Dubbo Rhino Lodge

We had a great experience. Not being campers, our children loved the novelty of staying in a ‘tent’. There is a small playground on site too, to keep them entertained. The zoo entry is 5 minutes away. I would recommend staying here if you’re after a bit of something different.

Dined here Saturday night and service was quick to start with, but as it was quite busy, we expected things to slow down. We ordered pre dinner drinks while deciding what to have - wrong drinks arrived, but soon sorted. My wife ordered fresh prawns/avocado/salad leaves for entrée and 45og T-bone cooked medium rare for main. I was asked what I would like and said - the same. So, you also want your steak cooked medium rare? Yes please. It then took a fair while for entrees to arrive - one at a time. The prawns are advertised as fresh, but did appear to have been frozen ones - however they were still good. After the entrée plates were taken away, it seemed like another long wait for mains, but Brianna on her way past said that she would check on our orders. She came back immediately and advised that we were 2nd in line so won't be long. Finally, one meal was delivered and 14 minutes later, that was all that had been delivered. My wife caught Brianna's eye and asked if she could check. She advised that only one steak was ordered. She was told that was totally wrong - we both ordered the same and I was asked how I wanted it cooked. By that stage, I was getting a bit 'stirred up'. Brianna immediately went to the kitchen to order my main and also said that I would not be charged for it. Four minutes later, my meal arrived (to be that quick, it was probably intended for someone else). The steak was cooked perfectly, along with beans and broccolini. There was also a bowl of mashed potato to go with the meal and a very mild pepper sauce in another container. After the plates were cleared, we spoke to Brianna for a while saying that earlier on, we weren't having a 'go' at her, but the order was incorrect. All good and she appreciated the feedback - as we appreciated the time to discuss what had (or had not) happened. Overall, the night worked out o.k., but it seemed as though once orders were taken, no-one really watched the people or tables to check from time to time. And to have two staff members delivering meals one at a time seemed to be a waste of time and staff, especially if compared to European waiters who have no trouble delivering 4-5 meals at once - or more if they use a tray balanced on one hand held above their shoulders. And they certainly watch people and tables to give a very efficient service. Overall, the food was good, but the staff member of the night goes to Brianna for chasing up - and being very pleasant about it despite not being her fault. Happy birthday for the 11th February Brianna.

Fabulous experience in Dubbo! It’s out of town so nice and quiet and secluded. It’s an affordable option compared to the stupidly expensive Zoofari Lodge located within the zoo. For a fraction of the cost you can be within a 5 minute drive in a beautiful safari tent, perfectly appointed and equipped with everything you need. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was modern and clean and I was visited by adorable little frogs in the evening ! Despite it being a little windy and chilly outside the tent was snug and warm with the airconditioning. I loved the fresh milk & yummy biscuits provided in the fridge. Will be back !!

Was visiting Dubbo for Christmas so booked Christmas day lunch here in advance. Upon arrival there were no staff to be seen, so walked around the restaurant until we found our name on a table. Figured out where to purchase drinks when we saw another patron carrying drinks from another room. Finally saw a staff member setting up a buffet. The meal was very disappointing and very average (a lot of it was what you cook/have at home)(standard roast veges/peas/potato salad/chicken and turkey pieces very dry). I was expecting it to be a bit more special considering we paid $130 per adult and $55 each for the 10 and 8 year old. Cheese platter buffet we had to find spoons to put in the dip to be able to serve some on our plate. No staff came to our table at all the whole time we were there. Would not recommend.

My husband thought it would be a special experience to celebrate my daughter's and my birthday by going to Rhino lodge. He read the review and learned that there would be air con to warm up the tent in the winter, but didn't expect it to be so intolerable for us in the night. The air con, the only heating device in the tent, was not able to warm up the tent, where the outside was 0 or -0.5 degree. And the back room, where my 4 year old daughter slept, was without any heating and the air from the air con wouldn't go in that area at all. We all wore our sweaters and wool socks, and added extra blankets but we still struggled through the night with very little sleep. The air-con set at 25 degree would pause every 40 minutes or so, and right away the chilly air came in and the temperature dropped. And after a while the air con would start again, making quite a loud noise as it was working very hard. This cycle went on for the whole night and we felt so miserable not being able to sleep. We tried to set the temperature lower around 21-23 degree to see whether the air would run without taking a break, but then it felt like a cooling fan blowing cold air. My husband thought it would be nice to enjoy some view and animals passing by in the morning, but the thing was we couldn't open the tent window as the icy air would just come in. Therefore, we didn't get to enjoy any of the nature staying in the tent, but felt getting sick sleeping in such uncomfortable condition. We were going to stay there for two nights, but end up packing and left the next early morning as we couldn't imagine going through that for another night. The management refunded us the second night, but suggested we should be prepared as we chose to do glamping in the winter. So I guess it's a lesson learned for us.