Walkabout Lodge

Very enjoyable stay. Room comfortable, standard of housekeeping very good. Staff friendly and helpful. Meals in restaurant were great, with nightly specials. Drink prices a bit steep, especially the cocktails. Self-serve continental breakfast was fine.

If you like a level of accommodation of another era, this is the place to be. But first we must acknowledge Nhulunbuy is extremely remote, one of the remotest towns in Australia and it’s smack bang in the tropics, so things operate at a different level and pace. Don’t go in expecting a world class product. Most of the staff were very warm and welcoming, the house staff gentle and lovely. We stayed in room 112, so please avoid this at all cost. Supposedly the suite, it’s also bang against the bathroom and laundry for campers on the property. We had campers gathering around late at night and early morning chatting outside our bathroom window. There is also a repetitive pump, sewage treatment or compressor operating all night long, intermittently, every minute or so, winding up to somewhat of a roar then switching off again. The suite, at nearly $400 a night can’t be considered value for money and the kitchenette lacking in basics, such as a dish cloth or tea towel. A request to change rooms was met with “we’re full” and “we’ll check out the noise”, with no further words provided, other than “we require 48 hours notice to vacate”. It was later acknowledged that the pump has been rectified however the noise didn’t abate. Nhulunbuy is not truly on the tourist route yet, but it will be and they’re not ready for it. With the mine closing in 5 years this place will struggle if it can’t meet basic tourism requirements. The inclusive continental breakfast at Walkabout Lodge is seriously lacking - hardly any fresh fruit, no whole meal or grain bread, stale muesli, but in fairness probably reflecting supply limitations. The full chargeable breakfasts looked better if you want to spend more.

This place was very busy. The staff were friendly and helpful. The property is clean and well maintained. The room had a door leading to an outdoor area or balcony. The pool is lovely. The meals were delicious.