Tips - accommodation

Unless you're lucky enough to have a holiday home at a schoolies hotspot, you'll need to arrange your accommodation in advance. Use these tips as a last-minute checklist for arranging and looking after your accommodation:

Tips for arranging accommodation

1. Prepare a budget so you'll know how much you can afford to spend on accommodation and save enough money for other things like food, transport and having fun.

2. Choose a place that best meets your needs and your budget and shop around for the best accommodation deal. Celebrating closer to home means you can avoid expensive air tickets or costly resort accommodation.

3. Know your rights and responsibilities when renting accommodation, especially with things like bonds, repairs and cancellations. Ask to see and read the 'house rules' before signing anything. See our Rights & Responsibilities page

4. Don't leave your accommodation arrangements to the last minute. Schoolies hotspots book out fast and you'll be disappointed if you just walk in off the street.

5. Avoid heading to a schoolies venue without booking accommodation. You're better off partying at home or heading to a less popular destination where you're more likely to find accommodation.

Housekeeping tips

1. Keep your cash and other valuables in a safe place. Replacing your credit card, mobile phone or iPod could be costly and means lost time on the beach. If you choose to leave the door open, keep an eye on who's coming and going.

2. Be aware of local laws regarding noise restriction - you can get fined if you make too much noise at prohibited times (and it's a pain for your neighbours). See the Local Info pages in our Getting Organised section for local laws in the main Victorian schoolies hotspots.

3. Know the house rules of where you stay (most types of accommodation have rules that list things you can, and can't, do) and follow them. See our Rights and Responsibilities page for more about reasonable and unfair house rules.

4. Be a good tenant. Leave your room, apartment or campsite in the state you found it. Report any breakages or damage and be prepared to pay reasonable compensation to the owner, if necessary.

5. If you're visiting friends in their accommodation, be mindful of house rules and respect your neighbours. Remember - you are a guest and your friends are responsible (and liable) for the behaviour of guests.

Camping tips

1. Don't use accelerants such as petrol.

2. Only light fires in fireplaces provided, or as directed by signs (gas or fuel stoves have less environmental impact and are preferred) and fires aren't permitted in some parks.

3. Keep fires small.

4. Have a supply of water nearby.

5. Don't light a fire on hot windy days.

6. Use only fallen dead timber - and remember that this is habitat for insects and spiders, and a source of soil nutrients as it breaks down.

7. Chainsaws are usually not permitted in parks.

8. Make sure someone stays near the fire at all times, and make sure that it is completely out (cool to touch) before you leave.

9. No fires at all (including gas or fuel stoves in tents) may be lit on days of Total Fire Ban (external link). These bans don't necessarily apply to the whole of Victoria - it's your responsibility to find out which Fire Ban district you're in, and whether a Total Fire Ban has been declared on a particular day.

10. Keep your valuables with you at all times or ask your park manager if there's a safety deposit box.

11. Be a good neighbour - you may want to party all night but not everyone in the park will be happy if you keep them awake into the wee hours. Be especially mindful of campers who aren't schoolies.

Tips for dealing with disputes

1. Stay cool when trying to resolve a dispute, whether with the booking agency, property manager or whoever. Being polite and courteous goes a long way to getting your problem solved.

2. Got an unresolved dispute or problem? Call the local consumer advice agency in your area:

• Consumer Affairs Victoria - 1300 55 81 81
• New South Wales Office of Fair Trading - 13 32 30
• Queensland Office of Fair Trading - 13 13 04