The best hotels in Australia are the ones that are just a little bit weird. Unique stays in quirky hotels have always been my favorite, and Australia has no shortage of them. So here’s the best of the best — our list of the top 10 unusual hotels in Australia.
Unique Stays in Quirky Hotels in Australia
Stay in a Rainforest Treehouse – Silky Oaks Lodge
During our recent trip to Cairns, we stayed at Silky Oaks Lodge, a luxury treehouse hotel located inside the oldest continuously surviving rainforest on Earth. Some of the treehouses lie nestled beside the Mossman River. Some neighbor gardens. All have comfy beds, fancy bathrooms, and a cozy balcony equipped with a hammock for lounging. A separate treehouse houses a restaurant, and the resort is perhaps best known for its elegant outdoor dining experience.
You can read our article review of our stay at Silky Oaks Lodge here: (coming soon) or Click Here to Find the Lowest Prices and More Information
Stay in a Castle – Kryal Castle
Complete with a moat, drawbridge, armoury, and even a maze, Kryal Castle exists as both a theme park and a hotel, advertising itself as “Australia’s Only Legendary Land of Myth and Adventure.” Visitors can attend shows and dining experiences. Favorite attractions include the Royal Joust, Wizards Workroom, the Torture Dungeon, the Dragon’s Labyrinth, and the Jester’s Theatre. The 17 on-site Castle Suites come equipped with free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, a bar fridge, toaster, and a microwave, as well as give guests the opportunity to have the castle to themselves outside of normal opening hours once all theme park guests have headed home.
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Stay in an Underground City – Coober Pedy
In the Outback desert 846 km (526 mi) north of Adelaide, a small town named Coober Pedy exists below the earth. To escape the scorching heat, residents build and spend most of their lives below ground. There you’ll find subterranean versions of everything from bookstores and bars to churches, homes, and shops. And hotels, too, of course. For people like you (me – pick me!) who are dying to check it out.
Click Here to See All the Hotels in Coober Pedy and View Their Latest Prices
You can also check out 5 Lost Together’s guide to spending one day in Coober Pedy over on their travel blog.
Stay in… a Crocodile?! – Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel
Wait, is that right? You betcha — in Jabiru, Australia, you can indeed sleep inside a crocodile. Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel features four-star accommodation conveniently located near Kakadu’s top tourist attractions. It’s perhaps best known, however, for its uniquely shaped exterior, of course. So if you’ve ever had any weird fantasies about being swallowed whole by a croc a la Captain Hook style from Peter Pan, head on over to this hotel to make your quirky fairytale dreams come true.
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Stay in a Prison – Fremantle Prison YHA
Just nine miles from Perth in Fremantle, Australia, the old World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison now offers visitors the chance to sleep in jail cells as part of the Fremantle Prison YHA Backpacker’s Hostel. The prison housed criminals from 1855 to 1991, and the women’s division now exists as an award-winning backpacker’s hostel.
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Stay in a Fire Station – Fremantle Old Fire Station Backpackers Hostel
In historic Fremantle, Australia, the old fire station has been renovated and repurposed into a backpackers hostel.
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And if you’re looking for more things to do during your quirky stay in Fremantle, our friend Claire has written an excellent Fremantle Attractions guide over on her blog Claire’s Footsteps.
Sleep Floating over the Great Barrier Reef – Reefsleep on Reefworld
The Reefsleep experience lets visitors enjoy sleeping under the stars while floating on the water in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. The overnight experience includes a day of activities on board the Reefworld pontoon where you can snorkel, dive, swim, explore the reef from its 50 seat underwater observatory, or even ride a semi-submersible.
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Stay in a Lighthouse – Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse
You can stay in a heritage-listed Assistant Lighthouse Keepers’ cottage in Seal Rocks, Australia. Nestled in the hill directly below Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse’s functioning lightstation, two self-contained cottages now offer holiday accommodation to anyone looking for a unique vacation on the beach. Built in 1875, each cottage includes a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, two separate bedrooms, and modern conveniences such as a flat screen TV, DVD player, electric heating, and laundry room. Lying within Myall Lakes National Park, there’s also an abundance of walking and nature trails nearby, and since the lighthouse is still a working lighthouse, perhaps the best attraction is watching it light up the sky at night.
Sleep in a Zoo – Taronga Zoo Roar and Snoar
Ever dreamed of sleeping inside a zoo? The Taronga Zoo in Sydney hosts an overnight program cleverly named Roar and Snoar. Dubbed “Sydney’s Ultimate Sleepover,” the unique hotel-like experience features welcome drinks, a buffet dinner, luxury campsite accommodation with stunning harbour views inside the zoo, and multiple intimate encounters with animals outside of regular park hours. In the evening, Roar and Snoar guests embark on a one-and-a-half hour private night safari before sleeping in specially constructed tents equipped with electricity, a fully blanketed double bed, and a single pop-up trundle bed. An on-site amenity house also provides bathrooms, showers, and clean towels. The event begins at 6:15 PM and concludes the following morning after a continental breakfast and two exclusive, behind the scenes tours & interactive keeper experiences. For more info, itinerary, and to book your stay, visit the Taronga Zoo’s Roar and Snoar page here.
Stay in an Old Steam Mill – Hahndorf Old Mill Hotel
Originally established as a steam mill in 1854, the Hahndorf Old Mill supplied neighboring farmers with seed grain, servicing farmers as far away as Victoria, for over 60 years. Today it operates as a restaurant, bar, and hotel. The accommodation options overlook a tree-lined creek and feature Austrian inspired chalets with mezzanine floors and in-room spas.
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Please do not copy or reproduce any of the photos or content on this page without permission. It makes dragons sad. And nobody likes a sad dragon. Except for maybe sad people. Away with you, you poopy pirate.
For more Australia travel inspiration, check out some of our other adventures here:
- 20 Photos of the Most Amazingly Beautiful Places in Australia
- The Sydney Opera House is Not White – 10 Sydney Secrets known only by Locals ( plus a One Day Travel Itinerary )
- Top 10 Things to Do in Cairns Australia
- Kuranda Scenic Railway – Riding the Rainforest Waterfall Train
- Daintree River Cruises – Bruce Belcher’s Crocodile Cruise through Australian Rainforest
- Kuranda Village in a Rainforest – Top 10 Things to do in Kuranda Australia
- Barron Falls – Stunning Waterfall Deep in the Australian Rainforest
- 12 Best Beaches and Swimming Holes in Cairns
- Cairns Skyrail Rainforest Cableway – Riding a Glass-Bottom Gondola over a Waterfall
Or view all our Australia Travel Articles here.
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