Cheaper than free, to fill the car

Beautiful spring day. Flowers soaking up the sun. Solar panels soaking up the sun, but I’ve switched the solar off. Why did I turn off free fuel for the car? There’s a cheaper option today than free. Say what? There’s so much electricity in the grid, mainly from renewables, that the wholesale price has gone negative, so retailers are actually being paid to use it. Our retailer is Amber Electric, which passes on the wholesale price to us. Right now, they’re paying us up to 9c per kWh to charge the car or run any appliances. Probably less than 5c per kWh on average, over the afternoon. Our house battery is “unfortunately” full from solar yesterday, so we can’t use it to soak up more of the cheaper than free electricity and get paid more. Realistically, we’re not going to get rich from this. We might make a few dollars today. But getting paid a few dollars to refuel the car is better than paying $100 for petrol.

Top pub and top motel in Yackandandah

We aimed for Yackandandah tonight, as it's one of our favourite places to stop. One of our favourite motels is here too: Motel Views, so named because ... well, you can figure that out. On the way, we crossed the border back into Victoria, and back to the potholes. There's a new twist, though. Many of the filled-in ones still have the painted warning circles around them, which were helpful when there was a hole inside. Now we steer around potholes that are no longer there, and the circles around the ones that are still there play the boy who cried wolf. For dinner, we drove straight to the top pub, the Star Hotel Yackandandah. Not to be confused with its fierce rival, the bottom pub (the Yackandandah Hotel). To our surprise, it was a quiet night, and we were one of just two couples eating. We had some laughs with the staff, as they explained that many in this holiday town had gone away on holidays. One of the deciding factors was the fast charger just out the back, though it's…

Self-driving into a port-a-loo

Our stop in Coolac has toilets and ... well, that's about it. There's a hotel, currently being renovated. We pulled in for a brief leg stretch at the Superchargers there, on the Hume Highway, an hour and a half past Goulburn. Parked next to us was a red Model Y with red rims. Its driver, Jack, said he's the only one who likes them. He's on a road trip from Queensland to Victoria with his son. He mentioned the potholes in Queensland, so I warned him about the potholes in Victoria. Leaving Goulburn earlier, the Hume Highway runs right through the Cullerin Range Wind Farm, with its 15 turbines on the hills either side of the road. The much bigger Collector Wind Farm, with 54 turbines, is just to the south. Together they have a capacity of 257 MW, but the wind doesn’t always blow, so over a year they average about 70 MW (27% of capacity, typical for wind farms). That’s about 615 GWh a year, enough to power about 96,000 homes, or to drive an EV like ours about 4 billion km. Similar sized…

Cheapest car in Australia is electric

Stopping at Goulburn for lunch, we came across this cute small EV at the Superchargers. The BYD Atto 1 is now the equal cheapest new car in Australia. Not just the cheapest EV – the cheapest of any kind, electric, petrol or diesel, tied only with the petrol MG3. The "Essential" base trim sells for $19,990 drive-away. It has a lot of features for the price, including air con, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, and vehicle-to-load (so you can run appliances from the car's battery). It's a small car, so it has a small boot (308 litres), but you can of course increase the boot space by folding half or all of the rear seat (up to 1,037 litres). We asked the driver of this car about it. She described herself as a nonna, on a long drive with her granddaughters. She has had many cars in her lifetime, but she says she likes this one the best. She has the next trim up from the base trim, the "Premium". That gives her a bigger battery (43 kWh instead…

Hunter Valley, fancy rides

Catching up with three generations: Mum, sister and daughter, in the Hunter Valley, NSW. Lunch at Four Pines Brewery at the Farm, in Pokolbin. I thought we had a fancy ride, but then people arrived via horse drawn carriage, while others left in a helicopter. Some women at the table next to us asked the passing cowboy if he could take them for a ride.

No Thai, but still a free charge

From Gloucester, we headed south towards the coast, and our destination for the next few nights, a villa in Erina. We stopped in Raymond Terrace just long enough to use the amenities and reply to some messages. Then Erina Fair, for some takeaway rice paper rolls and a few items at Coles. Our old favourite Thai Thyme Express was sadly gone. We lived on the Central Coast until three years ago, when we sold up and set off road tripping, so Erina Fair is familiar territory.

Motel room with a free tank of fuel!

We checked into the Armidale Inn for the night for $130. That includes a free tank of fuel – well, technically a full battery charge, and morning continental breakfast. We rolled into Armidale, after driving from Maclean, up onto the Great Dividing Range, through Ebor and Guyra. Armidale is Australia’s highest city, at 980 metres. Maclean, where we started the day, is barely above sea level, so the car spent a lot more energy than usual getting us up here. Nice motel, in a row of motels. Set far enough back from the road to not be noisy. We arrived just before sunset, with the sun blinding us as we drove up next to reception. This is another motel that asks drivers to not reverse their exhausts facing the rooms. Apple Maps showed the nearest place for dinner was the Deer Park Motor Inn, just 100m away. We walked into the restaurant as the only customers. The staff were a bit apologetic about the limited offerings, but we were just grateful to sit and chill with a cooked meal. Back at…

A power point in NSW highest town

On our way south, we diverted west across the ranges to Guyra, to pop in to see an old friend. Guyra is the highest town in NSW. It snowed here a few weeks ago, but today it’s 24°C. Daniel says the maximum here is about 30°C. His home is heritage listed. The rooms include the old sergeant’s quarters, and a gaol cell, which is appropriately Daniel’s room. To protect the heritage frontage, he has installed solar panels on the rear of the roof, along with a battery. Loki reluctantly said hi, and Gizmo tested the Tesla’s front camera. 😼 Daniel used to skipper the ferry from Saratoga, which began and ended Tom’s commute into Sydney. They exchanged dad jokes between wharves. No EV charges in Guyra, but that will change, if Daniel has his way. He’s trying to get fast chargers installed in town, to bring in more visitors. He advises the Armidale region council on transport issues. We put in our requests, including: near toilets, near something interesting or shops, and shade. Tick, tick,…

Following the Clarence River, from Maclean

We grabbed a few photos at Maclean Lookout and Pinnacles. We shared the view of the Clarence River with a local wallaby (under the step descent sign, in the photo). A smoke haze covered the horizon in one direction. A quick stop by the river at the small but pretty town of Ulmarra, testing the accuracy of the Tesla’s reversing camera. Next: over the Great Dividing Range, to Guyra and Armidale.

A motel charging EVs from its own power plant

When our plans changed yesterday, we fronted up to the Waterview Motel, Maclean. It’s simple accommodation, right near town, perfect for an overnight stay on the way along the coast. We’ve been here before, and had the time to take a peaceful walk along the levee bank across the road that keeps the town safe from the Clarence River. Like last time we stayed, I walked ten minutes down the road to get some takeaway dinner from Peking Chinese Restaurant McLean. Fried rice and satayed vegetables hit the spot. A double room on Booking.com listed for $145. But it was only $130 direct. Jeremy and Joy have run this place for nearly four years. Lovely people. He regularly posts on the socials about the motel, improvements and staff. They had some storm damage to the roof that necessitated temporarily removing the solar panels. The tap just passed the tall water bottle test. I nearly failed the get power cord out of the jug handle test. We filled up the water bottles. We filled the car's washer…

Emergency stop in Maclean

Today’s plan was to go inland on the way back south from Byron Bay, to visit an old friend in Guyra. But, we never quite made it. This morning, Francis woke with a headache (not Tom) which gradually developed into a migraine, during our journey south. In Ballina, Fran had a coffee, hoping the caffein would relieve a migraine, since it helps dilate blood vessels and – yeah, for real (or so she tells me). In Evans Head at noon, she took some aspirin, but that came back up. We tried walking it off, getting cool air, fresh air, reduced light, all the things, but it wasn’t getting better. Half an hour later, stopping further south in New Italy, we decided we needed some medical intervention. We headed south to the Maclean District Hospital-ER. We pulled into the emergency bay, and were fortunately the only ones in the waiting room. The staff quickly triaged and treated her. A couple of under the tongue pills for migraine and nausea. But the migraine persisted. So, then an injection of…

New Italy is new for us

We’ve passed the turn off to New Italy several times over the years, on our trips up and down the east coast of Australia. Great to see that the signage now shows EV charging. We finally pulled in there today for a rest stop. It’s a beautiful place, with picnic tables, trees, grass, toilet block, cafe, gift shop, museum, and a bank of v4 Tesla superchargers. It offers overnight stops (in vehicle), for $15 per night. We couldn’t stay long, since Francis's migraine started to kick in. We might drop by next time for lunch. Back in Evan’s Head, I used the last of our water for drinking and topping up the window washing fluid, since the screen had started warning that we were getting low. I figured we’d restock in New Italy. Unfortunately, there is no drinkable water available, just tank water. I don’t like travelling without any water, so I bought a bottle of bottled water, for the first time in years. Lesson learned.

On the lookout for lookouts, Ballina to Evan’s Head

Checkout from Ingenia Holiday Parks, Byron Bay, after brekky at the on site Tallow Cafe. We roughly followed the road south towards Evan’s Head, tapping a few lookouts on the Tesla’s navigation and choosing “Add to trip”. Beautiful day for sightseeing, including from the paragliders launching off the cliff. We chose Evan’s Head, so Fran could visit Muzza's Milk Bar, and experience lolly heaven. Unfortunately, a growing migraine meant that we only got to drive past it. Sadness ensued.

Cabin with an EV charger

September 15 - 20: Our home for the week: a cabin 15 minutes walk from the beach, complete with an EV charger in the carport. Our visiting (now local) daughter Erin, and her friends Keke and Sienna kept the pace lively. Ingenia Holiday Parks Byron Bay has cabins, powered sites, camping, camp kitchen, cafe (coffee!) pool, in a beautiful setting of grass and subtropical trees. The staff are friendly, offering to replenish any supplies as they zip around on their service buggies, which are fully electric, with a noticeable absence of noise and fumes as they move around the park. At least one of the staff, I suspect the manager, has a n EV. It’s a black Tesla labeled “Lola”, often parked at reception. The reception parking area includes two EV charging spots with destination chargers.

Free parking in Byron, with EV charging

September 16 - 17: A few visits into town and beaches while we stayed in Byron. Fran sent Tom on a quest to buy her a pair of thongs, even though he’s not a shoe person. He got lost in Barefoot Boulevard. Lunch at That Crepe Shop, whilst laughing at the coffee/decaf bag labelling.

Please turn off your engine while parked

On the trip up to Byron Bay, we ordered ahead groceries from Woolworths. We followed Woolworths instructions, which ask us to park in the “Direct to Boot” bays, turn off our engine and message to say “I’m here”. The car park is underground, and mostly sealed, so exhaust fumes have few escape routes, including the lungs of shoppers and staff. We waited quite a while, which is fine – I’m just grateful that they bring the shopping to our boot – a godsend after a long drive. The big SUV in the waiting bay next to us just kept their engine running. Eventually, I put on my best friendly voice and asked them to turn off their engine. I pointed out that Woollies asks us to do that, and all their exhaust was just filling the confined area, including going back through their own car’s open hatch to their child in the back seat. They gave some mumbled acknowledgement “oh yeah”, hopped back into the car, closed the hatch, but kept their #%£* engine running. I just don’t understand how oblivious…

Banana fritter and a Tesla test drive

We’ve passed The Big Banana many times, but this was the first time I’ve stopped there. It’s grown over the years to include a toboggan ride, water slides, ice skating, laser tag and a lot more. But we’re far too sophisticated for all that 😉. All I could think about in the drive up was getting a banana split, which changed to a banana fritter and banana smoothie when we reached the important decision at the counter of Bananas Cafe. In the car park, I noticed a Tesla Model 3 and Y with a QR code on the side, and a label “Self-Serve Test Drive”. It seems that you can just walk up to it, scan the bar code, and take the EV for a test drive. Clever idea, since I guess many people see the EVs parked at the superchargers and wonder what it would be like to drive one. Years ago, I think we first saw EVs charging at the chargers behind Olivers in Gundagai and wondered the same. A couple of years later we took a Tesla for a test drive, and were so impressed that we ordered one on the spot.

Valla Beach and The Big Thong

Checking out The Big Thong at Valla Beach. As you might expect, there is actually a pair of “thongs”, but different designs. I wonder if “Big Thong” actually refers to the shape of the inlet/lagoon. Enticing blue water, with a strong current in places. We sat for a while to chill, but didn’t dare get out any snacks, given the kookaburra warnings, backed up by a keen eyed feathered hunter who followed us around. Last night we stayed at nearby “The Bungalow”, a converted garage. Beautifully done, backing onto a nature reserve, which sometimes has kangaroos, but not today.

Just plug in, because you never know.

Nearing the end of today’s driving, we pulled off the highway to visit the town of Urunga. A walk along the waterfront to the iconic boardwalk. We have walked it before, but not today. Bellies beckoned, so I grabbed some “emergency shoes” from the frunk so we could get into the local pub for dinner. We did our usual trick of ordering one meal to share, and were glad we did when we saw the size of it. And, of course, the pub cat found Francis.

Over 200 km streak of self driving, all the way to parking at the EV charger

Solar shade canopy charges the car

Raymond Terrace has become a favourite stop on our trips north. Plenty of amenities such as food outlets, and plenty of Tesla superchargers. The parking spots are nicely shaded, and that shade is from solar panels that of course help to charge the cars. It seems like such as simple solution to fuel up and provide shade at the same time. After having some lunch in the shopping centre, we returned to the car, to do some work and admin on our laptops, plugged into the car’s USB ports, indirectly charging from the solar panels. Did I mention the solar panels?

Norah Head Lighthouse

Heading off from Norah Head, our accommodation for the past three nights. Beautiful flat in a home, complete with an electric Weber BBQ like ours at home. Lunch yesterday with Mum at the Cessnock Leagues Club, after doing a conga line at the front steps. Nice place, but the Keno (?) announcements are too noisy for conversations. Brekky at Norah Head Beach Haus, followed by a photo with the lighthouse. Car packed with a portable cot for our new grandbaby, at our next stop in Thornton, near Newcastle. We noticed that the Hexham bypass is finished – looking good.

Northern Central Coast

Hopping between Tuggerah, Budgewoi and our accommodation in Norah Head. Great to see Amber and her new (used) Tesla Model Y.

Bankstown Superchargers

Quick stop in Bankstown to use the amenities. Then on towards the Hunter Valley, passing an all electric Woolworths delivery truck and an all electric Porsch Taycan. Opposite ends of the vehicle spectrum coming together.

Bargain motel in Marulan

For an overnight stop on a road trip, it’s hard to beat a motel. We won’t be staying long enough to take in the sights. We just need a clean room, comfy bed and a warm shower. Marulan Motor Inn delivered all that for $103. Friendly staff. Walk across to the restaurant for dinner, or next door for fast food like KFC (I resisted). The sink did fail the tall water bottle tap test, however 😉. I didn’t notice, until after I parked, the sign requesting guests park front in. I suspect that’s to prevent rooms filling with exhaust fumes, which of course our EV doesn’t do. Next morning, I assigned some work tasks to Claude AI on my laptop, and left it running on the backseat in the car, plugged into USB power, as we ventured out again along the highway.

Yass Superchargers, in search of services

Our Tesla was planning for us to stop next in Goulburn, but we weren’t going to make it. Unfortunately, the trip planner doesn’t factor in the human bladder. We told it to stop in Yass, at the Tesla Superchargers. There doesn’t seem to be a nearby public toilet, so we ducked into the pub next door. EV chargers don’t generally have services like windscreen squeegees or air hoses, which is a shame. Fortunately, we carry both with us, so we cleared a layer of bugs off the windshield. Back on the road, past the wind turbines that gave us the power.

Bright to Holbrook, with FSD interventions

We don’t really plan our day’s trip ahead. We hopped in the car this morning in Bright, entered our destination for tomorrow as Budgewoi, and let the car decide the route. It decided that we’d stop at Holbrook and (I think) Goulburn, to charge along the way. The route seemed picturesque on the map, so we followed along. The views did not disappoint, but no photos of the scenery this time through, sorry. Parked the car at Holbrook. Our windscreen shade got its first use this warming season. I have the car set to keep the car at below 35°C so the snacks don’t perish. And the fridge in the sub-trunk keeps the cold food chilled. Lunch a block away at The Ten Mile Cafe.

Bye bye Bright

Laundry packed into the frunk. Great to see electric service vehicles in the BIG4 Tasman Holiday Park. No noise and smell. Heading north again, probably stopping in Holbrook for lunch.

EV charging is getting cheaper, while petrol prices increase

After a picturesque day exploring Mount Buffalo, I picked up dinner from Mimi’s Tuck Shop in Bright. While parked, I plugged the car in to charge, opportunistically. I happened to glance at my iPhone to see that my EV charging is now cheaper, while oil prices continue to increase. The price to charge at the Tesla supercharger is now 43c/kWh. I recall it being above 60c/kWh. So, it has dropped significantly in the past year. The price of wholesale electricity in general has dropped, due to renewables in the grid. I know that first hand since my energy retailer, Amber Electric, passes on wholesale pricing for my home electricity. Of course, at home, I charge mainly from free solar hitting my roof, but that’s another story.

Bright to Mount Buffalo

We climbed Mount Buffalo today, electrically assisted of course. Plenty of great lookouts along the way. I think it’s over a 1 km climb in altitude. The snow has melted, but it was still 4°C in the late afternoon. Barely any cars around, apart from us.

Bright idea for a road trip

And we’re off again. Heading north to see family strewn from NSW Central Coast to Byron Bay. Driving straight up the Hume Highway is easy, but a bit boring, so we took the back roads along the Black Spur to Alexandra, with packed lunch (thank you Krissy) by the creek, then followed another spur through Tolmie, with a photo op next to a random Tardis.

The grid went out and the car kept charging

I happened to see AusNet's email this morning — a possible outage in our street. Then I noticed an alert from our Tesla Powerwall, to say it was running off grid. Nothing in the house had missed a beat. Every appliance had kept running without a hiccup. I tapped into the app to see how it was going. The solar was still funnelling through our system, charging the car up from its 60% low after yesterday's run into the city. Once the car was full, the leftover topped up our Powerwall batteries. When you install a battery and solar, get it in writing that in a grid outage the battery will still charge from solar. It is one of the things on my list of what to ask for in a battery installation. I suspect the outage was caused by a tree on a power line, given how windy it is today, up in the hills. This one only lasted a bit over an hour, unlike others that have gone on for up to nine days, taking out streets of homes, shops and the local petrol station. And then, just as I posted this, a…

Mid day drive to nearby Selby.

Watching Puffing Billy cross the Selby Trestle Bridge, showering Francis in steam (harmless) as she sat on the hill, waving to excited tourists. Brunch earlier at Selby General Store & Café. Basic menu offerings, including the best egg and bacon roll we’ve eaten. We were welcomed by the hosts, cute dogs, turtles and fish who were as keen to watch us and we were to watch them.

A month of cooking on induction

We have cooked on gas and on electric elements for years. This is our first month with a Westinghouse full induction cooktop in place of the gas. We had trialled induction on a small scale first. We bought a portable hotplate last year (also Westinghouse), as a spare in our kitchen — on the bench at home, and in the back of the car on road trips. Induction still gets confused with the electric cooking most people remember, a metal hotplate or a coil glowing red, sometimes under glass. Induction works differently — it makes the pan itself the heating element, so nearly all the energy goes into the pan rather than into the kitchen, and the glass beside the pan stays cool enough to rest a hand on. Here is what a month of it has been like. What stands out is how fast and how responsive it is. It comes on instantly, goes off instantly, and changes power the moment you ask. It boils faster than the gas did. CHOICE's testing has induction boiling a litre of water in about half the time gas…

Installing our induction stove

The crew arrived at seven. By lunchtime the gas was capped, the old Smeg was gone, and 40 amps of new circuit ran from the switchboard to the kitchen.

Oven bought in March, arrived in July

The docket said “ETA 3 weeks”. It took 106 days, six phone calls, and an oven posted back to the warehouse because nobody read the email saying hold it.

Day trip to Torquay and Queenscliff

We left our home in Emerald, crossing the mist-ical Puffing Billy Railway for a two hour drive to an appointment in Torquay. What to do after a long drive with a few hours to kill? Let’s take a drive, along the coast, from Torquay to Queenscliff, stopping at a few lookouts along the way. Oh, and a few stops for lunch (The Salty Dog Cafe Torquay), coffee, coffee and dinner (Pholklore).

Between the sun and moon, on Gippsland Lakes

The shortest path between two points is usually mundane. So, we tapped a random lookout on the way home, and asked the navigation to add it to our trip. The self driving car took us all the way there, and back to our accommodation, except for a couple of abrupt interventions by me to avoid potholes.

Everybody loves Raymond Island

With the promise of seeing koalas, we headed over to Raymond Island, in the Gippsland Lakes. We opted to leave our Tesla on the mainland, in Paynesville, and caught the ferry across as pedestrians. The ferry runs every twenty minutes, free for pedestrians, $15 for cars. On the other side, we hired a four person bike for $50, for one hour. It turned out that we created more emissions pedalling the bike around than we would have if we’d taken the car. I blame strained digestive systems fuelled by the coffee and cake from the cafe van. The koalas were sleepy and elusive, but we managed to find a few.

Metung, Winter Festival

Soup, souvlaki, juggler, chainsaw (electric and fueled) wood carving and a fun collection of outlets for locals and visitors. Happy end to another lazy day.

Up Swifts Creek, along the Great Alpine Road

Beautiful sunny winter’s day in East Gippsland. Perfect for a half day trip from Metung, along the Great Alpine Road. We only drove as far as Swifts Creek, this time, having previously traveled all the way to Bright and beyond. Swifts Creek is a charmingly quiet small town, where I attempted to blend in with a couple of the locals (see photo). The Great Alpine Gallery’s Winter Festival Exhibition was somewhat oversold, but interesting nonetheless. Bakery for lunch, coffee, a thermos of tea, and packed snacks. Then back south, taking any chance along the way for a detour and a photo.

Right on the tip of Metung

Lazy morning, followed by a lazy drive around Metung, and down to the tip of the peninsula. Beautiful bayside town. Plenty of boats and accommodation along the foreshore. Lunch at Aroma Metung, where I demonstrated my precision road trip meal dissection skills, giving Krissy exactly one quarter of my burger.

Packing our chef and barista, for the road trip

Off on another road trip. This time to Metung, Gippsland Lakes, about 300 km away from home. We picked up our passengers, Tim and Krissy, at Alkira, in Emerald, and made use of the large luggage space of our Model Y. Bringing along our own chef and barista is a little indulgent, I agree. But their professional standards apparently necessitated them packing their own cooking and caffeinating equipment. One onlooker came over to assist with our “engine trouble” because I had the frunk open to pack more in. Archie, our cat, supervised the morning packing. We grabbed what has become our ritual road trip brekky, at Over the Road cafe in Emerald.

Does size matter? Tesla Model Y vs YL.

A six-seat Tesla Model YL turned up at the Worldwide Light Show meet — parked right next to our red Y, captain's chairs and all. Tesla had loaned it to Garry from TOCA (Tesla Owners Club of Australia), Victoria for a few days to bring along to events like this one, so we got to climb all over it before the show started! Likes: - The captain's chair armrests in the second row — cleaner than the bench in our Y. - The sub-trunk lid that magnetically clings to the back of the seat when you flip it up. Lovely bit of engineering. - V2L! We would love to have vehicle to load on our EV, like most models now have. If only we could cook food on our induction cooktop, while camping, from the massive battery in the car. The Tesla Model Y L and new Model Y Performance both have V2L. Unsure: - Six seats vs our five. The third row is tight — elevated floor, very little leg room. I had to stick a leg out into the aisle just to half-fit. Climbing in and out takes some practice. - The captain's-chair…

Adding a second battery — Tesla finally makes it possible

When Lightning Energy installed our Powerwall 2 back in December 2023 it was great. Paired with our 12 kW Enphase/Jinko solar system and 10 kW inverter, it's been handling our fully electrified home in Emerald pretty well — five reverse-cycle ACs, heat pump hot water, EV charging, and grid outages lasting up to nine days. But as we've added more loads, I've been thinking about expanding battery storage. There was a problem, though. The Powerwall 2 is no longer CEC-approved for new installations in Australia. Tesla stopped taking orders for it in late 2024/early 2025, and as of January 2026 it's no longer on the Clean Energy Council approved list. So you can't add a second one. And until very recently, the Powerwall 3 — Tesla's current model — was completely incompatible with the Powerwall 2. They couldn't talk to each other. That meant anyone with a Powerwall 2 who wanted more storage faced a painful choice: rip out the existing battery and start fresh with new hardware. For me, that…

ICE vehicles also benefit from charging points

I’ve come across a few ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles that could benefit from charging points. Bear with me here. This ambulance, parked outside a nursing home, was running the engine, with no-one in it, I presume to keep the air con running, on what was a pretty hot day. Perhaps they were keeping the vehicle cool for a patient they were collecting. Fair enough. But, of course this leaks fumes (and noise) into the car park and reception, which isn’t great for health. I noticed that it has a power socket at the rear of the vehicle. I’m wondering if they could plug that into an electrical supply, if there was one at the parking spot (but wasn’t one handy here). This rental van I’m guessing has refrigeration, parked outside a butchers in Emerald. They made use of the external power socket, creatively plugging in from the shop. No noise or fumes. I wonder if it would be handy to have more accessible power points for these ICE vehicles? Or better yet, have electric vans that can…

A surprise picnic by the Yarra River

Surprise picnic. Making use of all the hidey-holes in the Tesla. Let’s pull over here next to the Yarra River. Would you like a cold drink? I just happen have a powered fridge in the sub trunk of the car. We can sit on the camp chairs from the frunk (front trunk, since there’s no engine). How about a cheese platter and some cherries to go with it? Ok “platter” is a bit of an overstatement, but work with me here. The car also has kitchen utensils and a dining table. We might as well just stay here for lunch now.

Fast charging at the Bairnsdale Superchargers

It's conveniently located close to shops, near the centre of town, but it's right next to the entry of a very busy car park. There are only three charging spots. I watched another Tesla try a few times to reverse into a charger from a park opposite. Fortunately, other waiting drivers kept their holiday cheer. I tapped on the window and asked if they'd like me to park the car for them. She explained that it was her husband's car, who had apparently gone to the shops. She seemed very relieved to hand over control to someone familiar with the car. I parked it and plugged it in. After that and a cuppa, the car was charged up enough to take me all the way home. I had to do a slight three point turn to exit the car park when I was done. Did I mentioned it's a slightly awkward spot?

A Vegemite sandwich stop in Orbost

Brief stop in Orbost to make a Vegemite sandwich, a cup of tea and to use the amenities. Pop the tailgate, pull out the dining table, open the fridge. Easy.

Bonang Road brought back my motorcycle days

Harkening back to my motorcycle days, enjoying the endless curves along the Bonang Road from Tubbut to Orbost, Victoria, leaving the Snowy Mountains. The Tesla handled the drive beautifully. FSD off, for some driving fun. I had to watch out for quite a few sharp dips, barely marked with crayon width paint on the road. This road has stopping spaces specifically for motorcycles (pictured). Yesterday, I grabbed some groceries in Bombala and noticed the "Welcomes Motorcyclists" sign. Before we bought our first EV in 2022, we did a lot of motorcycle road trips. As you can see from the photos from a decade ago, we haven't aged at all! 😉. I'd love to see some "Welcomes EVs" signs in regional places. My stay last night in Tubbut was thanks, in part, to the simple EV changer provided by Gippsland Climate Change Network. They are on to something!