‘Everyone is so desperate’: backpackers grapple with Australia’s high costs

Travellers in search of a laid-back, barefoot lifestyle are instead facing housing stress and rethought plansGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email“There’s literally nowhere available!” Michel von Düsterlho, a 26-year-old backpacker from Germany, says of searching for hostels.Von Düsterlho, who arrived in Australia on a working holidaymaker (WHM) visa, is following a path trod over decades by young travellers in search of sunnier climes, golden beaches and the op