Cardigan Lodge Motel

It’s been one massive nightmare. I moved here after escaping domestic violence in another state, and was told to treat the place as my own home. It was advertised as a two-bedroom, but it’s actually one room with two sleeping areas. There’s no kitchen sink, so dishes have to be washed in the bathroom. Hot water wasn’t working for half the motel, but they kept leasing rooms without telling people. The internet was usually down, and the electricity flickered or went out completely for weeks at a time. I couldn’t reach management by phone or email. Rooms weren’t cleaned half the time, even though they were meant to be. My daughter, my two-year-old grandchild and I were given an eviction notice for damage from before we moved in. They blamed us, despite having promised to fix it all within two weeks of our arrival. A neighbour complained about ordinary noise and was allowed to abuse us and others, including children. When we stood up for ourselves, we were blamed or told to ignore her. Management threatened police when intimidation didn’t work and then threatened VCAT when that didn’t work either, after trying to kick us out illegally for no reason. This all caused my daughter a lot of stress while we were grieving a close family member. She was already dealing with the domestic violence, and her daughter being sick, and then she became sick and depressed too. We signed a lease and paid an $800 “security deposit,” but after speaking with Consumer Affairs, they said it was four weeks’ advance rent. They tried to keep the money for damage caused by previous tenants and for wear and tear. They also keep money paid by charities like Uniting Care for at-risk people when they move out. I’d never recommend this place. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

We had no heat and weren’t given extra blankets. Staff and management were quite rude to my husband, who has a disability, and management was abrupt and disrespectful toward people with disabilities. The place itself was nice and comfortable, but next time it won’t be for me and my husband. Ba Hostel would’ve been more appropriate. Ms Ferguson, you need to step down.

The location is pleasant, though it’s a bit farther from central Ballarat. The room was clean, and the beds were okay and comfortable. It’s an older place, and tea and coffee weren’t provided. Still, for the price, I can’t complain.

The staff were friendly, and the kitchen is modern, with a cooktop, saucepans, toaster, kettle and a three-quarter-size fridge. There was milk, jam and butter in the fridge, along with coffee, tea and sugar. We’ll definitely come back on our next trip.