What are the best working hostels for the 88 days?
Last checked
Short answer
The best working hostels are in year-round harvest towns such as Bundaberg, Tully, Childers, Mildura and Griffith, and they tell you exactly which farms they supply, when work starts and what transport costs. Book one week, not a month, check reviews from backpackers who worked there, and never pay a fee for the job itself.
Before you book any working hostel
- Ask which farms they supply, and call one of them.
- Ask how long the last few guests waited before their first shift.
- Confirm the work is paid at award rates with payslips, so the days count.
- Pay rent week by week. Never pay a fee for the job itself.
- Check the postcode of the farms, not the hostel, on the 88-day town list.
Working hostels on Matey, by town
Stays whose listing says they help guests into farm work. Listed, not endorsed: read reviews and ask the questions above.
Bundaberg, QLD
Farmgate Backpackers
Bundaberg, QLD
A no-nonsense working hostel in the Bundaberg region built around one thing: getting backpackers into real seasonal farm work in one of Australia's biggest food-growing areas. Entry is invite-only…
Dingo Blue Backpackers
Bundaberg, QLD
Dingo Blue is Bundaberg's big-energy International Working Hostel, with an on-site Work Manager arranging year-round farm placements and free transport to and from the job sites. Spread across two…
Bunk Inn Hostel
Bundaberg, QLD
A laid-back, all-inclusive backpacker spot right in the heart of Bundaberg, sorting you out with linen, towels, WiFi and even Netflix so you can just rock up and settle in. It's a proper…
Grosvenor Backpackers
Bundaberg, QLD
Grosvenor Backpackers in Bundaberg is a friendly working hostel with strong ties to local farmers, so they'll help line you up with fruit and veg picking or packing work and keep track of your days…
Griffith, NSW
Griffith Working Hostels
Griffith, NSW
A proper working hostel in the heart of Griffith, this spot connects backpackers straight to local farms and employers to knock over those 88 days for your second or third-year visa - with no fees,…
The Globe Backpackers
Griffith, NSW
The Globe is a friendly working hostel in Griffith set up for backpackers chasing their 88 days of farm work for a visa extension. Rooms come with private en-suite kitchens and bathrooms, air-con…
Premier Suites Griffith Backpackers Workers Hostel
Griffith, NSW
A family-owned working hostel offering modern, clean temporary living for seasonal workers in the Riverina's fruit and veg capital. A newer alternative to Griffith's long-running working hostels,…
Explorers Hostel
Griffith, NSW
Purpose-built working hostel near the centre of Griffith with direct links to the area's biggest farm employers and labour agencies. Practical, clean base for citrus, grape and vegetable seasons in…
Huonville, TAS
Little Devil Backpackers
Huonville, TAS
A cosy little spot across two locations in Huonville and Franklin, Little Devil Backpackers specialises in setting up seasonal fruit pickers with work in Tasmania's Huon Valley. The owner is…
Ramblers Working Hostel
Cygnet, TAS
Small 20-bed share-house style hostel run by Sam and James on the Channel Highway in Cygnet, geared to seasonal workers chasing cherry, apple, strawberry and blueberry picking for 88-day visa work.…
Huon Valley Backpackers
Cradoc, TAS
Farm-top hostel on Balfes Hill overlooking the Huon River, 45 minutes south of Hobart between Huonville and Cygnet. The owners help guests line up seasonal fruit-picking work in the valley from…
Renmark, SA
Harvest Trail Lodge
Loxton, SA
A no-frills working hostel in Loxton right in the heart of the Riverland, Harvest Trail Lodge is built for backpackers chasing fruit-picking and seasonal farm work. Expect affordable do-it-yourself…
Berri Backpackers Resort
Berri, SA
Legendary Riverland working hostel on the Old Sturt Highway, running since 1991 and recently refurbished: backpackers doing farm work here often stay six months and call it a family. Sprawling…
Renmark Koala Backpackers
Renmark, SA
Share-house style accommodation for working backpackers in central Renmark: four renovated, fully furnished houses with equipped kitchens, free laundry and WiFi. Set up specifically for seasonal and…
Tully, QLD
Banana Barracks
Tully, QLD
Right in the heart of Tully, Banana Barracks is a proper working hostel that sorts you out with year-round farm jobs: bananas, cane, papaya, watermelon and more: plus transport to and from the…
Happy Days Tully
Tully, QLD
Furnished share houses for working holiday makers chasing their 88 days in the Tully region, run by a team that has placed workers with trusted local employers for over a decade. Placements span…
Kookaburra Holiday Park
Cardwell, QLD
Tropical-garden holiday park on the Bruce Highway with dorms and roomettes in a renovated Queenslander, halfway between Townsville and Cairns. Runs an enquiry list that connects backpackers with…
Bowen, QLD
Barnacles Backpackers
Bowen, QLD
Purpose-run working hostel on a quiet Bowen street 500m from the beach and town pool, placing travellers on local mango, melon, tomato and corn farms. A staple stop for 88-day visa work between…
Bowen Backpackers
Bowen, QLD
Purpose-built workers' hostel on the corner of Herbert and Dalrymple Streets, arranging harvest jobs with local farmers for working-holiday visa holders. Courtesy transport runs to the farms and the…
Coffs Harbour, NSW
Aussitel Backpackers
Coffs Harbour, NSW
A fun, activity-packed hostel in Coffs Harbour's buzzing Jetty area, walking distance to the beach, marina, pubs and cafes. Free daily activities and heaps of free gear (paddleboards, kayaks,…
Woopi Backpackers
Woolgoolga, NSW
Relaxed working hostel three minutes' walk from Woolgoolga Beach, north of Coffs Harbour, where many guests settle in for months of blueberry and farm work. Garden, bar and a good mix of workers and…
Devonport, TAS
Tasmanian Backpackers Working Hostel
Latrobe, TAS
Dedicated working hostel in the heart of the north-west harvest trail, ten minutes from Devonport and close to Costa berry farms, vegetable factories and salmon processors. Weekly rates cover linen,…
Tasman Backpackers
Devonport, TAS
Billed as Tasmania's No.1 working hostel, Tasman Backpackers in Devonport is a fun, friendly and safe base for travellers working their way around the North West. Farm and factory work is on offer…
Gatton, QLD
Grantham Farmworkers Lodge
Grantham, QLD
Purpose-built lodge for Lockyer Valley farm workers just off the Warrego Highway, with dorms and ensuite privates plus a pool, big share kitchen and its own bar and bistro. Workers arrange their own…
Freedom Lifestyle Park Gatton
Gatton, QLD
Freedom Lifestyle Park in Gatton is a community-focused base for working backpackers chasing farm jobs in the Lockyer Valley - Australia's 'Salad Bowl', about 90km west of Brisbane. Choose from…
Manjimup, WA
Manjimup Backpackers Working Hostel
Manjimup, WA
Dedicated working hostel at 59 Rose Street near the centre of Manjimup, where the manager lines up orchard, vineyard and farm jobs and runs daily transport to work sites. Weekly rent of around $160…
Pemberton Hostel (Gloucester Motel)
Pemberton, WA
A working hostel in timber-and-orchard country, run via the Gloucester Motel (check in at motel reception) and marketed squarely at backpackers doing their 88 days of farm work in the…
Margaret River, WA
Dunsborough Beachouse
Dunsborough, WA
Absolute beachfront hostel on an acre of lawn at 201-203 Geographe Bay Road, looking straight over the calm water of Geographe Bay. A favourite base for travellers picking up hospitality and…
Margaret River Backpackers
Margaret River, WA
A 52-bed working hostel in the middle of Margaret River town with a Jobs Desk connecting guests to vineyard, hospitality and farm work in the region. Longer stays are reserved for people working or…
Stanthorpe, QLD
Summit Backpackers
Thulimbah (Stanthorpe), QLD
Small, homely working hostel on the Granite Belt near Stanthorpe, run by owners Ben and Penny, that places guests in year-round fruit and vegetable farm jobs counting toward 2nd and 3rd year visas.…
Stanthorpe Holiday Park
Stanthorpe, QLD
Holiday park on the New England Highway just south of Stanthorpe with dedicated backpacker and seasonal-worker rooms and van sites. A budget base for the Granite Belt's orchard and vineyard picking…
Common follow-up questions
What is a working hostel?
A hostel in a harvest town that places guests in farm jobs, usually with daily transport to the farms. You pay normal weekly rent; the job placement itself should not cost extra.
Which towns have the most working hostels?
Bundaberg, Childers, Tully, Innisfail, Bowen and Ayr in Queensland, Mildura in Victoria and Griffith in New South Wales have the busiest working-hostel scenes, with Bundaberg and Tully offering work most of the year.
What should I ask a working hostel before booking?
Which farms they supply, how long guests wait before starting, whether the work is paid at award rates with payslips, the weekly rent and transport cost, and whether you can pay week by week.
Sources
- Fair Work Ombudsman: visa holders and migrants
- Home Affairs: specified work for the Working Holiday visa (417)
General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.
More quick answers
Count your days as you go
Matey's free 88-day tracker logs each day with the farm and postcode, and keeps your payslips in one place for the visa application.
Open the 88-day tracker