Wilpena Pound Resort

I did like the location a lot, the property is a perfect base for exploring beautiful flinders ranges, being it via scenic flight, 4WD or hike.
All the staff was very friendly, food in the restaurant is good quality, portions are big.
Waiting time can be enormous however.

What I didn't like, is that the room had so many flies inside, and that we were being eaten by ants in bed in the morning, couldn't sleep after 6.30 anymore.

Well worth the trip. It's beautiful and unique, full of amazing nature, huge trees and great hikes. I stayed in a safari tent. Very comfortable with aircon and an en suite.

We camped in the unpowered area last month and we loved it. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and went out of their way to be helpful.
The walks are amazing and easy to follow and the views, wow!
The shop was well stocked and we dined at the restaurant one night, amazing menu and the food and service was excellent. We are looking to come back and spend more time exploring the area.

We stayed at one of the Glamping tents. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I had only stayed in an actual tent on site before.

The tents are excellent! You literally have all the comforts of a hotel room, right under your roof!

The bed. I want one!

The bathroom - hot water and plenty of room to move.

Airconditioning - Yes, you have a split!

The view - Love love love.

We had a fire and watched the wildlife for hours.

I was surprised to see they have a small IGA supermarket. Everything you need is in it. I'm talking alcohol, groceries, snacks, meat, frozen goods and more.

The petrol was excellently priced for the location.

Overall, we had an amazing weekend and will definitely return!

Indifferent staff. Accommodation too small for the money. It's an incredibly beautiful location but the place is average at best. Nice food but doesn't overcome the lacking facilities.

Part 2

BEWARE: Poor Reception / Administration –
We wanted to book a Sunset tour the day of arrival however travelling with kids can be unpredictable with, food,
leg, toilet stops etc.especially with a child that has travel sickness, so I made sure to prepare and I notify staff of
our situation. A 5 – 6 hour journey. I was told that so long as I booked by 3: 15pm on the day all would be well
and that they would keep an eye out for us etc. The kids decide to skip a stretch / playground stop because they
wanted to see the sunset on the outback, I missed a driving stop so we could make sure we got there. I decide
that since were tracking ok I’ll call and book - I phone as advised no answer – between my husband back at
home and I we phone the 2 numbers available 13 times over an hour and a half - they all ring out, no one
answers. I desperately send an email confirming my desire to book and that – as advised – I have tried phoning
and have not been able to get through.
We arrive on time, we get our tickets (there still available for purchase), we had a small amount of time to spare
before the scheduled departure of the tour. I ask where the toilets were to take the kids, Heather the main
Receptionist (that we had our whole visit and throughout preparations) directs me to the closest ones, at the
room my mother is staying at, eye shot from her desk (it’s all window frontage) a stone’s throw from reception, I
tell her that’s where we are going and will return. We return 5 minutes after the “scheduled” leaving time because
of this, Heather sees us. We wait where we’ve been told to wait, near the desk reception, the kids get loud, and
there is fragranced oil burning, I tell staff I’ll wait out the door because of these things. We wait for a
considerable amount of time, I get confused and concerned, I go back inside and ask how much more time, I am
abruptly and coldly told the tour left at 4: 30pm it waits for no one. I relayed recent events and their directions,
consequently our actions, since they somehow had forgotten. I asked why they didn’t say something 15 minutes
ago when I arrived or when I said that I was going to wait outside, or why someone had not come outside and
told us – why they had waited until this point – how long were they going to let us stand out there waiting.
Heather and another male staff member just repeated the 5 words – the tour leaves at 4: 30pm another 2 times. I
was beyond baffled at the whole ordeal, I walked away.
I reported it to Management when they excitedly sent me an email saying that they could see I’d made it in time.
On another note, we made our booking through RAA a reputable Australian company. Yet upon arrival they said
that they did not have my personal / contact details and made me complete 2 pages of information. They say
they never received it – RAA assure they provided 99% of it. I showed them a copy of the invoice. There was no
warmth, no welcome. After everything we did to get there and to get on the tour above. This added to our missed
experience.
In addition, my husband fell ill and couldn’t attend when we called to see if a refund would be available, we were
firstly told that it was done through Expedia and were immediately handballed to them. As mentioned above it
was done through RAA. Enquiring through RAA they were able to give sympathy, compassion and easily explain
that a refund was not due as “The cost you have paid is for the accommodation, not a per-person fee. ” Advise
and emotion the Wilpena Pound Reception should have been capable of providing.

A “Resort” without cocktails.
As a Mum of a 5 and 6 year old I don’t get to enjoy alcohol anymore, however we were on holiday, at a “Resort”
with a pool and banana lounges, it was a warm day, I thought perfect I’ll have a cocktail by the pool. No, they do
not do cocktails. Ok fine, I’ll have a Madori and Lemonade, they had no idea what that was, after teaching the
bar staff I was asked if I wanted it in a short glass or a long however that I would not be able to take it into the
pool area.

Extraordinarily beautiful location and great camping facilities. General store with plenty of camping food and even showers with hot water.

I have had to do this review as a 3 part due to word limits. I believe that people have a right to know what they are about to experience, especially if marketing is deceitful, especially when there are health risks.
Part 1
BEWARE:
• Deceiving marketing
• A Retreat defiantly not a “Resort”
• Incompetent, arrogant, cold, compassionless, dismissive, cowardly Reception / Office staff. Understaffed. Urgently in need of some Customer Service training. Management don’t seem to relay messages / talk to / or prepare front of house.
• Not child or family friendly – I wouldn’t even say tolerant or equip, defiantly not understanding

BEWARE: Asthmatic’s and those with respiratory diseases, disorders, sensitivities, issues
My sons particularly wanted to see the outback and experience glamping.
We purposely booked our holiday during April, as my 5 and 6 year old and myself have asthma and Bonfire smoke is a particular trigger for us, and the website states “Outdoor fire pit, available for use from May to October”.
I made point of this at check-in. Nothing was said.
Upon driving around, the park and arriving to our accommodation - There were bonfires / fire pits everywhere, including at the glamping tents directly next to us.
It was only after 2 emails, one phone call that was never returned (where I was told that they couldn’t help and that the message would be passed on) and a 3rd follow up email pushing the urgency of the situation and health risk on my family - that any form of assistance was given - The only option to re-locate to a resort room. I was told abruptly and simply “we cannot ask guests to put out their fires”, “we have no fire ban in the area now”.
It was only after another 4th email where I repeated my disappointment of being deceived / penalized / losing our glamping experience, and the core issue of incorrect information being dismissed / ignored that it was address again abruptly and simply “I have contacted Head Office to advise them of this incorrect information on the website as fires are permitted in the Ikara-Flinders Rangers National Park from 15th April to 1st November each year”.

BEWARE: Those allergic to bees / wasps – Keep your epipin handy
There were bee and wasp infestations everywhere. On the grassed area out front the restaurant, near the pool, in from of the Brachina Room at the car park to name a few.
BEWARE: Pool or Resort lovers
The pool does not look like the beautiful marketing photos.
It is not cleaned or maintained.
It was 27,28,29 degrees the days we were there, the usual portable pool safety sign board had been placed out seeming to encourage people to enjoy themselves. Yet the whole time we were there the pool was covered in floating dead and dying insects, fly’s, bees, wasps (my son even pointed out a spider), there were leaves and debris at the bottom of every corner and beyond. My kids were still enticed and adamant to have their play in the pool but it was not enjoyable at all and it was not long before they gave up trying.
Clean your pool. If you do, then you need to increase your schedule if you don’t then close the pool off during certain periods.

To be continued... See Scott Curness

Great central spot for hikes. Bathrooms and new and clean, the sites are very tidy. The restaurant is great. The camp kitchen is small and distant so it is better if you can do your own barbecues. For hikes make sure you do Wangara Lookouts, Mount Ohlssen Bagge to see the actual 'pound', and the St Mary Peak hike.

The resort rooms are new and upgraded, but we had a few issues while we stayed. The curtain with the curtain rod fell down, there was a clogging in tje bathroom and water was coming back out.

Although we had probelms, these were rectified as quickly as they could have been, but with the price of the rooms the quality of service expected is much higher

Stayed in the glamping tents. They were cosy and warm and omg the bed was so comfy! Only downsides were absolutely no cooking facilities. A tiny fridge but no utensils other than a few tea spoons. Also the bathroom is pretty basic and there’s mould growing on the roof and floor.

We stayed for two nights as we were on an organised tour (Bunniks). We didn't have enough time to walk into the pound & flights were grounded. ️
The accommodation isn't great as it's very neglected as is the whole resort.
Not awful, just not great.
The restaurant for dinner & breakfast were both self serve! Is this legal with Covid.

Stay was great, rooms clean and comfortable, food was great, staff here work so hard and are so friendly. The 'Yura Udnyu' tour we took was excellent, our guide Isaiah was knowledgeable and friendly and created a constructive and friendly conservation around the history of Adnyamathanha people and the colonisation of the area. Really abd wonderful time there at Wilpena Pound Resort

Stay was great, rooms clean and comfortable, food was great, staff here work so hard and are so friendly. The 'Yura Udnyu' tour we took was excellent, our guide Isaiah was knowledgeable and friendly and created a constructive and friendly conservation around the history of Adnyamathanha people and the colonisation of the area. Really abd wonderful time there at Wilpena Pound Resort

Very pleasant accommodation but 'resort' is a bit of a stretch. Cold outdoor pool. No room for dinner last night and was offered take a way. Green chicken curry was OK but came with a tiny serving of rice.

No internet no phone no wifi bathrooms from 1970s. 1 bathroom block for entire park.prices for everyday items are top shelf prices.potable water in campground is brown.showed this to the manager he did not seem to care that the campers had the brown water as long as the resort had clear water.not impressed with this location and will be giving first hand knowledge all my groups on face book

The accommodation was $576.50 for a two night stay, At that price we were understandably expecting something special but the aged accommodation fell well short of our expectations.
Our room was clean and tidy.
The shower, which was in the bath with a shower curtain, had poor water pressure.
The room had a small bar fridge, a kettle, no toaster, no microwave or cooking facilities.
There is a TV but it's the size of a large desktop computer screen.
The bed was comfortable.
The staff were friendly.
Very central and a great location.
There is an IGA mini-supermarket close by, some prices are comparable with larger towns and some are a lot dearer.
There is a shuttle bus provided at a small charge to take visitors closer to Wilpena Pound, it makes the walk much easier and opens it up to more people who would otherwise not be able to walk the distance.

Loved exploring the beautiful National Park from here. Great facilities and easy access to walking trails.

We camped.it was dusty with basic facilities. The new bathroom blocks will be a welcome update. Limited laundry facilities in need of a good clean. Good meals in the resort on cold nights. Friendly service in the well stocked shop. A relief to access the internet around the info centre. Good selection of tours and wonderful flights. Some contradictory environmental info and the tourism team would benefit from training and integrated messaging. Goats damaging the environment but the reintroduced possums and quolls are doing really well. An excellent destination with world class landscapes.

Disappointed that 2 of the 3 amenities blocks got closed down while we were there, to start renovations without notice. The remaining block was not very clean and way too far to walk to at any time, let alone on a cold, dark night. It even involved crossing a ravene to get there. Not all vans have their own toilet n shower u know.
As far as staff go, they are amazing. The 'Welcome to Country' really interesting too. Also appreciated being able to finally enjoy a campfire.