There's always room to shove in one more

Backpacker/Pickup Joints   Are you a backpacker interested in saving every last penny?  Does sleeping in a 25-bed dorm bed sound like a dream -- figuratively, of course.  We know you won't be doing any sleeping.   Visit the Backpacker Directory for a list of hostels and backpacker/pickup joints.   Pub Rooms and Hotels This was Doug's first arsenal for finding a good deal on a room.   These were common books placed into every Australian mailbox.  Doug got hold of one and scored deal after deal after deal.  Only once in all his use of the book did a price differ in reality from what was listed, whereas this is the norm with Lonely Planet.  Go Stay has its entire directory online now. This is your second tool.   From Go Stay, you have an idea what the cheapest room you can find is.   The Go Stay rooms, however, aren't necessary the best value rooms.  Your next stop should be to visit Hotels Combined to see if you can line up something better.   They're a meta-search engine that utilizes the engines of 20 or so other reservation services. Your last stop on the accommodation search is Agoda, which offers a best price guarantee.  What that means is that if you reserve a hotel room through Agoda and then show them that you could have booked the same room for the same dates at a lower rate that is viewable and bookable on another website within 24 hours of booking your room with them, Agoda will either match that rate or beat it.  Hence, our reasons for using Go Stay, then Hotels Combined, then Agoda.   Camping Australia could be the best place in the world for camping.   Australians like to camp, and there are plenty of well kept campgrounds all over the country, most (but not all, by a longshot) at reasonable prices.  Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the northern parts of Western Australia are all wonderful places to camp.   You can even camp in the cities if that's your cup of tea. Lists camping and caravan parks and national parks all over Australia and the amenities each provides.  Bills itself as Australia's largest caravanning (motorhome/trailer) directory.  Travelers with just a tent and a backpack and car may not find all these listings pertinent.  Oz Holiday Parks has a nice interface for searching caravan and camping spots all over the country. Miscellaneous If you want a chance to work for your accommodation, Australia can provide that.  All you need to do is Wwoof. No, you don't have to bark like a dog, just work like one.  Wwoof stands for Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms.  By buying an Australian Wwoof Directory (cost:  AUD 60 for one, AUD 70 for two), you become a member of the organization.  The book contains a list of all the opportunities around the country. The jobs began as work on organic farms.  Now, they could also involve any kind of environmentally-friendly ecowork.  Some jobs may border on babysitting someone's kids or teaching classes.  The basic deal is that you work in exchange for your keep and get all meals and accommodation thrown in.