Once-exclusive NSW lodge collapses after reopening

West Australian

15-05-2025

An exclusive adults-only eco-lodge on the Hawkesbury River has quietly shut its doors after months of internal chaos, with former staff alleging unpaid wages, while frustrated guests report cancelled bookings and lost deposits.
Marramarra Lodge, promoted as a high-end retreat only accessible by boat and nestled in bushland north of Sydney, reopened in December with rooms priced at up to $2200 a night. But the reopening quickly unravelled into what one former worker described as a 'shocking mess'.
Belgian traveller Alysson Mossay, who was hired for front-of-house duties, said when she started at the lodge, it felt 'like a dream job'.
'We were on an island, we had food … it seemed like the perfect plan to save money,' Ms Mossay told NewsWire.
She began working at Marramarra Lodge on January 31. Her partner, Matthieu Arthuis, started a week later.
However, it wasn't long before she claimed issues started to arise.
'I got paid for my first three weeks and my partner got paid his first two weeks,' Ms Mossay said.
Over the following two weeks, she claimed their wages were delayed both times.
'(A manager) said it would be next week and he said 'I'm going to give you a $500 bonus, thank you for waiting, we like you guys so much, you do such a great job',' Ms Mossay claimed.
'I know that running a business is not always very easy at the beginning … so I didn't worry too much and this was my mistake.
'We kind of closed our eyes, we didn't want to see the truth.'
Ms Mossay said they weren't aware at the time that a group of previous employees had already left after not being paid.
She found online comments from former staffers, including private chef Gerald Touchard, who also alleged non-payment.
In March, Mr Touchard shared a detailed account of his experience at Marramarra Lodge via his business Instagram account.
'I was hired to lead its reopening from November 2024,' he wrote.
'What was meant to be a world class hospitality experience has turned into a shocking mess for myself, for staff, for suppliers and even for guests.'
Mr Touchard claimed he had not been paid for most of his work and alleged that 'dozens' of contractors, employees and suppliers remain unpaid despite repeated promises from management.
'The property may be stunning, but behind the scenes, it's a different story,' he said.
When Ms Mossay confronted a manager about the former staff members, she said he would deny the claims and offer excuses.
'He would say sorry that their pay was going to be late but would promise a bonus when they were paid 'as a thanks for waiting',' she said.
'He would say 'we're very happy with you guys' and I have proof of that because I have the messages.'
But after four weeks without pay, things escalated.
Ms Mossay claimed the manager began acting 'very rude' to a new group of backpackers who started working on the island.
'So I was like, OK, this is starting to get very weird and we decided to pack our stuff,' she said.
Ms Mossay and her partner took a break off the island and told the manager they would not return unless they were paid. When they refused to come back without payment, new staff were hired.
'We realised they were probably not planning to pay us,' she said.
Messages seen by NewsWire show a series of exchanges in which the manager apologises for delayed payments and blames the issue on legal problems involving a stalled 'settlement'.
As time went on and no payments were received, Ms Mossay, frustrated and out of money, told him that as an employer, 'you have to pay us on time'.
The manager responded, 'We understand our responsibilities. Thanks for that.'
Ms Mossay then questioned why they couldn't use income from paying guests to pay their staff.
In a later message, the manager claimed a $500 payment had been made, along with two other payments, but when Ms Mossay followed up days later to say the money had not come through, he appeared to avoid answering.
She said the manager blocked her shortly after their final exchange and claimed the lodge still owed her and her partner about $9000 in gross pay.
Some employees, she said, chose to stay on the island in protest, a strategy that worked for a few who were eventually paid. She and her partner weren't so lucky.
'How I see things is that we were very manipulated,' she said.
Ms Mossay then contacted another man involved with the lodge who told her that he was trying to find a way to pay.
'I texted him about three days ago when he said that it was planned to pay them. When asking when, he replied: 'It is planned but don't badger me',' she said.
'If you continue to badger me then things won't go as planned.'
She has since lodged a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman and filed a claim in the small claims division of the Local Court.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has been contacted for comment.
Recent Google reviews also show guests have been left chasing refunds following last-minute cancellations and lengthy delays in returning deposits.
Marramarra Lodge has been contacted for comment.