Billabong Lodge Motel

Would not stay here again

I’m in a wheelchair and we stayed in their “accessible” room. As a motel room, it was perfectly fine. Neat, clean, and perfectly adequate as a room to sleep and shower in. Checking in and out was good, and the staff member I spoke to on the phone to book was pleasant. However, IT IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE. For context, I have a 16” manual wheelchair. So, small. The ramp to the door is not to code, there is a lip from the ramp to get through the doorway. Inside the room there was hardly any space to manoeuvre my chair. I couldn’t even access the bathroom until my son moved the beds over. Then I had to go to the toilet. There is a small lip at the bathroom door which I found a little difficult to get up. The “accessible” bathroom is just a small wet room. There was no room for my wheelchair to sit beside the toilet. It was a multi-point turn to turn around to close the door, and then open it. The only positive thing I can say is they provided a shower stool, and the shower setup was adequate, although for some people the space would not be large enough. And don’t bother with the kitchen. You go in, do what you have to do, and then reverse out. Or reverse in. No space for turning. Also, if you need to sleep in a darkened room, at the end of the kitchen there is a bank of louvers which street lights stream in all night. We hung my thick dressing gown and some towels over the louvres to block the light. And in January 2025 when we stayed, there were heaps of road works going on. This is outside the motel’s control, yet if you were after somewhere peaceful, this is not the place for you. This might suit someone who has to use a walker, rollator, or cane. Just be aware of the poorly constructed ramp, and those two lips at the front door and the bathroom door. I’m so glad we were able to book somewhere else to stay for the rest of our trip that is actually wheelchair accessible.

It is a great little place with very friendly and helpful staff. The place is neat and clean. However, the air conditioner was like a jet plane taking off! Kept the place cool, but at the cost of terrible noise all night!