Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Lorella Springs Wilderness Park is located on the Savannah Way in Australia's Northern Territory. Natural hot springs, safe swimming holes and waterfalls, bird watching, bush walking, 4WD tracks, fishing at billabongs, creeks or at the coast. Scenic helicopter flights and coastal tours to the Gulf coast. Choice of accommodation from camping, en-suite Deluxe rooms or air-conditioned cabins. "Remote", "untouched", "peaceful" and "friendly" are some of the words described by our guests about Lorella. Come and check it out for yourself!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Hidden Gem
Location
Nathan River Road Gulf Region, Borroloola, Northern Territory 0854 Australia
Lorella Springs Wilderness Park
127 reviews
127Reviews3Q+A25Room tips
Reviews
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
We are a couple so review will be from each of us. My review: Lorella Springs is paradise. It has such diverse environments. One day you can be experiencing the majesty of million year old escarpments with aboriginal art, the next coastal Plains catching mudcrab. We spent 3 weeks at Lorella, some at the homestead, but most remote camping. The homestead has everything you want, hot showers, flushing toilets, cold drinks, friendly staff and a thermal pool to wash the dirt off. The campground is huge, so you don't feel like you are camping in each others lap, and has sections for generators, non generators and even nudists. But it was the remote camping that made it for me. You can camp anywhere you like and there are alot of places to like. The scenery matches if not succumbs both Litchfield and Kakadu national park. I will definitely be back but next time will be a little earlier in the year to catch the run off. A must see and do place, just keep in mind, you are in the middle of nowhere so don't expect city luxuries. Just sit back and enjoy what the outback has to offer. Loved it. Ok part 2, if you want to see and live the ruggedness of the Northern Territory this is the place. Yep you do have a bit of a safety net, access to hot showers, flushing toilets and a bar and a rescue service. I did hear a few people whine about some costs, eg fuel, simple buy jerry cans and fill them up and cart them with you.. then network service, well you are in the middle of the scrub, one hour out of Darwin and you don't get service, should be there enjoying the outback and forget the bid smoke. You got bogged in your 4 x4 , well stay on the black stuff or sell the 4x4. If you want those luxuries go club med or those other places and pay $1000 a day. If you want to see some of the best countryside Australia has to offer and have fun doing it, this is the place to go. So get prepared and set off for an adventure, that's what this place is about
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Remember this is the outback not a resort. Choose the time of year to go depending on what you...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We enjoyed camping here. The park offers water, showers and toilets onsite at the homestead and you can have a fire. If you go off track to camp you can stop anywhere and need your own water and toileting. The hosts are amazing. The roads and mapping with advice make getting to the highlights like Nanny’s Retreat much easier. The helicopter trip may sound expensive but it was awesome. We had three nights but three weeks would be good too. Next time.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It is a family-owned, working cattle station, the most isolated in the world according to our guide. Guests do not take part in any farm activities. The family history is one of the interesting stories of the NT and Rhett and Maria are happy to share experiences with guests. No mobile connectivity, satellite phone and internet connection available for a fee. Accommodation is about 200 metres from the delightful, tree-shaded open-air dining and reception area. It was a delight to sit there in the shade during our free time. There is a spring fed swimming hole across the lawn from the dining area. Home style meals, chosen from a small menu, are prepared by the owners Rhett and Maria and served by Rhett’s son Tristan. Guests who had identified special requirements (e.g. gluten free) were very well catered for. Rooms have an effective ceiling fan but no aircon. Terracotta tiles, good bathroom with walk in shower; double rooms have desk with a hanging rail above, one suitcase stand, one bedside lamp and little else. Double glass doors open to path and lawn. These and the bathroom window are well gauzed against insects. Washing machine $10 per load, available between 8am – 4pm to make good use of abundant solar power in daylight. After dark, solar batteries and (expensive) diesel generators kick in. We were part of a tour group so cannot comment on all additional activities offered by Lorella Springs. Our tour drove to several swimming holes and picnicked by a peaceful lagoon which had canoes to paddle. We visited the Lost City on our way to Lorella Springs, an amazing rock formation to explore. The helicopter fly over the following day was disappointing in that the pilot banked one way only and the passenger seated behind the pilot had a view obstructed by headrests and seatbelts. The only negative of our visit.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2024
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked the most expensive room due to health issues, under the understanding it had at least basic tea/coffee facilities and A/C. We didn't need the AC, so that's fine but to even make ourselves a cuppa after 8pm and before 8am we had to use our own little camping gear (that we were not going to take as it was advertised as self contained) . After paying $220 each per night for 4 nights we decided $39 was a bit much for dinner for 4 nights so thankfully we had a few tins of beans etc. If the website was more honest we could have been better prepared and would not have paid that amount for our accommodation or stayed as long. The nice big room had a big bed a TV that didn't work, mine had a small bar fridge and a small table, that's it. The BBQ outside was handy but no kettle to boil for a cuppa or anything else. The helicopter flight we splurged out for our holiday was well worth it, the young pilot was wonderful, informative and very patient with my friend who has health issues. Top marks to him. Feeling disappointed in the only 4 days I have had off in a long time and my 'splurg' holiday really did not meet the price I paid for the room. The roads were what I expected and the places we visited were what I expected, just too much money for their top range room that did not deliver what they said.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:don't believe what they say is in the room and what you can use
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Located 127 Kilometres from Cape Crawford, Lorella Springs offers basic camp spots with access to showers (water can be warm, if you bring wood and light the boiler) and toilets in camp areas close to the homestead. Further away it's full on bush camping.
Some good walks, but tracks are rough and not exceptionally well marked.
It's worth the trip on the rough, corrugated roads.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:I wouldn't recommend going during the build up
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dusty, dirty facilities, no bathroom sinks, no covid sanitation or signage, toilets and showers were not cleaned the entire time that we were there. No rubbish bins available in toilets, an outside tap at a bog hole sufficed for a sink for hundreds of people. Couldn't wash face, hands, teeth without water splashing out of mud. Very unhygienic! Nowhere to hang gear in most showers as facilities have not been maintained at all for what looks like season after season. No hot water unless donkey going, and that's ok, except to keep the donkey going, people needed to BYO firewood, from outside the park. Considering how much firewood was available in the park, a small amount could have been continuously stocked at the toilet block. At $25/person, and even in a remote area, this was not good. The sights were very disappointing. The waterholes were long since fouled up by visitors as the drier conditions set in. We did not swim in them. Nanny's Retreat still ok, but sheer numbers of tourists will rapidly make the condition of this waterhole poor, and it's a shame as humans can do without it, but wildlife cannot! Other sights were also not as claimed and the roads were atrocious in some areas to the point that people should have been warned just how bad they were and perhaps closed off until they could be attended to. The hard sell for Helicopter rides met us on arrival, and we did not appreciate the push to do them before we'd even checked in, along with sights that were not as we found them. Direction signage was poor, misleading and too small. We've done years of 4WD trips and remote area camping, dealt with the roughest of roads and poorest of camping facilities, but this far from met our expectations because it's sold as a highlight of an NT visit. It's grossly overated.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Visited Lorella Springs last week. Campground is lovely – spacious with basic facilities which are fine. Unfortunately, while driving on one of their tracks, we had a stick go through our AC condenser and radiator causing the vehicle to breakdown and this is where Lorella Springs staff let us down severely. We asked if help was available – as there is a notice the Workshop is open 8 – 3 each day. The answer we got was “our mechanic is away for 10 days and he doesn’t like people touching his things”. We asked if we could purchase Knead-it/Body filler – but not even these basics were available. Requests to various staff were greeted with the same negative answer and no other assistance or advice provided. After a trip (with friends) to Borroloola to find the knead it and/or body filler the repairs didn’t work. The following morning we asked for use of the bar phone (as no mobile coverage) and were reluctantly granted use, which is timed and charged for. During a call to Katherine Toyota, an LS staff member interrupted to tell us we shouldn’t be using that phone. Our very good friends made the return trip to Katherine to collect a new radiator which had been sent overnight from Darwin to Katherine. We removed the old radiator, but the use of a pinch bar would have made it much easier (to separate the condenser from the radiator). A request for the use of a pinch bar from the workshop was also too much for LS to help with. One staff member announced on day 4 he was a ‘mechanic’ and would come down later with his tools, he didn’t appear. Also, their ground-maintenance person drove around the campsite every morning and could clearly see us working on the ute with the bonnet up for days (even waving at us!!!) – but hadn’t the interest or work ethic to ask if we needed any help. Surely there has to be some Duty of Care, even in the Bush? Where is the “Outback Way” in LS? We spoke with a few staff members and the attitude was always the same. We did not expect a full mechanical repair – but we did expect and hoped for a basic level of interest or help. We replaced the radiator and drove out after 5 days at the campground. Also dinner at $39 is not worth it – steak was tough and just about warm. This place needs Customer Service training and an attitude upgrade to bring it up to scratch – even for the Bush. Lovely property – just don’t expect any help if you have a problem.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lorella Springs Wilderness Park is exactly what it says, untamed terrain with spectacular gorges, hot springs, caves, fishing, beaches, paintings, wildlife etc. You could stay near the campground/homestead with toilets etc or venture out as far as you like! We prepared for this trip appropriately with regards to vehicle setup, fuel, water, camping supplies and drove from Darwin via Cape Crawford (heartbreak hotel) and had no issues with the roads. Such an awesome getaway and we will definitely will be back earlier in the year to check out the waterfalls we missed. I hope it stays the way it is! P.S. we also did the Helicopter flight with Nick the pilot and it should 100% be on everyone's list as a must do, cannot speak highly enough about Nicks skills and knowledge of the area!
Read more
Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The 29 km drive to get there is bull dust and bad corrugations, Stagnant turtle pool greats you at reception . Terrible toilets built with second hand corrugated iron and showers cement floor no hot water, the grey water runs onto the ground where you walk. The entry to the thermal swimming area is steep and of dirt with loose wire mesh that moves and is dangerous also the water entry is very slippery and uneven, an accident waiting to happen. The glossy brochure does not reflect the facility. Very expensive to stay and it’s obvious this private owner does not put money back into the park
Read more
Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed 3 nights in a lovely cabin overlooking the creek and just a short walk to the homestead. the room was very clean, the shower great and the bed very comfortable. The room was air conditioned but we found the fan was all that was needed in the middle of the day. The deck area at reception was a great place to sit chat and have a drink. As part of our tour meals were included and they were fine, especially in such a remote place. The staff were really friendly and helpful especially when we had a mad rush to get permits to enter Queensland with the changing Covid situation. The helicopter ride was great fun as was the outings out into the Park to swim in some waterholes. The Spring at the Homestead was very refreshing too.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Take care on the road n, the condition depends on recent weather but improvements are being made
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You would need a 4 wheel drive high clearance 4wd. The road from Darwin across to Boorooloola gets graded at the start of the Tourist season. By August the weather is lovely but the road is corrugated. The creek crossings are tidal.
The tracks at Lorella Springs are sandy and there are creek crossings. Quite an adventure.
It is 900 kilometres from Darwin & probably 500 on unmade roads. There are creek crossings, some subject to tides.
Too far for 4 days. Large family groups do go there. I suggest you ring for costings & the closing date as wet season approaches.
My suggestion is to go when you have more time. You can make the trip a worthwhile adventure.
Hi Sue
I took my dog there when camping with my boys. We took him everywhere with us, although had to carry him over some of the rocks at times. We had him on a lead at times and at times he just trotted along beside us. Also, there is plenty of space to camp away from others if you need to.
I have been living in the Top End for over 10 years now and thought the prices there were very reasonable for my 2 sons and I - there are costs in transport and storage in remote areas that are not issues elsewhere.
There are more places to choose from in the Borroloola area.
LOCATION
AustraliaNorthern TerritoryTop EndBorroloola
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
