Australia was beyond my expectations

Clare Babbidge

Numbers have swelled this year as the Australian government increased the number of working holiday visas by 20%, from 65,000 to 78,000.

This is in preparation for the expected jobs bonanza during the Olympics, being staged this summer in Sydney.

Local estimates suggest that up to half of all backpackers in Australia originate in the UK.

And it is not difficult to see what attracts them.

Queensland, where at least 15 people perished in a fire at the Palace Backpackers Hostel, enjoys a near-perfect climate all-year round.

Brisbane, a likely stop-off for many travellers who then head to Childers, is Australia's third largest city and boasts a decent street cafe scene along with a lively nightlife.

Backpackers enjoy the freedom of travelling

Englishwoman Clare Babbidge has twice taken the backpackers' route around Australia - firstly in 1992 and again in 1998/99.

She told BBC News Online: "I saw other people's holiday photos and heard stories about the friendships you can make while travelling, so I decided to give it a go.

"Australia was beyond my expectations, an incredible place, but I was a little disappointed that the backpacking scene was so packaged and businesslike.

"It felt like I was being mothered.

"I found the hostels in Australia to be of a generally high standard - I think the industry is very competitive and laws are very stringent - and very few of them were overcrowded or dirty.

"I did a bit of fruitpicking for a few weeks - for oranges - and I think a lot of backpackers work on farms around the Brisbane area to earn a few quid as they work their way up the coast.

'Dirty, hard work'

"To be honest, you have to be very, very skint to do it as the work is incredibly hard and dirty.

"What did I gain? A great time and some fantastic memories."

The Childers hostel destroyed by fire features in Lonely Planet guidebooks, used by many travellers.

A spokesperson for the company, Jennifer Cox, told BBC News Online the hostel was "a really nice place - not like some of the dingy hostels that do exist around Sydney's King's Cross area".

'Beautiful town'

"Childers is entirely typical of Australian towns - there is one main high street and most of the buildings are wooden because they are cooler and help keep out the bugs," she said.

"The part of Childers where the fire happened is an heritage area and would be quite old. It is a beautiful little town."

She added that UK travellers liked Australia because they speak a common language, understand the culture and can get visas which allow them to work and top up their savings.

"Many arrive in Australia having struggled a bit with some of the cultures in Asia," she said.