Snowy Gums Smiggins

We selected Snowy Gums for the location and availability. When booking I asked about room facilities which was told there weren’t any, so we organised alternative solutions for outside breakfast hours which started at 7am (we are early risers!). On arrival staff are very friendly and advise us that our door gets a bit stuck (you have to slam the door to shut it). Our room was a good size for 2, warm, clean and did have tea/coffee, jug small table and chairs and microwave placed on top of a small fridge. Driving from Qld knowing this would have been good to know before I got here. The bed was set up as 2 x singles, but staff were quick to check in and change for us. The power point behind the bed was hanging out from the wall and exposed wires, but staff also quickly fixed that. The walls are quite thin and we heard people next door and their conversations at times. We could also hear conversations in the hallway very clearly. To reduce our eavesdropping on others we tried to watch TV which was advertised as an inclusion. Staff were helpful to assist us with trying to get it working, however the setup on the TV is difficult to use, the 3 free to air channels were not working, and could not access anything else so it was deemed useless. We were advised that there were allocated areas for each unit in the drying room for boots and equipment, however the accommodation must have been fully booked as it was a free for all and people were just putting their stuff everywhere and it was a fight to get your own stuff out. Food: Our first night we ate in and selected the chicken schnitzel (we had been advised that the pasta was not good). The chicken looked and tasted like it had been reheated several times and was not very pleasant. That was the last time we had dinner there. Breakfast was included for each morning. This was basic as expected with a variety of cereals, breads - white, wholemeal, raisin. Hot food included eggs, bacon, baked beans, hash browns, and either fried tomato or mushrooms. First morning was scrambled eggs, but each morning after was hard boiled eggs. Pineapple or apple juice was on offer as well as vanilla yoghurt and tinned fruit. There was a variety of jams and peanut butter and instead of butter nuttelex was provided. The cleanliness of plates and crockery were highly questionable and had to scan through to get clean ones. It felt like a camp not accommodation we paid for as when we finished breakfast we had to clean off our own plates into various buckets on a table and stack our plates. It appeared that the food was progressively becoming less fresh as the week went on culminating in our 2nd last day saw mouldy bread, no butter/nuttelex, eggs that looked and tasted like they had been recycled all week and bacon so hard and crispy from being recooked. That was the last straw for us and ended up leaving a day early. The staff were friendly and helpful, but could only work with what they had.

We visited Snowy Gums mid week in late July 2022. The property was in a bit of a disheveled state, dirty, and the communal lounge populated with friendly but shabby staff. Cigarette smoke wafted up to the lounge from the entrance where staff gathered to smoke and the lounge itself had loud music pumping over the stereo system most of the day. The large stereo speakers also happened to be rigged up (with cables everywhere) in the middle of the lounge and took up prime seats right in front of the window blocking the otherwise nice view. Breakfast buffet was average. Bar didn't have any decent wine, but plenty of cans of mixers. For the money we paid, it was not good value and certainly not a family friendly vibe. More like a mid range backpackers at 100x the price! Better tailored to the staff than the paying guests. Snowy Gums used to be a great chalet. I understand the business sold before the start of last season. The lack of positive reviews for last season is in line with our experience . What went wrong? Maybe the new owners got off to a bad start. Any indication the current owners are making a commitment to return this chalet to a clean, family friendly place to stay? A small amount of effort toward better management would make a big difference for guests and probably attract better reviews!

I have just returned from Snowy Gums from a bucket list family holiday. I feel I have to warn other people not to waste their hard earned money on this once lovely lodge. I have read the reviews from this year & they are all 100% on the money. I booked this trip 3 years ago & due to Covid we finally got there this year. OzSnow told me when booking that the only thing that changed under new ownership was you had to pay for your dinner although the price was the same. I paid for my extended family of 18 people for a total cost of $13,000 for 3 nights!! It is the greatest ripoff of all time!! One of the new co-owners was there at the time & said the lodge was now not interested in the former clientele & is now interested in the backpacker type market. This was obvious as it rained one day, we were stuck in the place & 40 random young bus people crowded in for a buffet lunch?? The place is filthy & run down, food limited & awful.