Longreach holds a special place in Australia's history, it is of course the home of Qantas and a true outback experience. This winter we visited Longreach's answer to luxury travel.
The Location & Welcome - 10/10
Longreach is in the heart of outback Queensland, approximately a two hour flight or overnight rail journey from Brisbane. The home of Australia’s national carrier Qantas, Longreach is known for the Qantas Founders Museum, Stockmans Hall of Fame and its unique outback experiences.
Located approximately three kilometers from town on an expansive private property, Mitchell Grass Retreat is certainly a true outback experience.
We’re met at Longreach Airport by one of the retreats Managers, who takes us on the ten minute drive to Mitchell Grass. In true outback hospitality we’re driven direct to our tent and given a full tour along with a walk around the retreat.
While we were only in town for a night, having no car didn’t present us any problems. If you’re staying longer, we recommend considering a hire car which you can seamlessly pick up at Longreach Airport on arrival.
The Room - 9/10
We booked the entry level Gidyea Tent which was somewhat more spacious than the website alludes to.
Walking up onto the deck you’ll find a half size BBQ and outdoor dining with seating for four. The deck also conveniently contains LED floor lighting which you’ll find handy at night.
Inside the Gidyea Tent, you'll find a comfortable couch for two with a coffee table, arm chair and lamp.
The uber comfortable King Bed provided what was without doubt one of our best hotel sleeps in a long time with deluxe bedding, pillows, side tables with lamps and convenient power points.
With many opting for longer stays to enjoy the surrounding area, the tents also include a well stocked kitchenette with a full size fridge, microwave, sink and plenty of crockery, cutlery, glassware and bbq cooking utensils. In addition to the outdoor seating, there’s also bench seating on the side of the kitchenette for two.
The bathroom doesn’t disappoint with a freestanding bath overlooking the outback vista and separate shower along with premium towels & amenities and bathrobes for two.
We found the in-tent wifi to be a decent speed with no issues streaming videos, which if you’re travelling with kids you may find helpful as there’s no on site TV’s.
Finally with Longreach experiencing ultra hot summer days and chilly winter nights, we did find the reverse cycle air conditioning key to ensuring this is a comfortable glamping option year-round.
Facilities - 9/10
The overall glamping area on the property is rather compact, which while we were initially worried may lead to noise from our neighbours we needn’t worry as we heard very little during our stay over a fully booked weekend.
Located centrally in the middle of the tents you’ll find an inground swimming pool with sun lounges, although we did note it was a little chilly during our winter stay.
Central BBQ’s are also available for us, perfect if you’re travelling with a group of friends or for a larger family get together. There’s also a central fire pit lit nightly. Both of these add to the social nature of the property, where we noticed a number of guests coming together at sunset to chat about their day in the outback.
There’s also a common tent with a range of seating, board games, additional milk & kitchen supplies and a small honesty based Mitchell Grass Retreat gift shop.
Dining - 9/10
There’s no onsite dining facilities, although with your private BBQ overlooking spectacular sunset views and the star filled night sky, you’ll be wanting to stay put at dinner time.
There are BBQ packs available for pre-ordering which we road tested for you during our stay. They contained a gourmet salad that would rival a hipster Melbourne café along with high quality steaks, sausages and burgers from the local butcher. Accompanied by fresh bread rolls, coleslaw and a pasta salad it certainly hit the spot.
We finished our meal with a Mitchell Grass cheeseboard and bottle of wine. The cheese plate included good quality cheeses with the usual trimmings.
Each tent also includes some lovely port and marshmallows to roast over your private firepit. We lit our firepit just prior to sunset and with a bit of help from Mitchell Grass Owner David managed to get the fire going over dinner. It ended up the perfect finish to our night in the outback, with marshmallows in front of the fire under the incredible night sky.
Breakfast - 10/10
Your stay includes a daily gourmet breakfast basket, delivered directly to your tent each morning. Ours was hand delivered by Owner David with a friendly good morning around 730am.
Our continental breakfast included premium muesli, yoghurt, fruit compote and half a loaf of freshly bakes country style bread with preserves and butter.
Along with our in-room tea, coffee and hot chocolate we enjoyed breakfast on our deck watching outback Queensland come alive.
Overall - 9.5/10
Mitchell Grass retreat is a very unique property, bringing a true touch of luxury to the outback.
One challenge often seen in regional destinations is the lack of luxury accommodation options which Mitchell Grass Retreat has certainly addressed. This truly is a touch of luxury, paired with a unique outback glamping experience.
The well appointed glamping tents and little extra touches such as the premium amenities, port & marshmallows, ultra-comfortable bedding and of course individual fire pits and BBQ’s makes this a true experience to remember.
Perhaps what we enjoyed most though was the outback hospitality. Both the Managers & Owners genuinely care about their guests, always offering that friendly and laid-back service that outback Australia is renowned for.
You can experience Longreach too
Contact our team to organise your stay at Mitchell Grass Retreat and luxury travel throughout the Longreach region with special offers available for H4U Travel customers.