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Charging at Cassegrain Wines, near Port Macquarie
Charged up at the Tesla super chargers at Cassegrain Wines near Port Macquarie, New South Wales. Plenty of chargers, all working as usual, no waiting to start. We had light lunch in the cool of the car, used the toilets, ordered a coffee. We fully charged before all that was done, so we had to move the car from the chargers to not get “idle fees”. It’s a great system to keep people moving and chargers available.
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On the Macleay River levy
Standing on the levy bank of the Macleay River that we’ve seen many times from the elevated highway (in the left distance of the photo).
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Croquets at The Clog Barn, Coffs Harbour
Croquets for lunch today at The Clog Barn in Coffs Harbour.
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Tracking down our KILOS GEAR camping lights
Many weeks ago, we ordered some camping lights from KILOS GEAR. The delivery was delayed until after we were due to vacate our home in Saratoga. So, we redirected it to Auspost in Coffs Harbour, through which we were due to pass on our northward journey a couple of weeks later. But it didn't get there in time either. So, we asked Auspost to keep it for an extra month while we trekked through far North Queensland. Today, on our southward journey, we were finally able to collect the package.
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A boring detour through Myrtle Creek
Often, picking an alternative route leads to interesting places off the beaten track. But sometimes, it just leads to kilometres of the same old thing, with no interesting stops along the way, like this detour through Myrtle Creek. It did result, however, in a hilarious rant from Francis about the state of the drop toilet at this rest stop near “Kentucky”. Something about how the mosquitoes and march flies fight for the best position to attack your butt.
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A charger wait at The Farm, Byron Bay
We popped in to The Farm near Byron Bay to use one of the two DC chargers there. I think they are still free from The NRMA. Both chargers were already taken by Teslas. Neither one had checked in on PlugShare, so we didn’t know they were taken or how long they would be. In fact, the previous check in on PlugShare was by someone complaining that both chargers were occupied, with no check in. I chatted with Jack, who had hired the orange wrapped Tesla Model 3 to visit his parents in Byron. He’s been thinking about buying an EV, so hired this one to try it out. He had no idea about PlugShare or that you should vacate when the charging slows (after about 95%) if others are waiting. Perhaps those hiring out EVs should provide some simple introductory info. None of this really affected us, since we just moved to the Tesla superchargers down the road at The Macadamia Castle in Knockrow, where we also had a yummo lunch.
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Last Queensland night at Burleigh Heads
Our last night in Queensland, at Burleigh Heads Beach, watching the Gold Coast as the sun sets and the lights come on.
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Why electric motorcycles are still so expensive
Why are electric motorcycles still so expensive? What can be done to improve the prices? I continue the chat with Tobin from Australian Electric Motor Co. We discuss Energica, Zero Motorcycles, Verge Motorcycles (the hubless ones) and Sondors. Shout out to David Pocock. We need more action Chris Bowen MP. Australian Electric Motor Co also exhibited at #FullyChargedLIVE in Sydney in March 2023, organised by Fully Charged Show.
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Zero Motorcycles — part 3 of the motorcycle series
Zero Motorcycles range. "cheaper, lighter, a bit more manoeuvrable", "very easy to ride and a lot of fun". This is part 3 in our series of videos, discussing electric motorcycles with Tobin at Australian Electric Motor Co. Coming next: discussing pricing, importing, scooters and finally some test rides. Australian Electric Motor Co also exhibited at #FullyChargedLIVE in Sydney in March 2023, organised by Fully Charged Show.
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Energica — part 2 of the motorcycle series
Energica – "The most advanced electric motorcycles available", "0 to 100km/h in 2.6s", "very premium bikes, but ... there's nothing really that comes close". This is part 2 in the series of videos, discussing electric motorcycles with Tobin from Australian Electric Motor Co. Coming shortly, videos discussing the cheaper Zero Motorcycles range, "why are electric motorcycles so expensive?", AC vs DC charging, and some test rides. Australian Electric Motor Co also exhibited at #FullyChargedLIVE in Sydney in March 2023, organised by Fully Charged Show.
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Tobin / Australian Electric Motor Co — intro video
This is just a short introductory video, for a longer chat with Tobin, CEO of Australian Electric Motor Co, about the range of Energica and Zero electric motorcycles they import, distribute and sell. Why they do it, what they sell, and where they distribute them. More videos to follow with details on specific models and answering questions like "why are they so expensive?" Australian Electric Motor Co also exhibited at #FullyChargedLIVE in Sydney in March 2023, organised by Fully Charged Show.
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Visiting Australian Electric Motor Co for test rides
I visited Australian Electric Motor Co to test ride some Energica and Zero electric motor bikes and have a long chat with Tobin (the CEO) about the tech and the challenges of bringing them into Australia. Prices are still high on these models, but the specs are getting better all the time. These bikes fly – Some go 0 to 100 km/h in under 3 seconds, with good range and charging speed. No need for ignition, revs, clutch, gears, petrol, heat, fumes, noise or vibration. Sitting at the traffic lights next to an ICE motorbike, I was acutely aware of the whole process that they need to take off (revs, clutch, change gears, switch feet etc). But I just turned the throttle and zoomed away. It's a great ride.
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Caricature Queen captures our trip
Look at this amazing artwork by the Caricature Queen. We are blown away by the detail and the number of references to our trip. Zoom in to see the details.
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An unusual charger layout at Miami Aquatic Centre
We charged up at Miami Aquatic Centre. The charger is between the parking spots, in a layout I haven’t seen before. I guess it’s more flexible to plug into front or rear car chargers without turning the car around. The display seemed to indicate 75kW, but I only got 37kW out of it, even though I was the only one connected. I checked in on PlugShare, so I could be alerted if anyone was waiting, while I charged up to 100%. If anyone else was waiting, I would disconnect after 95%, when the charge rate slows. However, there was a guy waiting in an MG. He hadn’t checked in using PlugShare and the Chargefox app doesn’t facilitate waiting, so I didn’t know he was waiting. I happened to look sideways at one point to see him parked in the other EV bay, which he’s not supposed to do, since it blocks others who might want to use the Chademo connector. But if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have noticed. He is an Uber driver and this was his second time charging that day. He said he is waiting on a wall…
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Best coffee at Picnic Real Food Bar, Mt Tamborine
Popped in to Picnic Real Food Bar a couple of times while in Mount Tamborine, Queensland, Australia. Francis described the coffee as “The best I’ve ever had”. High praise from someone who has sampled all up and down the east coast of Australia.
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St Bernard's Hotel, with food-stealing birds
Lunch at St Bernard’s Hotel. Beautiful view and gardens and audacious birds that will take your food.
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Songbirds Rainforest Retreat, with alpacas
We stayed the past couple of days at Songbirds Rainforest Retreat in Mount Tamborine, Queensland, Australia. Beautiful cabin in the rainforest. Close to everything. And alpacas! We asked about charging. They said that there’s nothing set up at the cabins, but they kindly offered to let us charge where they plug in their electric buggies. I did find a power point under the corner of the cabin. But we didn’t bother with either, in the end. It would be so easy and helpful for places like this to just connect up a power point outside each cabin, or in the car spot.
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Heading to Australian Electric Motor Co tomorrow
Tomorrow we’re planning on driving from Mount Tamborine to Australian Electric Motor Co in Burleigh Heads, to look at some electric motorcycles. Until a few weeks ago, I had technically only ever owned a motorcycle. The Tesla is the first car I’ve owned (Fran has owned previous cars). I sold off my last ICE motorcycle just before our road trip. I’m interested to see how an electric motor bike feels on the road.
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A glamorous laundry day on the road
Yes, it’s all glam on our Tesla road tripping. We used our included late checkout to… do our laundry. Two of the three washing machines in the guest’s laundry were out of order, so we had to wait for the previous person to finish with the only working washing machine. It’s like faulty EV chargers all over again! 😉 A few items can’t go in the dryer, and there’s no clothes line, so we did some MacGyvering with the weird hotel coat hangers and the curtain rails.
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Mexican dinner, after 'A Man Called Otto'
Evening dinner at one of the many Mexican restaurants, after watching “A Man Called Otto” 😢 at the cinema (only $9.80 per ticket here!). A short morning walk exploring a little bit more of the parklands. We stumbled across some cabinet containing old “World Expo 88” promotional material. I recall being here for that, on a road trip, on my 250cc motorbike.
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Asking for Brisbane to Mount Tamborine tips
Tomorrow we're driving from Brisbane to Mount Tamborine, to stay there for a couple of nights. Any suggestions as to: 1. Which route from Brisbane to Mount Tamborine 2. Anything to see on the way? 3. What to see in the next couple of days while there? After that we'll probably head to Burleigh Heads, then south through Kings Cliff, towards Coffs Harbour.
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An e-scoot through Brisbane's Southbank
Enjoyed a great walk and e-scoot through Brisbane’s Southbank Parklands.
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Valet mode at Rydges South Bank Brisbane
We used more of my Luxury Escapes credits to check in to Rydges South Bank Brisbane. Unfortunately, it didn’t include parking, so we had to cough up for valet parking. I put the Tesla in “valet mode” and gave them my Tesla key card.
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Across the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, to old youth leaders
We crossed the daunting looking Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, across to the east of Brisbane. We caught up with my youth group leaders from decades ago. I know, we’re all still so youthful, right! 😉. We compared road trip stories and toured their fancy caravan. Thank you Ross and Sharon for giving us a bed and EV charge for the night and being our guides to the local area.
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Sunshine Coast tapas at The Boat Shed
We explored bit more of the Sunshine Coast, including Kings Beach, Caloundra, Currumundi Lake, Maroochydore, with tapas for lunch at The Boat Shed - Cotton Tree, next to this amazing twisted tree.
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Coochin Creek dinner: not many options
After a great day at Australia Zoo and the The Glasshouse Mountains, we stopped up at Coochin Creek. Food options here are McDonald's, Hungry Jack's, some other burger place and Subway. After a small dinner, we were all ready to go, back to our BnB stay in Caloundra
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A great day at Australia Zoo
Crikey! Australia Zoo was great. Well laid out. Good space for the animals and humans.
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Back to The Edge Restaurant
Second time at The Edge Restaurant to use the remainder of our gift card credits (thank you, Helen). Great view, food and service.
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Cracking open the shoe cupboard for an RSL dinner
Invited to dinner by an old friend at the local RSL, meant that I had to crack open the shoe cupboard in the Tesla.
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The coffee donut at Kenilworth Bakery
We finally managed to get to Kenilworth Bakery, on our second (southward) trip through the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. They make the lovechild of a coffee and a donut – the coffee donut! Introduced to us on YouTube by @bethandpaultravel. The bakery also sells ridiculously large donuts. The courtyard out the back has very groovy murals of musicians.
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A weird charger location in Noosaville
Two fast charging sites in Noosaville. According to the app, the other one was busy, so we opted for this one. The location seemed weird, but we found a coffee shop on site at Thomas Surfboards, with a barber and surfboard sales mixed in. They also directed us to Rick's Bakery up the road. And I had some cereal from the onboard Tesla pantry.
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Dinner and a walk in Noosa
Dinner in Noosa, with lucky parking right outside! Followed by a walk on the boardwalk. Beautiful.
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Wasp 1, spider 0 — welcome to Australia
In the middle of hanging washing, I spotted this wasp who had apparently won a fight against a spider. Welcome to Australia!
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Pasta at Zacharys, while we wait for the Airbnb code
We made it back to ocean that’s not trying to kill us, in Noosa Heads. Impromptu pasta and pizza at Zacharys while waiting for our Airbnb host to reply with the access code.
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Mary Poppins murals in Maryborough
We stumbled across the Story Bank and several murals and sculptures celebrating stories and Mary Poppins. Love the walk, don’t walk sign.
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Visiting Caricature Queen in Maryborough
We unexpectedly ended up in Maryborough overnight and popped in to see Caricature Queen. The queen was away in her home studio, drawing, but we had a great chat with Barry and looked at the amazing work. We’re thinking of ordering one, with us, the Tesla, a charging cable, maybe Fran’s coffee, Tom’s bare feet, an outline of Australia's east coast, and some icons from our trip. Any suggestions?
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200 followers — thank you!
Facebook tells us that we’ve just reached 200 followers! Thank you for continuing interest. If you’re viewing our posts, but haven’t yet “followed” and “liked” our page, come join the party 🥳.
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A roof-top drying rack, while DC charging
Mixing up the meals today. Breakfast and the final episode of season 1 of Goliath (on the car’s big screen) at 4pm while DC charging. The Tesla roof doubles as a drying rack for the dishes. It seems that almost all of Childers, Queensland closes at about 3pm. We couldn’t even get a coffee. So, it was DIY with the help of IGA Childers.
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An RV-plug experiment with Tesla Summon
While waiting for another EV to finish using the only DC 50kW fast RACQ Chargefox charger in town, we played with connecting to an AC 7kW 32A 5 pin plug, usually used by RVs, and using the Tesla's "summon" feature. Mark Bailey MP: We need more than one DC charger at each location.
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Breakfast at Hidden Garden Cafe, Agnes Water
Explored a little around Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy.
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Koorawatha Homestead Motel — first stay
We found this great place along the Bruce Highway. Peaceful, view of the mountains and stormy clouds, restaurant, room service, pool, freshly renovated, great price. I noticed that, as you can see in the photos, the giant 4WDs are too big to fit under the carport roof (here and elsewhere).
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Wind turbines on a ship, at Gladstone
Tried to follow the coast a bit more closely, through Gladstone and Tannum Sands. Lots of coal, aluminium and shipping. We spotted some giant wind turbine blades on a ship. Nice lunch at Flavours Marina.
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Chatting with Lachlan, in his BYD
Another BYD. Chatted with the owner, Lachlan, returning to Blackwater from Dubbo. Good to see a variety of EVs on the road. Did I mention that we need more fast chargers at these sites? 😉
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Plugged in next to Kristie's BYD
Chatted with Kristie, who was driving her BYD back to Ayr. Kristie checked in as “waiting” via PlugShare, which then alerted me that someone was waiting after me. Unfortunately, although I had entered my charging time into PlugShare, it doesn’t tell the next person how long they need to wait 🤔. Kristie said she has also previously been caught out at the faulted RACQ Chargefox 50kW charger at Marlborough Service Station, and had the use the slow (7kW?) AC charger. She said it had been broken (perhaps on and off?) since March last year! How is this okay Queensland Government and Mark Bailey MP? This also explains the congestion at the Rockhampton charger 🙄.
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A 'fridge'-stickered Tesla in Rockhampton
Jake was waiting after us to charge in Rockhampton, Queensland. He’s on his way to get his windscreen repaired or replaced and will finally bid farewell to the “fridge” sticker. He told some stories of people damaging his car, such as jumping on the bonnet (while it was parked) and throwing sharp metal onto the road. Fortunately the Tesla’s sentry cam helped police track down the culprit and the car warned that tyre pressure was dropping. He said there is a lot of car theft in Rockhampton, so he’s thankful for the Tesla security features. There’s only one fast 50kW DC charger, so he resorted to the slow AC (7kW?) charger, since he carries the required type 2 cable. It was too slow, so he jumped in the DC charger when I was done. RACQ, Chargefox and Mark Bailey MP we need more than one DC charger at each location.
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Charging in Rockhampton, with Marlborough still down
Charging up at the RACQ Chargefox charger in Rockhampton, Queensland. We couldn’t charge in Marlborough, because that charger is still faulted, listed in the Chargefox app as waiting for parts until January 19, after being broken for a month! I chatted with Bronwyn and Phil who (with two more of their family, not pictured) had driven their 2020 Model 3 from Brisbane to Mossman Gorge, currently on their way back. They said they had been caught at Marlborough, found the charger not working, and did not have enough charge to get to the next one. It’s a really long stretch out there – even the petrol stations have signs warning “99km to next petrol”, but the gap for EVs is more than twice that. So, they asked at the Marlborough Service Station if they could just plug into the mains supply for a slow charge, to which they said “Sure. We have an open kitchen”. We joked that maybe they broke the charger to increase food patronage 😉. But seriously, thank you for allowing the slow charge 😇.…
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Back at Carmila, because Marlborough's still down
Back at the Carmila charger on our way south. Only reason we have to charge here is because the next charger at Marlborough is still Faulted 🤦. Come on RACQ, Chargefox and Mark Bailey MP, you need to do better. Chatted with Dave who had ordered his Model Y while waiting for his Model 3, and the Y came first. On their way to Mackay then Airlie Beach.
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Lunch with Kylie, while we charge in Mackay
We took up the offer of one of our blog watchers, Kylie, to meet up for lunch in her home town of Mackay, while our Tesla was charging. Kylie won a bet with her husband on the sale price of their previous ICE car, so she chose the Tesla Model 3 as their new car.
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Generating power while driving downhill, out of Eungella
Nerd alert: Regenerating (making power while driving downhill) from Eungella National Park.
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A last rainforest walk in Eungella
One last rainforest walk before we left Eungella National Park. Beautiful tall trees and elusive wildlife. When the sun is high, there’s very little shade for a parked car. So, cars get very hot. Fortunately the Tesla has automatic cabin climate control that turns on the air conditioning when needed, and we can cool it right down from the phone app when we’re on the way back to the car. Other cars, like a ute next to us, left their engine running while they went for a walk, so they could keep the air conditioning on.
Formerly: Tesla Tripping
Come along on our EV road trips around Australia and Europe, and follow as we progressively electrify our home in Emerald, Victoria.
Join us on the road. We set off in late 2022 and drove eastern Australia in our Tesla Model 3 — Sydney, Dubbo, Armidale, Brisbane, Cape Tribulation, then down through Queensland and back. We've since upgraded to a Model Y.
We've kept exploring — Uluru, the Snowy Mountains and Gippsland, and a longer run through Europe in 2024. There's plenty more on the map, so come along for the next leg.
At home in Emerald, in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, we're progressively electrifying everything: rooftop solar, a home battery, a hot water heat pump, air conditioned heating and cooling, and EV charging straight from the sun. We're going fully electric, off the gas.
Got questions, or insights of your own? We'd love to hear them — please drop a comment on any post.