Arriving at Spud's, where the roadhouse is the town

Halfway on our trip to Uluru, we arrived at Spuds' Roadhouse in Pimba, SA. Like a lot of places out here, the roadhouse _is_ the town. There’s not much else for hundreds of kilometers. We had booked a budget accommodation. After we chatted a bit with motel reception (which is also the servo counter, the restaurant desk, gaming desk, and, well, you get it) they kindly upgraded us to standard accommodation. I asked if that came with a spa. They laughed and said, “Yes, and a butler” 😉. Fun staff. A steady stream of travellers passed through, some also staying the night. Road trains, a couple on motorbikes, grey nomads, non grey holiday trippers, and a couple of other EVs – the only others we’ve seen so far this far north. More on them in a separate post. The motel room is basically a rectangular container. It has all that you need and a comfy bed. I imagine these huts also being brought on a road train a few years ago. The older cabins sit just outside the rear windows of the new ones. I…

Sharing the Stuart Highway with road trains and emus

On the Stuart Highway, along with road trains, a giant mining truck that takes up the whole road, livestock with no fenced road, cattle grids, plateau mountains, red dirt, emus, kangaroos, and wide open spaces. CB radios set to channel 40 and scanning, to keep an ear out for any road warnings (thanks for the tip and loan, DebbieandMark).

A Tardis-style auto loo in Port Augusta

Stopped for a stretch in Port Augusta, by the river and park. Nice spot. I stepped into one of those automated loos, that reminds me of a Tardis. They all seem to play the same tune “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love…”

Wind and solar farms south of Port Augusta

Just south of Port Augusta, we passed another wind and solar farm, generating power for local communities. No noise, smell, or breathing hazards. Of course, it would be great if we could avoid any environmental impact. But this is way better than a giant coal mine and power station, or oil drilling.

A waterfront picnic in Port Pirie

Arrived in Port Pirie, on our way north to Uluru. Most lunch outlets were closing, so we had a “picnic lunch” from our car fridge and food bag, by the waterfront. The giant silos backdropped the inlet with the wharf, bridge and black swans. The southern Flinders ranges in the distance might be the last mountains we see for a while. We stayed at the Comfort Inn. Basic continental breakfast included, at the on site Serenity Restaurant. Simple hot options also available.

Cloudy summit at Mount Lofty, brilliant regen down

With naive hope, we drove to the summit of Mount Lofty, in the Adelaide Hills. No luck, the cloud covered the view of Adelaide and surrounds. We said hello to some of the furry locals. On the trip back down the hill, we managed to charge the car with a reported 123Wh per km, a new regenerating record for this trip 😉.

Spotting the Lochiel Monster

We spotted the Lochiel Monster, on our way towards Port Pirie. Very flat landscape, then a few rolling hills. Currently very green, despite the long drought. Nothing but farms, a few home made junk yards, some wind turbines, and road trains.

Hunting for a Starlink 12 V cable in Mount Barker

We checked out some shops in Mount Barker. I had hoped to buy a Starlink mini from JB Hi-Fi, but they only sell the dish and not the 12V car adapter, so not really useful. Next door, BCF has a few Starlink accessories, but they don’t stock the 12V cable either. Oh well. Fortunately, Ayers Rock Resort Campground is supposed to have good cellular coverage.

Avoiding highways from Hahndorf to Port Pirie

This morning we left Hahndorf, heading north west towards Port Pirie, on our way to Uluru. The shortest distance between two points is… often boring. So, we turned on “Avoid Highways” in the Tesla navigation. We were treated to a couple of scenic routes through the Adelaide Hills.

Two nights in historic Hahndorf

July 25-27 We stayed two nights in Hahndorf, SA. As you might have guessed, it’s an historic German town, with lots of character. We grabbed one of the last rooms at The Stables Boutique Motel which, unsurprisingly, is a converted stables that used to provide transport for the adjacent bakery.

Weet-Bix vs Vita Brits on the road

Breakfast on the road. Living the dream 😉. The keen eyed among you might have noticed that we can’t agree on Weet-Bix vs Vita Brits, so we have both. Heading north through South Australia, towards Uluru. Staying in Port Pirie tonight.

Autopilot through Dukes Highway rain

Cruising along the Dukes Highway, from The Grampians, Victoria, towards Adelaide, the rain rolled in. Each passing semi trailer sent up a wall of water to blind us for a couple of seconds. We drove most of the way on Autopilot, which handled the spray with ease. There were a couple of times where it slowed and messaged “due to reduced visibility”. Such a great asset to have on a long trip.

Forgetting about quarantine at the SA border

We crossed into South Australia, and realised we had forgotten about quarantine when we packed the fruit. We quickly devoured two mandarins and half an Apple before ditching the rest in the bins near the border. Stopped for lunch in nearby Bordertown. Subway was an unexpectedly good option. Can I just take a minute with a “one job” rant: Whoever designs electronic menus in takeaway restaurants (not limited to Subway): Your job is to show a list of the food buying options so customers can read them. If you make the lists cycle and disappear every few seconds, then we can’t read them! Don’t do that. You had one job! I saw at least one other couple photographing the menu so they had long enough to read it. After three years of EV road tripping, Tom finally convinced Francis that having a thermos is a good idea. The staff at the servo were kind enough to fill it up with hot water for us.

Kaniva silo art, and our first dirt road

The silo art is spectacular. This one in Kaniva. Unfortunately, difficult to get a photo with the “No Entry” fence. There is an Evie Networks charger just around the corner, but we didn’t stay long enough to use it. Our first dirt road so far this trip, just north of The Grampians, thanks to the Tesla Navigation’s inability to specify tar only. But we’re no stranger to dirt roads.

Cockatoos farewell us from Halls Gap

This morning, we said goodbye to The Grampians and Halls Gap, after staying a couple of nights. The cockatoos came to say goodbye. The laundry bag has started to fill the frunk, along with our shoes, charging cables, water and windscreen squeegee. We repacked the car with the Snuuzu mattress in the subtrunk, replacing the fridge, which we moved to the boot. Much easier to access it now, and we can pack the whole boot. Next leg today, to Hahndorf in South Australia.

A surprise steam warning in Bridgewater

Brief stop in Bridgewater, on our way (sort of) to Hahndorf for a couple of nights. At one point, I think the car started heating, and it warned us thate might see steam eminating from the bonnet. I recall reading a year or so ago that a few people thought they saw smoke coming out of Teslas while charging, so I goes this is just to prevent worry.

Kangaroos and emus at Halls Gap Lakeside

We’re staying at Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park for a couple of days, on our way to Uluru. Regular visits from a range of bird life, along with kangaroos across the property. Kangaroos and emus appear all along the roadside into town, which is both beautiful and scary when driving a car.

A clifftop lunch in the Grampians

The highest place we could find for a late lunch. Hummus, veggie sticks and crackers. Some slice and a sneaky shared coffee. BYO seats meant we had to assemble our chairs from KILOS GEAR, which always reminds me of bagpipes. They fold up into small bags, which is great for road tripping. So cold here. The slightest breeze cut through the layers to the bone. Thankful for puffer jackets. The Tesla regained 3% charge on our way back down the mountain. We’re staying at the bottom of that reservoir wall in the distance, at Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park.

Walking Halls Gap Zoo… in reverse

So many cute animals at Halls Gap Zoo. Many them free roam and are happy for a pat 🥺. There’s a path that winds its way through the whole zoo. Should be simple, but we managed to do it in reverse after walking straight past the “Entry” sign 🤦.

Distracted by The Greatest Doughman

We didn’t get far into our road trip (from Emerald to Uluru), when we were distracted by The Greatest Doughman 🍩.

'No route found' to Uluru, says the Tesla

Heading off today on our next road trip, to Uluru, in the center of Australia. Tesla navigation says “no route found”. This could be interesting 🤔. Same result when trying to head to the campground nearby. And this is without Trip Planner enabled, to find charging stops.

Why our Tesla has no spare tyre

Tesla, and many other car manufacturers, don’t include a spare tyre, or a dedicated place to store one. Tesla encourages owners to just ask for help via the Tesla app, if they get stuck somewhere with a flat tyre. The response time and service is reportedly pretty good. But, what if you’re going to drive well off the beaten track, and want to keep a spare with you?

Body-bag mode engaged

Choosing our Kings camp fridge for the subtrunk

We bought a Kings camp fridge for about $208 from 4WDSupacentre.com.au. They seem to have a different sale on every 24 hours. The staff kindly brought a display model to the car so I could check the size. It just fits in the subtrunk. We opted for the 30L model. We already had the 50L version on previous trips, but it’s a bit too big to manage in the car. After trying the sub trunk and back seat, we eventually settled on the boot, since it’s easier to access, keeps the noise away from the passengers, and allows more packing space in boot, without worrying accessing the fridge in the sub trunk. We’ll probably move it to the subtrunk when we sleep in the car. The boot cover leaves ample opening in either side for ventilation, as long as we don’t block the side wells. And the 12V power supply is conveniently located in the boot.

Installing the Teraglide Pro in our Model Y

We installed a Teraglide Pro in our Tesla Model Y Juniper. It provides a flat elevated floor that expands when you lower the rear seats, a retractable drawer and table. Gas struts make it simple to access the sub trunk. Brilliant design. Stay tuned to see the assembly process, and how well it does or doesn’t work with the Snuuzu mattress.

$10 + car-wash mode = clean

A new find: Ripe Cafe in Sassafras

In life you need goals. Today’s goal was to find a cafe we hadn’t yet tried 😉, in our home of the Dandenong Ranges. Ripe Cafe in Sassafras was a great find. Guacamole (avo toast) topped with thin sliced potato crisps, and zucchini slice. Lots of cyclists out today, including this giant Saint Bernard. The local park has interesting seating, or perhaps a one turn swing set 😳. I checked in on our parked car from the Tesla app, after some dodgy parking in front of us. We love driving through the fern trees and tall timbers of the Dandenong Ranges. Beautiful all year ‘round.

Rubberised mats finally fit our Model Y

We finally fitted some rubberised mats in our Tesla Model Y Juniper. We waited a few weeks for Tessories Australia to have stock, but eventually just ordered through x-car.com.au. They were actually cheaper. The day after we ordered, Tessories emailed to say they have stock. The standard Tesla supplied carpet mats were actually pretty good, clean up okay and are comfortable. But we expect that the rubberised mats will be a bit more hard wearing, and easier to clean. We didn’t bother with a frunk liner, since it already has a hard lining (not carpeted), and a drain hole for washing it out.

Charge Next Door: AirBnB for EV chargers

We chatted to one of the guys at @Charge Next Door about their app to connect EV drivers with people that have an EV charger. He described it as like AirBnB for EV chargers. Make some cash from your home charger. Great idea. At Melbourne International EV AutoShow. Future Drive AutoShows.

Mobile EV Charging comes to your door at 60 kW

We chatted a bit with Daniel about their business Mobile EV Charging. At Melbourne International EV AutoShow. They come to you to charge up your EV at 60kW DC. It can be just enough to get you home, or a fully charged battery. Customers include those who found themselves stranded, but also “wealthy” customers who use them regularly rather than driving to an EV charger. I think it’s $240 for a call out.

Space-saver spare wheels for EVs, $395 to $900

A couple of “space saver” spare wheel/tyre options at Melbourne International EV AutoShow. Pricing ranging from $395 to about $900. We haven’t had a flat tyre during 100,000km of EV driving. If we do, we can contact Tesla via the Service option in the Tesla app. Or we can try out the pump and tyre goo we have in the car. But we’re planning to soon drive to Uluru, where a flat tyre could take quite a while for Tesla or The NRMA to sort out. So, we’re considering taking a spare.

EVs that aren't cars, at Melbourne EV AutoShow

Some of the many EVs, other than cars, at Melbourne International EV AutoShow.

MG S5 and the EV crowd at Melbourne EV AutoShow

Such a huge range of EV cars (battery electric and hybrid) at Melbourne International EV AutoShow. We were impressed with the newish MG S5 EV, at about $40k. Interior seemed improved over the previous model MG4. More posts from the show on our Tesla Tripping blog.

Travel-bed research at the Melbourne EV show

TOCA (Tesla Owners Club Australia) had a Tesla mattress on display in a Tesla Model Y Juniper (like ours). It looks fairly flat, but when we lay on it we realised that it was just hiding the dip at the base of the folded seat, by floating above it. It would be good to test it with a Teraglide flat base. But we think the Snuuzu is going to provide a noticeably more comfortable bed.

Stretching to match The Electric Viking

Stretching my shirt to match The Electric Viking (Sam Evans) was a losing battle. Great to listen to a few panel discussions, led by Sam and others, on EVs and V2G. Hopeful, based on some hints, that car companies like Tesla will soon allow us to use the massive battery in the cars to help power the grid (and our homes) during peak demand times.

Solar farm vs coal mine: a side-by-side

We took a slight detour off the Hume Highway at Glenrowan, to stop next to the huge solar farm at Winton. We have previously passed huge open cut coal mines, such as the one at Yallourn. Here are the differences we noticed: 1. The solar farm isn’t a big hole. It’s just a bunch of of posts that can be removed. 2. There’s no particles filling the air, causing respiratory issues. 3. At the coal mine, dozens of huge sprinklers kept pouring litres of water onto the coal face to suppress the dust. 4. There is no ongoing large machinery here, required to dig coal, and haul it. 5. Nothing gets burnt here. There’s no ongoing pollution or greenhouse effect. 6. The solar panels can work in harmony with agriculture. If you look closely at my photos, you can see sheep grazing in the grass around the panels. The panels provide shade that enhances vegetation growth. We didn’t see any sheep on the coal mine, or any living thing, actually 😞. Of course, there is an environmental impact of the solar…

A wrong-way reverse in Holbrook

On our way home from Wagga Wagga: coffee stop in Holbrook. When we were leaving the motel, the car’s auto gear selector put the car in reverse. I opted to not plough through our hotel room, by selecting drive, forward. But, most of the time, it gets it right. Beautiful drive through rural NSW. Looking quite green at the moment. A slight pause for livestock clearing grass from the road edges. Back at the car with the coffee, we discovered, after nearly three years with a Tesla, that the car image on the screen updates to show the window positions. We sat there like a couple of nerds paying “window goes up, window goes down”.

A lazy afternoon at Lake Albert, Wagga Wagga

Late lunch and lazy afternoon at Lake Albert, in Wagga Wagga. I’m starting to make use of the new front bumper camera to judge the distance to the gutter. Very handy. We clipped the portable tray onto the steering wheel for a lunch table, then as a laptop desk. We would have sat outside, but it was a bit cold. After a short stroll by the lake, we watched an episode of The Gold on Stan. on the Tesla’s screen, while watching the sunset through the windscreen and glass roof. And later, a very appropriate “road trip” themed game of Strands on the The New York Times games app.

A late-afternoon sandwich in Euroa

2:20pm can be too late to find lunch in a regional town. A salad and cheese sandwich from Mawsons Bakery Cafe was a delicious and guilt free option. We ate by the river, down the road at the Euroa Rotary Park, serenaded by the magpies.

Walking the Murrumbidgee levee in Wagga

Out for a walk along the levee bank along the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga. Beautiful day, warmer now with the sunshine. Lots of people camping by the river, I presume as their homes. Must be so cold at night.

An 'ICE' car morning near Wagga

We had an “ICE” car this morning. Well, our EV was covered with ice. Cold morning near Wagga Wagga. We warmed up for dinner and breakfast at the on-site Rivergum Restaurant. We warmed up the car using the Tesla app. That melted the ice, and left it nice and toasty when we hopped in. And no fumes filling the motel.

First time charging on the Wangaratta rooftop

Our first time charging at the rooftop in Wangaratta. We stopped here to grab some shopping. Up a few ramps, the T signs pointed the way. The signs to find the chargers were good, but the signs to exit the roof by foot were hard to find. We walked towards the lone Tardis looking box, which turned out to be a lift. Other signs said that it’s all paid parking now. So, we paid 60c through the Easypark app, for 30 minutes. It seemed odd for a short stop at a shopping centre.

An egg-muffin disaster on the way to Wagga

Off to Wagga Wagga for a couple of days. First stop Over the Road Cafe, (which is over the road, and about two minutes from our house). Egg muffin is a great meal to hold in one hand while driving, until the egg yolk spurted down my T-shirt. Sigh. Next stop for a stretch and snack at Lake Nillahcootie. Which has become an unintentional frequent visit for us. The red leaves have all dropped from the trees, since we last photographed here a few weeks back.

First wash for the new Tesla, at Magic Hands

Shiny again! First car wash for the new car. After 4000km in 4 weeks, it was looking a bit dirty. At Magic Hands Car Wash Ferntree Gully. While we waited, brunch at nearby lorna cafe.

Emerald's Lost Woods Market draws a crowd

This is probably the busiest we’ve seen our town of Emerald, Victoria. The Lost Woods Market draws a huge crowd. It’s a beautiful stroll through the tall trees, past numerous stalls and food outlets, with Puffing Billy Railway choo-chooing past every now and then. It’s a magical place. We parked up the other end of town, starting off with brunch at Over the Road Cafe, then walked through the jammed main road to the markets. The generators of many stalls lined the back path, filling the air with slight fumes and noise. It’s a shame they don’t have grid power. We hoped to see some stalls powered by V2L EVs, as we’ve noticed at some other markets, but none here.

Why grid electricity is so expensive tonight

Grid electricity is super expensive tonight. Why? Ironically, it’s because it’s mainly powered by gas and coal power stations. Gas and coal supplied electricity is very expensive compared to when supplied by renewables. The second factor is that it’s a cold night, so power demand is high for heating. Our entity retailer, Amber Electric, just passes on the wholesale price, which updates every 30 minutes. When renewable supply in the grid is high, we typically pay around 10c per kWh, sometimes less. When there is low renewable supply in the grid, we typically pay 60c per kWh. But tonight: over $10 per kWh! Fortunately, we have a house battery, often referred to as a “solar battery”. This allows us to “fill” up from free solar during the day, or cheap grid (high renewables) at other times. So, we charged up during the day, ready for tonight. We actually had more energy stored than we needed, so the system exported the excess to the grid. This helps the grid, and pays us a whopping $70…

Hauling a 2.9 m carpet roll in the Model Y

Transporting a carpet roll, 2.9m long, made good use of the powered collapsible rear seats and powered front seat. A bit squeezey, but it fit. A rug company quoted us to overlock our carpet offcut to make it into a rug for our living room. Unfortunately, after having it for many weeks, they admitted defeat. The job was so bad that they didn’t charge us. But at least it fit in the car 😉.

Sizing up the Model Y for a bed

Sizing up the rear tray of our Tesla Model Y Juniper, to see how practical it would be to install a bed, and sleep in it, for some of the stops on our next road trip. The folded down seats at the front are about 15cm higher off the ground than the tray at the rear. This makes it slope down, which makes a sleeper slide down during the night, and puts pressure on your hips. We know, because we had that very problem when we tried car camping in our Model 3, a couple of years ago. Terrible night’s sleep. https://www.facebook.com/share/1AUZJN8N7k/ My second attempt worked a bit better: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Am62mtfe5/ It seems to me that all we need to do is raise the floor boards at the rear, as shown by the ad hoc blocks of wood I added. But, I think I’ll save myself the carpentry, and just buy a Teraglide platform, which is designed for this job. In case you’re wondering, part of the attraction of car camping in the Tesla is that it has “Camp Mode” to keep the cabin at a comfy…

Charging a guest's BYD Atto 3 from our solar

Visitors stayed last night. We plugged their BYD Atto 3 into our Tesla wall charger. Charged up the car battery from 18% to 100%. Grid electricity was cheap at about 16c per kWh, because there’s over 60% renewable supply. Using Amber Electric. 82% x 60kWh x 11c = $5.41 If you’re interested in switching to Amber, you can use our referral link to get a discount: https://www.amber.com.au/referral/refer-a-friend-discount?couponcode=PGUXRHBG Refuelling a car at home is so cheap, even without solar. We used a dedicated wall charger. But we could have charged the car with just a standard power point and mobile connector. It’s just three times slower

Preheating the Tesla on a 6 °C Emerald walk

A walk around Emerald. Temperature: 12°C, feels like 6°C. Thankful for puffer jackets and the ability to preheat the car and seats before we return. The new front bumper camera gives a great view while parking. But the Tesla Vision system seems to not yet integrate that camera, so the parking line in front of the car doesn’t appear, while the rear one does.