15 years
This is just a 10-minute drive from where I live. It is a good spot for a hostel and it should be a successful business.
Last year I visited hundreds of hostels around Australia while researching the BUG Australia guidebook and I found that most places in Australia where well set up for hostels and only a handful of places where in need of more hostel accommodation. Phillip Island is one of those places. It needs another hostel.
The other two hostels are in Cowes, a town at the northern end of the island. It's pleasant enough with a sheltered beach and a nice evening market but it is a bit dull. A better location is near Cape Woolomai where there is good surf, or at San Remo (across the bridge from Newhaven). The Newhaven hostel is located between these two spots and in my opinion is better located than the other Phillip Island hostels. It's also on the main road so travellers driving can't miss the place.
The number of bus services between Melbourne and Phillip Island doubled this month, which is a bonus for this hostel; but to really make the most of this hostel you'll need to run your own minibus to make trips to see the penguins as well as for pick ups from Melbourne.
If you're looking at a hostel in Australia, it is definitely worth considering. My guess is that Base or Nomads would be interested (as the flashpackers concept seems to fit with their direction), but an independent operator could also do a great job with this hostel.
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