Lorella Springs Wilderness Park
Save
Share
Nathan River Road Gulf Region, Borroloola, Northern Territory 0854 Australia
Lock in great prices from these sites
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.
Full view
View all photos (185)185
Room & Suite (12)
Pool & Beach (3)
About
#2 of 2 in Borroloola
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
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!
Read more
Property amenities
Parking
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Self-serve laundry
Location
Full view
Contact
Nathan River Road Gulf Region, Borroloola, Northern Territory 0854 Australia
See all nearby hotels121Reviews3Q+A22Room tips
Reviews
Traveller rating
- 72
- 22
- 7
- 12
- 8
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
Sort by:
Most Recent
Very basic amenities-makeshift corrugated iron showers and toilets, shared by men and women with huge unplugged holes all over them. I was not at all comfortable and chose not to use the shower. The water was only hot if someone had fired up the wood heater. All a little too careless. There were barely any provisions available-shop almost empty, which was not an issue for us but I imagine some struggled. The hot spring near reception area was very warm and I really enjoyed it and the socialising, as it got crowded around 3-5 every day ( prob because people were using it as a substitute for their normal shower because of the poor amenities.) Happy hour was fun. The helicopter 1/2 trip was good. The 4WD tracks were demanding, and to get to some of the highlights of the station, took a reasonable walk after driving there. I felt it all a bit over-rated. We found staff lovely and very helpful. But Outback doesn't have to mean lacking in properly private shower and toilet cubicles, particularly in this day and age. One set of mixed amenities offered only shower curtains for doors. Not on for safety of youth and children. If they put a bit more effort in I would totally rate it as a worthwhile visit.…
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Service
Room Tip: We camped so I can't rate the rooms at Lorella Springs.
See more room tips
Helpful
+1
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
Room Tip: I wouldn't recommend going during the build up
See more room tips
Helpful
We heard about Lorella Springs while chatting with other travelers on the Savannah Way. Our plan was to drop in for a night and visit the Lost City the next day. Well! 5 nights later after exploring Lorella Springs and camping out in the wilderness some nights, camping by the homestead and bathing in the warm springs, we reluctantly dragged ourselves out to see the Lost City (which is amazing). Staff were welcoming and helpful, food was great, limited supplies and diesel available and a beautiful wilderness full of adventure and wildflowers to explore. Tracks 4WD and not for the feint hearted but fabulous.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
Room Tip: This is largely a BYO room for campers but I think there were cabins.
See more room tips
Helpful
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
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
It is beautiful there. And for that alone I would recommend going. However I feel the need to share an unfortunate experience. There are huge privacy issues on the campgrounds. Especially with the hot showers. We were set up close to the wood fire block. One of the teenage girls in our group had a man pull open the shower curtain ( a flimsy, cheap, ripped one fastened with a square of Velcro) whilst she was in there showering. He Opened it fully and had a good look at her before scampering off. Another one in our group saw someone leering to look at them on the toilet. I brought the incident up with the cleaners (who were very sympathetic) and then to reception, only to get a response of “Wow, why would anyone want do that? That’s never happened before” I then asked if there were any showers available on the block with doors. And got a gruff “It’s on our to-do list along with a million other things, everything has to come from Darwin you know and it’s a very long way…” (a rather passive aggressive guilt trip for daring to ask). After being told that “it was our choice to shower there” Her advice was to use the colder central shower block instead which has female/male sections. I left bewildered and was later shocked to find out that this lady who unconsciously condoned questionable conditions, was one of the owners. 🥺 There was no apology or care towards our kids feeling violated at all. Just a dismissive “I get it”. And I’m saddened to see that this issue has been brought up in a previous review from 2 years ago. Everyone has a right to personal privacy. We left the following day feeling unheard and obsolete. Lorella Springs is a beautiful spot with breathtaking scenery. And most of the staff there are more than accommodating. I just feel compelled to warn others of the potential risk that we unfortunately encountered there. This man was a visitor. And I fully accept that the owners have no control over his decision to invade ones personal space. But doors aren’t a huge ask. Even if they’re tin ones. Just something that can be secured. However after the response I got, I don’t see it ever happening. Just something to be wary of when visiting.…
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
The natural areas around Lorella are indeed nice. But there's a level of marketing hype that doesn't match the reality. Here's our experience in July 2021: -The roads in are horrendous. Lorella's website says "when taking it slowly and with care most vehicles and caravans should have no problem being able to travel through.", which is completely misleading. The corrugations were absolutely horrendous, and the campground was a wasteland of busted caravans and cars. We saw vans with completely snapped suspension, two disabled cars, 15 shredded tyres, busted shower doors, cupboards, and the roads are littered with pieces that have fallen off vans and cars en-route. We've done plenty of 4wd travel, and this road is on par with the Tanami, or other remote tracks- it is wide, but in very poor condition- its most definitely NOT suitable for dragging a regular caravan through. -Just accessing the main campsite involves a steep and rutted-out river crossing. With our large caravan, we needed 1st low range and the lockers on. A camper trailer or lighter & smaller van would be fine. -The campsite was full. Think busy caravan park. That isn't Lorella's fault, but the claim "there's room for everyone" is misleading in that many stay at the campsite. That meant people playing music until 11pm, constant dust from the passing vehicles, and a feeling very different to being remote and away from it all. -Its expensive for what you get- $51 for a family of four. Which gets you.. a dusty campsite and access to the property. Basic toilets and water. I appreciate Lorella is truly remote and its expensive to get supplies there- but they don't supply you with anything! Plenty of other camps in the NT charge around $20 for the same level of service, and are almost as remote. -The tracks out around the property are decent 4wd tracks- no way you can take your regular car. Just 10 minutes from the camp you'll find deep bulldust and a deepish river crossing you need to navigate to get anywhere. So average speeds are slow, and it means it takes a long time to get anywhere- the most-popular attractions are around an 80km round trip from the main camp. Sure, you can try and camp at these sites (saving the round trip), but they were all full when we arrived. Yes, there's plenty of room on such a big property, but not at the popular/nice spots. -All that said, IF you can escape the crowds, and you're properly equipped (NOT a regular caravan or 2wd), then there's some really nice natural areas. Certainly no better than Kakadu or Litchfield (for example), but the sense of adventure and achievement in getting to them is wonderful. But again, you need to escape the crowds, and realise what you're getting into...…
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Location
Service
Helpful
+1
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
Room Tip: Remember this is the outback not a resort. Choose the time of year to go depending on what you...
See more room tips
Helpful
Lorella Springs is a wannabe El Questro Adventure Park but underserves it’s potential with the family-owned operation clearly not spending money on maintenance of its facilities. The cost of $25 per head per night provides you with: - algae-filled swamps which were described as “stunning”, “hidden gem” and “crystal clear” on the map given on arrival were more appropriate for the wet season and not the tourist season. These had clearly not been flowing for a while. Underwhelming was our first thought and was many others at the same pools. The staff seemed to have no idea on what the state of the waterholes were as they also provided a totally false impression of the property. The exception would be for Nanny’s Retreat which seemed to be the only running, clear waterhole (it’s more like 1600m from the car park) - $15 per hour for wifi which isn’t strong enough to send an email - a road-in to rival the Tanami in September (BYO mouthguard and be prepared for body numbing corrugations) - station amenities with a shower curtain for a door for the toilet/showers (when the wind blew in I had to hold the corners down whilst on the loo); an outdoor tap for a bathroom sink (make sure you stand far enough out of the big hole); and a wet concrete floor to put your bathroom bag. - no sanitation bins in the ladies toilet with some guests resorting to leaving their rubbish on the bathroom floors 🤮 The place has been let go and reviews prior to 2021 are inaccurate to say the least.…
Read more
Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
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
Room Tip: Take care on the road n, the condition depends on recent weather but improvements are being made
See more room tips
Helpful
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
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
LOCATION
AustraliaNorthern TerritoryTop EndBorroloola
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
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.
Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about Lorella Springs Wilderness Park
What are some of the property amenities at Lorella Springs Wilderness Park?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and kids activities.
What food & drink options are available at Lorella Springs Wilderness Park?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Lorella Springs Wilderness Park?
Yes, parking is available to guests.
Are pets allowed at Lorella Springs Wilderness Park?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.