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bob b

Paradise in the Northern Territory

5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 13 July 2021via mobile
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

Date of stay: July 2021
Room Tip: Remember this is the outback not a resort. Choose the time of year to go depending on what you...
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Reviewed 6 July 2021

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.

Date of stay: July 2021
Trip type: Travelled with family
2  Thank V6959JMcharlottet
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.
Reviewed 26 June 2021 via mobile

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.

Room tip: Take care on the road n, the condition depends on recent weather but improvements are being made
Date of stay: April 2021
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank Roving06032316964
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.
Reviewed 26 June 2021

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.

Date of stay: June 2021
    • Location
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
2  Thank 159jd
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.
Reviewed 22 June 2021

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.

Room tip: don't believe what they say is in the room and what you can use
Date of stay: June 2021
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Service
Thank 350tracieh
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.
Reviewed 5 June 2021

We were sucked in by all the hype about Lorella Springs and the great 'wilderness adventure' with its abundance of wildlife across the 1 million ha property. The access and on-station roads/tracks were a disgrace, experienced 4x4 people were constantly being 'rescued' from deep-rutted sand-filled tracks (we counted three on the same day) - and charged $500 a time for the recovery. Toilet and shower facilities were filthy and some were over-flowing, Diesel was $2.50 a litre, evening meals were an eye-watering $39.95 (nothing cheaper). When a customer who paid top dollar for a self-contained cabin complained that the promised aircon, tv and other basic facilities were not as advertised, she was told she had an 'attitude problem'. We could go on ... Lorella Springs definitely is an experience! But it's definitely not one we would recommend.

Date of stay: May 2021
2  Thank Tony N
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.
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