Lamplighter Motel

I got out of there alive, but the place left me shaken. The doors were covered in graffiti, some had been kicked in, and daylight showed through the gaps. The room was sticky and filthy, with cigarette ash on the bedside table. I stayed for an hour, too scared to lie on a bed that didn’t look clean. I contacted management before leaving. They said it was the only room left on the bottom floor and apologised that it hadn’t been cleaned, though it looked like more than a day’s worth of neglect. The long-term residents seemed extremely sketchy, and an Asian lady kept yelling at me in another language. Do yourself a favour and avoid the trauma.

I only stayed the second night because things had calmed down, and my two-night booking was ending the next day anyway. The other reviews here have enough stories and proof, and they’re true, so I won’t repeat them. This place belongs in a horror movie, not as a motel. I wish someone would demolish it as soon as possible. If I’d read the Google reviews before booking, I wouldn’t now be warning people to stay away. The descriptions on other booking sites are misleading.

The beds and floor were very clean, and all the electrical equipment worked. It was fine for an overnight stop when all you need is a bed, with little traffic noise from Dandenong road. We stayed two nights. The rooms need some TLC and lack finishing touches: a toilet roll holder, a fresh coat of paint and better door security. The plasterboard walls also let in a bit of noise.

I’d rate it 8/10, I’ve had better. It felt like I’d never left Mt Druitt. By morning, my car had been broken into and stripped of its wheels, taillights and windscreen wipers. My wallet and cash were gone too, and I had to walk to the bus stop in nothing but my boxers to catch a train. I was scared for my life. Earlier, people had broken in through the kicked-in front door and broken windows, threatened me with knives, and demanded the pin for my suitcase.