Tarra Valley Retreat

Beautiful location with incredible nature all around you. The river, ferns and bird life are just magnificent. The grounds are well maintained and the facilities are clean. As others have mentioned, management appear to be quite hands off ~ we didn’t see anyone throughout our stay, but that wasn’t an issue. Other travellers including dogs were respectful. An easy, breezy stay!

Excellent riverside location and surrounding natural attractions, but the place itself is designed primarily for powered campervan and caravan sites, and wasn't the best for tents. The small central area of tiered unpowered sites are a bit sloped, are mostly dirt, have poorly marked boundaries, and are underneath large gum trees which even management have attached signs to, warning of falling branches, which we saw happen during our stay. It would be very easy for them to oversell the unpowered sites if campers all came with larger tent setups, and you'd end up as a cramped cluster, esp if trying to get further away from the gums, as there's nowhere else on site to expand to. It was pretty quiet during our stay but we chatted to a couple who come here regularly who said the place gets absolutely packed on long weekends and holidays, often overflowing across the road to areas signed "no camping". If you have a larger tent and camp kitchen setup I would recommend doing what we did and get a larger and flatter powered site. You'll be potentially nestled between a row of caravans but at least away from the gums, though when it rained heavily we had poor drainage and got a bit swamped. The main communal kitchen is nice, access to a bbq, microwave, kettle, some dining tables, and an outdoor washing sink, was good be able to get out of the rain one night, but I wouldn't rely on using it during busy times, as larger groups tended to easily take over the space. There's similarly only 2 operating toilets and showers in the mens block for a potentially full park to use. Purchasing firewood was an issue, poor and unfriendly phone communication with the owners telling us we should have organised buying firewood in advance and told us to do a 40 minute round trip to the nearest town to get some, even though there are signs that say you can call once there and pay over the phone. It turned out they had bagged wood on site the whole time. Would I go back? Maybe just for the nature? I'd probably take a van or book a cabin though.

Not good people to deal with. We tried to book a cabin and they said they were fully booked, they were not. We then said we would camp and booked a camp site, very expensive, $65 for 3 cyclists in small tents. We then asked about the camp kitchen, specifically did it have pots and pans for cooking and were told it was fully stocked. It did not have a single pot or pan. I do not like being lied to. I would have given it less stars because of the lying, but the place is nice and clean and a good location. If you don't want cyclists in your cabins just say so. 1 cabin was occupied and there was one other guest in the park.

Tarra Valley Retreat is located in one of the most beautiful National Parks in the Gippsland District. Situated next to the rocky Tarra River, the campground and surrounding area are stunning. The sites beside the river are certainly the best, but be warned, the sites are not very big and you may find yourself very close to your neighbours. Plenty of timber for fire pits scattered around the sites, including close to the river. A must do is to drive to Tarra-Bulga NP. The drive itself is absolutely breathtaking. Following the Tarra River, the fern tree lined road and spectacular combination of fern gullies and Mountain Ash tall timber is something you won’t forget. The first picnic area is worth a stop, but the actual walks are closed. Apparently for 3 years. The 2nd picnic area with an information centre which is well worth a visit before embarking on the circuit to the Suspension Bridge and back via the Fern Gully track. Our only criticism was the confusion upon arrival and with communicating with management. The office is not manned and the only way to communicate is via the Telstra phone box outside. There seemed to confusion with regard to sites booked, with some being told choose any site they wish. The amenities are basic and generally clean with hot water available for a shower. No matter what, I would recommend this park to everyone, especially outside school holidays.

First time at tarra valley and from what I've been told it's been taken over by new owners. Such a great location but there are a couple of things to note. 1: there is no phone reception at all in the area, though there is a free to use pay phone at the entrance of the retreat. 2: no wifi in the retreat. There's free wifi available at the entrance also but you won't have access to it at the cabins or camp spots. 3. There was no staff to accommodate anyone. If you needed firewood, or needed to raise an issue about any of the facilities, there was nobody to let know. Overall my stay was nice, but I can understand the reviews of other people too. My experience was great and I would not have an issue returning to the retreat.

On 22-Jan-25 at 9:58am someone at office quoted me $180 for a power site and then when I called them to book at 10:59am they asked for $196. $16 price increase in an hour. Be careful about management and rates.

The best camping spot for us first timers ! We traveled with 2 kids ( 4 and 5) and they absolutly loved the river playing on the rocks ! They now call it the creeck ( if you have the Bluey reference). We loved the quiet time ( no reception or wifi), the proximity from tarra bulga suspension bridge ... amenities were simple but perfect stayed there one night and we wish we extended ! It was a total fire ban so no fires were aloud but barbecues still ok. We had a great time. Thank you !

Beautiful location beside the Tarra River. The park is let down by management with the facilities ok but not maintained all that well. No on site office. Does have Starlink internet but that cuts off from Midnight to 8am.