I cannot believe how rude and argumentative and unhelpful the lady at reception was. Will NEVER stay there again!!!

I stayed there for 2 nights, and had a good time : what was really great is the incredible nature you can find just a few km from Mackay in the national parks, and spot easily platypus if you know where (Broken River in Eungella Nat. Park, on the viewing platforms) and also WHEN to go (have a wake up early that means...) as platypus are more active between 4-8 am and the tours leave from Mackay at 5 am, so be prepared!

The plus :
great central location (just 1 block from the main street)
on a small street, not noisy and a lot of rooms are back from the street.
cheap internet (3$ / hour)
single beds
quite clean bathrooms, better than average in the backpackers

The location is good. It's right in the middle of town. The town itself is also pretty nice after our stay in Townsvile. Then the hostel, where to begin.
The lady at the reception was kind of fake friendly. Our double room was horrible. The bed was broken and a horrible mattress, we both woke up with a sore back. The room didn't have a window, only a shaft for some light. Which you couldn't cover up so you have to wake up when it starts to get light outside. It also made a lot of noise when you open the door. There were a couple of other guys playing loud techno music which you could here throughout the hostel.
The bathroom is ok. The kitchen is large and seems alright, but we didn't use it.

I stayed here for 1 night passing through and the only way to describe the atmosphere is that of a morgue. The lady on reception was tired and grumpy, they have this weird system where you get your own 'container' of crockery as there's none in the kitchen and it has to be returned on check out. The rooms are quite simple, the aircon is very effective (I had to sleep with a jacket on in the middle of summer as weird dormmate had it cranked to coolest setting ALL night & wouldn't turn it down). Bathrooms again clean, but very, very old looking. There isn't much natural light and everyone stays in their rooms. There no social areas, TV doesn't work and you can't use the kitchen after 9pm, can't drink, have to wash crockery IMMEDIATELY after use (or reception lady will yell at you!). All the strict rules, combined with the drab interior and overall quietness of the town make for quite a depressing stay. An update, a coat of bright paint, some nicer social areas and a smile from reception would make all the difference.