Kenilworth Homestead — Attraction in Sunshine Coast Regional

Booked into this place this weekend and were very excited about a peaceful, family camping weekend. Did not happen. Shame, as it is a beautiful spot. We checked in and were told to park anywhere and they weren’t that busy. That night right next to our camping spot there was a 40th party going on. Guitar and singing (bad guitar and singing at that) and c and f bomb swear words carried on through the night and morning until 4am. No doubt we had no sleep. Our two year old grandchild had to listen to this and many times said “What’s that Mummy!” Tried to ring the office hoping there would be a messagebank giving us a mobile number to phone but the phone did not have messagebank.

Next morning we were in the amenities block and found out why there were traffic cones set up opposite us. Another 40th birthday party and 70 people attending. We spoke to these people and they were lovely, offering to help us move, and warning us they might be very loud.

We had a visit from the office manager who said that there was a strict curfew of 10.30pm but they could not control it. Offered to help us move but it is such a big job we were unsure.

We did not move and unfortunately decided to cut our visit short, not willing to risk another sleepless night. The office manager gave us a partial refund for the night we did not stay. Thought this was it until the Owner came in and his first words to my daughter and myself were “Right – Are you Done?” Not sure what side of the bed he got out of but I guess he did get any sleep either. He was pretty insulting and we are still not sure why as it was not us who did not abide by the alleged “strict” curfew.

Anyhow if you are thinking of staying here, just check at the office that there are no big groups that could be having a party. And if the curfew is broken the mobile number is on the office door so ring and complain. Camping should be fun, relaxing, quiet and beautiful. Unfortunately it was not only spoilt by the noise but spoilt by extremely poor...

I have never been more disappointed with service or lack of service that this place has provided - and I have been camping in loads of different places all around Australia for 50 years.

We were wanting a camping spot for my daughter's 18th for a bunch of young people. We decided on Kenilworth Homestead because we've stayed there before, it's close, pretty and you can have a fire. Four of us booked and paid in full via their website for 4-7/7. We decided to drive out there to have a look where we should camp and were horrified to find a sign on the gate saying they were closed until 16 August. We had been trying to call with no answer for days prior to the drive - clearly because they were closed.

We wanted to cancel and get a refund because they weren't going to be open, so our booking wasn't going to be honored. They have been absolutely appalling and won't give us a refund. They will only do a camp credit which is not acceptable for us.

We don't want to stay somewhere that unfairly advertised they were open, took our money under false pretenses and now won't provide a refund. They refunded my daughter and her boyfriend but won't refund me! What the hell??? They even tried to tell me it wasn't their fault that the wrong sign had been out on the gate!!! Sure as hell wasn't mine!

Add to that the terrible reviews that they are getting for their facilities, we are glad we decided not to go. They have had a week to refund me and still nothing. Small Claims tribunal and ACCC will be contacted tomorrow. Will never EVER recommend anyone to stay there again.

It's not even about the refund anymore for me - it's about the terrible customer service. They advertised a service, we paid for it, found that they weren't going to deliver that service and they won't give me money back even though they've already provided a refund for one of our group!!!

Seriously terrible, dreadful...

Kenilworth Homestead - 4 Stars

We stayed at Kenilworth Homestead over the Easter weekend, which was incredibly busy with a big crowd. Overall, it was a beautiful experience, but there were a couple of things that could be improved.

The biggest downside was the shower situation. There were only 3 showers for the ladies and 3 for the men to cater for what felt like around 1000 people. This led to long wait times, and unfortunately, the showers were very unclean. Only 2 of the female showers were working properly, which made it frustrating. Definitely something that could use more attention during peak times.

That said, we had no issues with overcrowding or space — we camped down the back along the Mary River and found there was plenty of room. We did arrive 7am to snag a good spot. It seemed really well spread out. More porta loos were brought in and were easily accessible across the campground, and they were kept clean with toilet paper stocked all weekend, which was great to see.

The Homestead organised a lot of activities and food trucks, which were a big hit with everyone. The beach area along the Mary River was absolutely stunning — I’ve never seen such clear water in a river before. It was perfect for a hot weekend. Our family brought blowup boats and sailed down the river, and we highly recommend bringing something if you want to do the same.

Ice was always available at reception (which was a lifesaver!) and the town is only a short drive away if you need anything extra.

Constructive feedback: It would be amazing to see a few more taps closer to the campsites, and definitely some extra showers brought in during busier times.

Overall, Kenilworth Homestead is a beautiful spot, and we had a great weekend. We would...