Gold Panner Motor Inn — Hotel in Kelso

The Gold Panner was a convenient stop for us when driving through Bathurst and meant we could stay somewhere nice with truck parking available. The manager was extremely pleasant, happy, and helpful. Our executive queen room had been recently renovated with a totally rebuilt bathroom. The shower was excellent and big. Everything was impeccably clean, and the bed was really comfortable, good pillows too! Conveniently located wall sockets and plenty of them made charging devices easy. The generously sized TV was perfectly placed for watching from the bed. Despite the cold weather, our room remained comfortably warm without needing to use the air conditioning. It’s also very quiet.

Breakfast is simple but generous, in a clean dining room offering a big view. They offer a range of alternative milks for your cereal and have a huge range of cereals along with a big range of condiments for your toast. Parking a truck overnight was hassle-free. Although it's a distance from town, we planned for dinner outings and transport. For those avoiding taxi costs, consider bringing takeaway to enjoy in your room. Dining at The George Hotel in Bathurst was a highlight of our visit.

Staying in an executive queen room, we had a queen and a single bed, a kitchenette with a microwave, and the convenience of refreezing our ice bricks overnight for our esky. I forgot to photograph our room, it was spacious for two people, renovated and very clean. This is an old location, the driveway has some small potholes, drive slowly and you’ll be ok. Negative reviews may stem from unrenovated back rooms, but our stay was excellent, and the manager was very friendly and exceptionally helpful. We will definitely...

As the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”.

We had Room 29 - it has two small rooms and beds for 5, which worked for our overnight family stopover.

It was a quiet location up the hill and away from the main street so traffic noises were minimal. The bed was comfortable. That was about where the compliments stop.

It is a very dated motel. The parking is woeful. We had our neighbours parked across the front of our doorway and made our access/egress to our room nearly impossible.

Problems: the shower head leaks constantly and the shower cubicle is mouldy and the kids refused to use it (let’s not mince words - I didn’t use it either). The tiles need a thorough scrub from what appeared to be body grease on the bottom row of tiles and the grout is mouldy and disgusting.

The power point cover in the bathroom is dated and split. Light switches are randomly placed and hard to find.

There’s a trundle bed under one of singles. It is filthy and looks like it’s been acquired from a nature strip council rubbish collection. Absolutely filthy.

We suffered an ant infestation in our nearly new jar of jam, so we had to throw it out. The kitchen is dated and is also dirty.

The bar fridge is very old and has split seals.

There’s not enough crockery/cutlery in the kitchen for the number of beds.

The door lock is difficult to open and use, and having two entry doors that automatically unlock when the handle turns makes it hard to know if you’ve locked yourself in or not.

In summary, I wouldn’t stay here again. You simply cannot put a price on cleanliness. I wouldn’t call this a 3* motel: the facilities are so old and dated, at best it’s 1.5-2* and that’s...

The executive Queen room -Fully renovated and ample size for three person stay. Clean, soft fluffy towels, has kitchenette, quiet for sleeping and bed super comfy and clean. We warmed the room with the aircon and then turned it off, surprisingly still cosy temp in the morning. Short drive to town for dinner if you like or order an uber! We recommend the George Hotel. |There’s a huge flat screen Tv and there’s easy to access power points next to bed at the height of the bedside tables. So convenient to plug in phone and watch charging! |Breakfast 7am-9am included is simple but perfect as a light start to the day, in a large room with an array of cereals ( the selection is huge!) including porridge and yoghurt, toast, toppings and tea, coffee and juice. There’s also a toaster, kettle and microwave for your use. Expansive views from the breakfast area. |There is some truck/coach parking available, best ring before you plan your trip. We have stayed here a couple of times now. Very convenient place for us along our travel route. The staff are really helpful and courteous! |We have seen old negative reviews of this property but I think they were for older accommodation that was yet to be renovated and is not an indication of all accommodation available here and not a fair representation of full property. If you want a clean comfortable and quiet place to stay,...