After reading hundreds of glowing reviews we arrived at Miirlarl for our 6n stay with much anticipation and high expectations! The bedroom accommodation was modern and luxurious as promised, and it was a treat to enjoy a hot bath on the cold nights after a day of exploring. Two heaters were provided which warmed the room up nicely in the evenings. The open plan dining and lounge area is older in style but provided plenty of room to relax in. The kitchenette is much smaller than we expected with little pantry space to store food and drinks, a very small bar-fridge sized fridge/freezer and a single hot plate for cooking. Fortunately we had our portable fridge to store cold food in. The kitchenette facilities are fine for a 1 or 2 night stay but not as convenient for those needing to be self-contained with meals for a longer stay.
The stay was pleasant and enjoyable for the first 2 nights but unfortunately tainted by the presence of rats over the following 3 nights/days. We found evidence each morning of fresh and packaged food eaten by rats overnight. Even food that had been packed well in shopping bags and put on the kitchen table wasn't safe! The hosts seemed uncertain how to handle the situation and we were left to clean up/disinfect our belongings, throw out contaminated food and disinfect the rooms ourselves. A mouse trap was set after the 1st night's incident but failed to catch anything. The 2nd morning we found a dead rat mysteriously lying on one of the kitchen chairs. We hoped this was the end of the saga, so persevered with the stay but were upset to find yet more food eaten on the 3rd morning and decided to cut our holiday short. We were grateful the hosts were willing to reimburse the cost of a night's accommodation and for loss of food.
We've since learnt that there is a rat plague in regional NSW at present which is spreading. Because Miirlarl is nestled in bushland it isn't surprising that there might be rodents present. However, while this situation may have been outside the hosts control, it certainly compromised the hygiene and cleanliness of the kitchen and rooms, and our enjoyment of the stay at this property. JB