try priceline.com) BUT it... more