News & Updates

A milestone anniversary built on trusted service, community connection and strong industry partnerships
Golden Chain Australia is proud to celebrate alongside our valued partner Metro Hotels, as the hotel group marks 50 years of welcoming travellers across Australia in 2026.

This itinerary takes you north through eleven unmissable stops, all the way to Cooktown, then turns around and brings you home the same way — because the best pie shops deserve a second visit.

The Repco Bathurst 1000 runs from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026 at Mount Panorama in Bathurst, New South Wales. It's Australia's biggest endurance motor race — 161 laps of the 6.213 km Mount Panorama circuit — and the single busiest week of the year for accommodation across the Blue Mountains, Central Tablelands and every town on the roads leading in from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

5 nights, roughly 950km, one of the great coastal drives in the country
There's a direct inland route between Adelaide and Melbourne that takes about eight hours. This isn't that route either. This one tracks south through Coonawarra's terra rossa vineyards, across the Victorian border into whaling and timber towns with some of the oldest pubs in the state, then picks up the Great Ocean Road proper for the run past the Twelve Apostles and into Melbourne. Budget five nights if you want to actually stop the car.

Make a proper weekend of the 2026 NRL Grand Final — where to stay in Sydney, how to get to Accor Stadium, and what to do with an extra day or two either side of the game.

Quick answer: The 2026 AFL Grand Final is played on Saturday, 26 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) — secured as the Grand Final's home until at least 2057. For Grand Final weekend, Golden Chain Accommodation has properties close to Melbourne's CBD and the MCG (St Georges Motor Inn, Brunswick Tower Hotel), an option for drivers arriving via the Hume Highway (Hume Villa Motor Inn), and a string of properties in Geelong and regional Victoria so you can extend match day into a full Victorian road trip.

3–4 nights through the Clare Valley, the Mid North, and the Southern Flinders Ranges
There's a version of this drive that takes two and a half hours on the highway. This isn't that version. This is the route for people who'd rather stretch a 315km trip over three or four nights — stopping in old copper-mining towns and under gum trees for a proper flat white — than blast up the Augusta Highway with a servo coffee in the cupholder.

We're delighted to welcome Motel Traralgon as one of the newest members of the Golden Chain network.
Your gateway to the beautiful Gippsland region

Explore the Country One Charge at a Time
Australia is one of the world's great road trip destinations. From coastal highways and alpine regions to country towns and the vast outback, every journey offers something unique — and thanks to Australia's rapidly growing EV charging network, there's never been a better time to experience it all behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.

Looking for a family holiday packed with adventure, fresh air and unforgettable memories? South Australia offers stunning coastlines, wildlife encounters, charming country towns and world-famous food and wine regions — making it an ideal destination for families of all ages.

A regional road trip in Australia isn't just about the destination — it's about everywhere in between. Country towns, roadside cafés, historic pubs and unexpected lookouts turn a simple drive into the best part of the holiday.

The drive between Sydney and Brisbane is one of Australia's great road trips. Most travellers take the coastal Pacific Highway — but slow down and take the inland New England Highway instead, and you'll discover historic country towns, cool-climate wine country, granite landscapes and genuine country hospitality along the way.