REVIEWS OF GUIDEBOOKS
BUG AUSTRALIA
Review by Peter WrightGuide books for backpackers have gone gradually upmarket and become glossier, fatter and heavier. This booklet sets out to give the backpacker just what he needs on the road without having to wade through lots of irrelevant info and, more to the point, carry lots of pages that s/he doesn't need.
It certainly does the job, as it is less than half the weight of the 'traditional' guidebooks, yet the important stuff is all there.
For each city & location, there is a brief listing of essentials such as information centres, laundry and internet facilities, a comprehensive coverage of transport including airport buses, and a large section devoted to hostels. The hostel listings are very comprehensive (17 hostels are listed for Brisbane, 39 for Cairns!), and you can be sure that the only hostels missing are those that have opened in the last year or so. The reviews are concise but cover most of the things you want to know when choosing which hostel to stay in, including size and atmosphere. They are up-to-date and accurate. The straightforward descriptions are a refreshing change from the advertising spiels of hostel owners. Praise is given where due, and a selection of top hostels is given for each town (in which both independent and YHA hostels feature). Critical comments are restrained, eg: "This is a basic hostel with lower standards than the other places in X" or "The standard of facilities at Y is pretty low... emphasis seems to be on quantity over quality... doesn't really do much to create a good atmosphere" If you want a greater variety of opinions, BUG has an associated website where the visitor can read some much stronger reviews!
The first 17 pages are packed with essential info about Australia including visas, work and tax; and they include full info about most transport options including costs of various bus and train passes, and to-the-point guidance to buying and selling a car. BUG regards hitching as a viable option and gives useful guidance, unlike some other guide books which seem to find the subject embarassing to mention.
There are no photographs, but numerous clear city maps with hostels marked, although the maps have no scales -- this should be remedied in the next edition.
In terms of essential info for the backpacker, I found very few omissions. The car-delivery option (where you drive a car to a given city in a short period for nominal cost) is not mentioned. Backpacker Tours are shrugged off as being against the spirit of 'independent travel'; however, in the opinion of this reviewer, they play an important role in the transport network in Australia where many scenic places are not accessible by public transport. A jump on/jump off option turns a 'tour' into 'independent travel', but there's really little difference in what you get, all the companies go to the same places, and the jump option doesn't work well in Australia.
By omitting photographs, avoiding loads of detail, not mentioning hotels and b&b's, and hardly mentioning restaurants and pubs (because you will find out about these at your hostel), BUG Australia is a sensible size and weight to carry in your backpack, and its information is concise and reliable.
You may need other guidebooks when planning your trip and for browsing, but this is the one you should carry with you, and it is superb for the purpose.
BUG Australia 2003
Publ: BUG Backpackers Guide
ISBN 0 9581796 0 3
Paperback, A5, 240pp.
£9.95 or A$19.95
