Dreamtime is celebrating its 21st Birthday this year!   Each year the hostel evolves, improves and provides a resting and meeting place for like minded travellers.   We pride ourselves on our personal service while you enjoy our amazing natural surrounds.  The staff and owners are world travellers themselves and welcome you to their special meeting place.  Welcome to your Dreamtime.

The Dreamtime Story

A True Dreamtime Story

Once upon a time there were two independent travellers. One named Steve from Northern Ireland and one named Sally from North England.

Now Steve was a seasoned traveller and had many interesting stories and adventures that he’d experienced. One day in 1987 whilst quietly writing postcards in a YHA diner in San Diego he turned to a girl in the booth next to him to ask what the date was. From that instant there was a connection he with his inspiring stories and her with an unusual past. They spent hours swapping conversation and that evening whilst saying goodnight to each other in the corridor of the hostel they vowed to meet the next morning to catch a bus to the border of Mexico.

After a month of amazing travel moments through Mexico they returned to San Diego and took the next step of the journey onwards to New Zealand together. They canoed through National parks, went black water rafting in the unexplored Waitomo caves. The world was their oyster!

The young couple lived to travel during those early years of their romance they spent time living and working in Australia always with the intention of saving for the next trip.

Just before they were ready to embark on the next leg of their journey Sally unexpectedly fell pregnant. Within a week they packed up and headed off on their original planned route. The hugely anticipated two year plan was to be cut short to accommodate a break in the UK for the arrival of their first child.

The overland Asian part was everything they had hoped for from hiking through the Indonesian Islands, hitchhiking in Malaysia and bamboo rafting in Thailand. Carefully taking the last possible flight from the Philippines to Hong Kong at almost 7 months pregnant they trekked through China, Russia and finally Eastern Europe to arrive home to their families in time for the birth of Sorcha their first daughter.

Whilst enjoying a driving holiday through the country side of Ireland they stayed in some of the most unique independent hostels they had ever come across. It was then that they were inspired to one day open their own home for travellers.

They realised it was important for their baby to grow fit and strong but still the restless legs would not leave their thoughts. After a 6 month stay it was time to put on the backpacks and once again head onto the exciting and unknown road of travel but this time accompanied with their beautiful 6 month old baby. She was fortunate to join them on camel treks in India and take her first steps in a temple in Nepal then onwards to Thailand and finally Australia.

Shortly after their return whilst driving overland in a kombi van the young family found a dilapidated, run down Queenslander property on the wrong side of the railway tracks in the city of Cairns. With determination, hard work and much love they set to work on the restoration and transformation with the vision of a haven for travellers from all over the world.

Almost 21 years later the success of Dreamtime has to be attributed to the many travellers, friends and helpers that have contributed their energy to make it work.  Many thanks to all the Hostelworld .com reviews making us the number one hostel in Australia for the second time in 5 years . Dreamtime will be 21 years old November 2012

Welcome to our Dreamtime . Happy safe travels with Thanks Steve, Sally and family.