Fremantle Old Fire Station Hostel — Hotel in Fremantle

After 7 years revisiting, this place has got from bad to worse and now into stealing money from backpackers. They owed me $13 at the time of leaving but it wasn't their 'policy' to return it seems. Reason given by one guy who was always high was, ‘Oh! It was a booking you did online so that’s going to be difficult’. Italian female at the reception had a Mediterranean twist, ‘It’s only $13, so it’s okay'. The present crew of charlatans who run this place turned out to be even worst than the earlier ones.

The 'hostel' is now managed by the owner’s daughter, a tawdry brat manifesting the indelible stamp of the Australian lowly origin. New badge of ‘receptionists’ roped in recently not knowing head or tail about this notorious place; brainwashed by the owner. The kitchen roof was leaking heavily but contained with pails and towels. Their appeal for sympathy was, ‘Oh! It’s the Council you know. They don’t care ….’. I was too informed about the long-standing reputation they had with the Council to be casted a red herring.

I have seen many employees and backpackers either evicted by the owner or, who left the hostel in disgust in the past. This heritage building is owned by the Fremantle City Council. It used to be a Fire Station in the early 1990’s, later became a famous restaurant in Fremantle owned by a Kiwi women in the jewelry, smuggling and brothel business and then a 'legendary' backpacker’s hostel jointly owned by an Aussie builder and a young Italian who came to Australia as a backpacker. Given his illusory personality, he was handpicked to fan the fire of a Fool’s Paradise making the hostel look like the ‘be all and end all’ of Australia. Most of those whom you see here are young European backpackers heavy on drugs and other substances on a Working Holiday Visa looking for employment and migration opportunities.

Plagued with Italian and British hegemony, if you don’t belong to the same racial, moral or cultural background, you might find this place miserable. I would not recommend this place to any mature or decent traveler for more than a week’s stay. Don't bother approaching the management to resolve disputes in the hostel with other backpackers, very often they are the ones responsible for orchestrating them.

The hostel is moderately equipped but very poorly maintained and some choose to spend the entire duration of the Working Holiday Visa living there permanently until they are evicted. I saw an Aussies couple the last time living on dole who made this illusory place their home, again, evicted. Belonging to the same cultural traits, they make good bedfellows with their European pedigrees. The senseless and mindless evictions by the owner and those who manage the hostel is a clear indication of their morals.

Graphics depicting insults to revered figure of the East e.g., Buddha, Gandhi and Confucius used to be painted on the wall in the common area downstairs. Chinese and Koreans may find the symbol of the Japanese Imperial Army painted on the wall at the backyard offensive - a gesture of Australian ignorance.

Dorm rates are kept low to outplay competitors. The low profit margin backfires in frustration and this results in manic evictions of backpackers without provocation. Weekly manic parties are held to boost their alcohol sales and this entails a host of nuisances, i.e., loud and blaring music, drugs, madness, chaos, damage to property – all fitting the characteristics of a pandemonium.

Don't be deceived by the false propaganda they make in finding you jobs. Preference is normally given to those whom they favour. The hostel places advertisements in Fremantle Herald offering labour services for minimum wage making it a heaven for contractors and those living in the vicinity to exploit for even lesser. If you are skilled in the trades or IT, be wary of the owners. They have over the years mastered the art of exploiting backpackers for their valuable skills to save...

I wasn’t going to write this review but I realise it’s important to be honest and I wish I was aware before going. To start with the positives it’s an extremely social hostel and I’ve head the girls only section is great, people were nice, great location, events on every evening. Big common area and kitchens. Not so positive, I booked the wrong day, that’s my fault but when I arrived the next day and asked to check into my room which I was already paying for from the night before I was told it wasn’t ready- it should have been ready from 3pm the day before. When I was allowed to check in I was handed my bedding to make my own bed and there was a dead cockroach on my mattress - the layer of dust and grim on the wardrobe in the room showed me that the rooms do not get cleaned.( im not entirely sure what happened in the time I wasn’t allowed to use the room I was paying for) While speaking to the woman at reception when I was explaining about arriving a day late, I apologised for being so unorganised and she said “I don’t think you are useless”.. extremely passive aggressive to say that, I would never refer to myself or anyone else as useless. While I was there I saw two separate rooms get completely cleared out because of bedbugs - I heard this from the staff. I saw minimum 5 cockroaches in my stay. A staff member shouted at me because I started brushing my teeth left the washroom for a minute and when I came back she was cleaning the showers, wouldn’t even let me spit the toothpaste into the sink even though it was nowhere near where she was cleaning. Our room was a genuine fire hazard, the whole place felt like a fire hazard. In short I would...

Been coming here on and off for the past few years. Staff are great, rooms are decent and clean. Staff are super busy at times as they have to manage 120+ people at a time. But so is your local supermarket.

I read some of the other reviews, which are mot always based on the truth. You can pay cash and card. Just the deposit is required to be paid in cash, which was always returned to me. They do tell you at check in there is a lost key fee and a late check-out fee. If you forget to do your dishes, you can choose to pay a fee or clean kitchens to compensate. Brilliant!

This is advertised as a party hostel, so I don’t understand why people get upset with the parties that are happening there. If you need a quiet place to sleep, book a hotel with a private room. If you can’t deal with sharing a room obviously a hostel, no matter which one, is not the place for you.

Guests and staff are very welcoming. Unruly guests are dealt with promptly and staff will ensure a safe space for everyone. They have Karaoke nights, chess tournaments, Ping/Beer pong tournaments, movie nights, art nights and a lot of activities to meet new people.

Because of the unique layout, it feels very homely. You can find all different nationalities which makes it a massive melting pot, and everyone is accepting of each other. Absolutely brilliant accomodation and I always look forward to...