Fremantle Old Fire Station Hostel 18 Phillimore Street, Fremantle, Western Australia 6160

"Great hostel! OFS offers a variety of rooms from private rooms all across to 12 bed dorms! Clean facilities and plenty of kitchen space! Cinema room and a TV room with Xbox and playstation! Computers are available and plenty of books to choose from to read! The hostel is filled with plenty of friendly staff that can help you out with work or visiting places around Fremantle and Perth! This hostel offers quiet space as well as the party atmosphere, so it caters for everybody! Big love for the OFS and Crew!"

"I have been in 3 hostels in fremantle. This was the one I liked the most. Dan from the reception makes you feel at home."

"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 themselves on cost."

"The staff was great, the rooms not so much. overcrowded, one aircon unit was split between a wall. Also i was having a game of table tennis outside with a friend and mid game someone decided to rack up a couple lines of a white substance on the table. Not impressed because i lost that point"

"Always met good staff there, including those backpackers they hire for casual work around the place. Loved the chill vibes, everyone so friendly, quiet most times, picks up into party season too. I mostly just visited friends here but did say the occasional night... could do with more showers but they've done well turning it into a hostel, for the old firestation it is."