Uluru via Stuart Highway 2025

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 🤦.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 😉.

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.

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 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…”

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).

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…

An EV-friendly overnight at Spud's Roadhouse

Halfway to Uluru, we stopped at Spuds' Roadhouse for the night. We picked this place because, well, it’s the only place for a few hundred kilometers, and because it has EV charging. We thought we’d be the only EV around, but two others were already charging when we arrived. They were using the two fast DC charging connectors, which only takes about 30 minutes to top them up, while they visited the roadhouse. I plugged into the adjacent slow AC 7kW charger, mainly for the photo opp, since I would be there all night with access to all the chargers. Robert and his partner were returning from a trip to Alice Springs (and a bit beyond), in their Tesla Model Y standard range (like ours, but the previous model). They had slept in the car a few nights under the stars, on their Tesla branded mattress. I asked how they coped with the kink behind the folded down seats, but they seemed unphased. Robert is bigger and older than me, so now I feel like a wuss. He has been travelling with just the…

About halfway to Uluru

About halfway, on our way to Uluru.

Spotting my old gambling-help app in the outback

My chances of consistently winning at gambling are tiny. Perhaps equally unlikely is stumbling into a roadhouse in the middle of Australia which displays the poster of an app that I built about 12 years ago. But that just happened! We built the “Stay on Track” app, for Gambling Helpline, as a reality check for gamblers to check their actual ongoing winnings and losses, set their maximum spend, and receive warnings if they were going over budget. Unfortunately, the app is no longer on the App Store, despite that poster’s advertisement. Most of the old media releases are also gone, but this link remains: https://www.facebook.com/share/16n5F48YqN/

Charging confusion at Spud's Roadhouse

Although it’s in the middle of nowhere, Spud's Roadhouse is a great place to stop on the way to Uluru. For one, it has a few EV charging options. Now, charging should be simple, like it was for the two EVs that were here when I arrived. They each plugged into one of the two DC charging cables, walked over to get some food at the roadhouse while their cars charged. Then off they went – one towards Adelaide and the other to Roxbury. But life isn’t always so simple. I plugged into the remaining charger, which is a slower AC station. It’s only 7kW, compared to the faster DC adjacent chargers at 80-150kW. But, that’s fine – I’m staying here overnight, so I have the time, or I could have just used a fast charger when one of the other drivers disconnected. This AC charger requires your own “Type 2” (technically “Mennekes”) cable, which we have, so I plugged it into the car and EV charger. To my surprise, it immediately started charging, without using an app or tap card. I left it connected…

A scenery stop along the Stuart Highway

Stopped along the Stuart Highway to take in the surrounds.

Lake Hart and orange dunes, on the way to Coober Pedy

Today we’re heading from Spud's Roadhouse, in Pimba, through Glendambo, to Coober Pedy. Quite a few wide shallow lakes along the way, which I imagine are often dry. This was the biggest we saw – Lake Hart, a salt lake. We wandered down the walking track, to Orange sand dunes, and discovered a train track – the rail to Ghan. A long load train wrapped its way past, far into the distance. Beautiful spot.

On our way to Coober Pedy — first Glendambo stop

On our way to Coober Pedy, the plan was to stop here at the Glendambo Roadhouse for lunch and top up “fuel” for the car. Glendambo seems to consist of three main buildings: on the left, an old run down, decommissioned service station. In the middle, a roadhouse/pub, with access to motel rooms and camp ground behind. On the right, a newer service station with simple hot food options. I heard the service station staff saying that they had run out of diesel fuel, awaiting a delivery in an hour or two. A truckie reported to say he had thousands of litres parked outside, but he couldn’t give it up, since it was bound for Coober Pedy. If there’s no fuel, there’s no plan B. You just have to wait and hope. We chatted to one of the guys towing the rally car with skulls, appropriately named “Numb Skulls”. They’re headed from home in Katherine, NT south for the Variety Bash near Adelaide, then back home. That’s a lot of towing.

A couple of days exploring Coober Pedy

July 29-31: Grabbing some photo ops. More specific sites and posts to come.

The toughest range leg: Pimba to Coober Pedy

In terms of range, this was the toughest leg of our trip, from Pimba to Coober Pedy, along the Stuart Highway. Arid, but beautiful landscape, which just goes on and on. We spotted a few emus, passed a road train or two, and drove along a section of highway designated as an emergency runway for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We knew we were close to Coober Pedy when we saw signs warning that wanderers might fall down one of a million random holes, never to be seen again. We parked, plugged in, and walked across the road for a meal.

A ute with a 200 L extra fuel tank, vs our EV

Chatted with Dan, at one of the rest stops along the Stuart Highway, heading towards Uluru. His ute has a range of about 430km, similar to a Tesla EV long range. To solve his range anxiety, and the high cost of fuel further north, he carries an additional 200L tank in the ute’s tray, along with a nozzle and electric pump. He pulled over here to top up the main tank. We chatted about EVs, including the BYD Shark ute that has an EV only drive, along with a battery and petrol generator, and new EV models that are approaching 1000km range. Interesting times ahead.

Sharing the Stuart Highway with a solar-powered prototype

So, there we were, cruising along the Stuart Highway, in outback Australia, feeling like pioneers in our electric vehicle. Then we came across true pioneers, driving a solar powered prototype car. They were practicing for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, which runs from Darwin to Adelaide. They told us that they are only allowed to practice in South Australia, and not in the Northern Territory, so they had to travel south this far for a few weeks, then go all the way back to the start of the race. We ran into a few teams, including support vehicles with a StarLink dish on the roof, along the way, from various countries and universities. It seems that they test during the day, then typically set up camp overnight just off the highway. Big commitment to spend a few weeks in the Australian outback. Thank you for your research and development that filters through to a more sustainable future for transport.

Almost there… to Uluru

Charging at the centre of the centre of Australia

Charging our EV in "the centre of the centre of Australia". After driving 1500km north along the Stuart Highway, we reached “the centre of the centre of Australia”., with a turn left/west towards Yulara and Uluru. First we stopped at the intersection’s Erldunda Roadhouse, in the town of Ghan (well, that’s all there is in Ghan). We grabbed some lunch, laughed at the banners for sale, and visited the emus. No cell reception for our Belong phone SIMs (which it seems doesn’t quite give us the whole Telstra network), so we made use of the free wifi. Petrol here is about a dollar per litre more expensive (about 50%) 😮. The fast charger is also about 50% more expensive than typical. At the EV charging station, we chatted to Jigar. He bought his EV in Darwin, then later started working at Uluru and I think Alice Springs. This charger is perfectly positioned for EVs passing through.

Arriving early at Ayers Rock Campground

We arrived a day ahead of schedule at Ayers Rock Campground. We had booked a powered site, starting from tomorrow, but none were available tonight. The staff offered us the unpowered overflow campground area. Our original plan was to charge the car at our powered site, while also running the air conditioning and accessories. Without a powered site tonight, we had to charge up the car a bit first, so we could just run it off the giant battery. We used the auto inflate button on our Snuuzu mattress, added pillows and doona. We moved the baggage to the front seats, so the bed wasn’t obstructed. While car camping in Coober Pedy a few days ago, we discovered that even with our portable wheel ramps the car’s bed floor still leans backwards too much. So, we backed the car up a small hill as well. We used our fold up spade to fill in a couple of holes from previous campers. We set the Tesla to “camp mode”, so we could sleep in the back of the car at 20°, while it was 3° outside, overnight.…

Driving around, and around, Uluru

August 2-3: It’s enormous. Photos don’t really capture the size. Amazing experience. The colours, the scope, the remoteness, the contrasts, the culture.

Sounds of Silence: dinner under Uluru's stars

Last night – magical sunset over Uluru and distant Kata Tjuṯa, while enjoying canapés, buffet dinner, drinks in the middle of the outback. To top off our Sounds of Silence experience, a star talk – a mix of astronomy and traditional interpretation. Fascinating and informative. Loved the sky pointer.

Walking the shaded trails of Uluṟu

August 2,3: Even though it’s fairly cool now, in winter, the sun can still pack a punch. This waterhole is understandably sacred to the traditional owners, being a water oasis in the desert. The walking trails are closed if the temperature hits 36°C. Most walking trails seem to have heat warnings, shaded seats and water supply near the entrances. While we were out walking, I set the Tesla to enable cabin overheat protection, and lowered the threshold to 30°, because I had some perishables in the car.

Breakfast under Kata Tjuṯa

Kata Tjuṯa is even more huge than Uluṟu. You can tell from the relative size of each in the distance from each other. But, of course, Uluṟu is one whole rock. We set up breakfast out of our camp fridge and bags, at Kata Tjuṯa. We didn’t see any of the dingos, warned by the signs. Then a few short walks. One of the other visitors had just driven from WA, and asked where the next petrol station was. I laughed and told him that of all the people he could have asked, I was probably the least suitable, driving an electric car. But I happened to know that there is one back at Yulara, about 40km away. He seemed relieved that was less than the fuel range he had remaining. We discussed the high cost of fuel out here, at around $3 per litre. He asked about our electric car. I mentioned that I’d noticed that the toilet block in the car park had a power point, next to the hand dryer. In an emergency, I could probably use that, powered by the solar on the roof and I think backup diesel generator.…

Stuck in Glendambo with the local hero (Chris)

As you can probably tell by the first photo of the local hero (Chris) resetting the EV charger, we stayed a lot longer in Glendambo than we had planned. Similar problem, now on our way south from Coober Pedy, as we had a week ago during our trip north.

A wary dusk drive into Port Augusta

In today’s drive, from Coober Pedy, this was the final leg from Spud's Roadhouse, Pimba, south to Port Augusta. We normally avoid driving at dusk, due to animal activity on the roads. We spotted many sheep along the road from unfenced properties, and a couple of cows. Just as we were leaving Pimba, a kangaroo jumped out on the other side and stared at us. It was the only alive kangaroo we’ve seen out here this trip, probably because we don’t usually drive in the twilight hours. The sunset put on its usual glorious display, tempting me to stop to take photos, but we drove on. A police car pulled over a speeder heading north. Might have saved their life, or at least a wrecked car. We drove on slowly, far behind a road train. I wasn’t game to overtake into possible oncoming wildlife. We had the Tesla on Autopilot, so it drove while we watched for movement on the sides. The maximum follow distance setting is 7 (as in the photo), but that’s too close at speed, or behind a truck that can…

Green lawns and EV chargers at Port Augusta

Leaving the outback behind, we stayed last night at the Standpipe Golf Motor Inn, in Port Augusta. This is the first green lawn we’ve seen in many days. Part of the reason we picked this place is because their online profile says it has EV chargers on site. In our booking comment, we mentioned that we’d want to use the EV charging, since that often helps a host allocate a nearby room. Shortly after, they rang us to say that the chargers were out of action. According to PlugShare, they’ve been offline for a long time. Please get them fixed or remove the listing from your booking profile. In the morning, we crossed the river to the esplanade to grab some breakfast supplies. While parked, we plugged into the RAA/Chargefox EV charger. Very convenient, next to the shops and foreshore, Moreso than the Tesla chargers up the road, which we used last time. We also gave a brief interview to Nick from Yahoo News Australia, about our recent EV charging experience in the outback. I hope the…

Hatch-breakfast on the way to the Barossa

Port Augusta to Barossa Valley, stopping for a late breakfast from the hatch of the car. The fridge is conveniently located with butter for our croissants and milk for our cereal. The mountains to the west looked interesting, so we diverted off the main road through endless green fields. Such a contrast to the endless red earth from a few days ago.

A late lunch at Monkey Nut Cafe

Late lunch at the Monkey Nut Cafe (Kies Winery) in the Barossa Valley. Kitchen had closed so we had to make do 😉 with a grazing board, coffee and scones, all to share. Very friendly staff. Beautiful place. The age old battle of cream first vs jam first, continues.

Dinner at The Lord Lyndoch

Topped up in Glendambo — return trip

Having topped up in Glendambo (see our previous post), we finally made it to Pimba. “Let’s check out Woomera first” – so we turned left and kept driving. The “Pimba” showcase sign featured a train crossing. Living up to the promise, we were immediately stopped at the rail crossing by a long freight train headed south along the Ghan line. At about this point we thought we maybe should have charged up before going exploring, but 10% seemed fine. We followed the GT to overtake the road train, and then turned off into Woomera. We did a lap of the town, with a stop by the rockets and relics of years gone by. This used to be an active RAAF base, with a mixed history of rocket testing and sadly affected lives from radiation exposure. We only saw about three people in the town. We headed back to Spud's Roadhouse in Pimba, plugged into the RAA/Chargefox fast charger, used the facilities, bought a chocolate bar, drank some tea, then decided to keep driving, to stay in Port Augusta tonight.

Lunch at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop

Lunch and a stroll at Maggie Beer’s Farm shop in The Barossa Valley.

Numb Skulls at the Barossa Sculpture Park

We were exploring the Barossa Sculpture Park, when randomly the Variety Bash cars turned up, including the “Numb Skulls” with the skulls on the boot, whom we met a week ago in Glendambo, on our way to Uluru. Big country, small world.

A sixties throwback at the Lyndoch Motel

Our home for a couple of nights at The Lyndoch Motel, in the Barossa Valley. Super cute sixties retro theme. The plumbing might need an update, however. We hear the neighbour’s drain through our own. White sneakers from the frunk still have a shade of red earth from the outback.

Lunch at Demi's Kitchen in Pinnaroo

We took the Mallee Highway to exit South Australia, stopping in Pinnaroo for lunch. Country town, after 2pm, on a Sunday, not much was open. Typing “lunch” into the iPhone’s Maps app, and filtering for “Open Now”, showed Demi’s Kitchen, a few blocks from the center of town. Time for a wander, through the town green. Cute food truck style caravan in her front garden. We took our “super veggie fried rice” and “curry vegetable dumplings” down the road to the Pinnaroo Wetlands park, around the corner from the tractor dealership. All in all, a pretty nice town. Glad we had the chance to explore.

From the Barossa to a Singapore chat in Tailem Bend

We plotted a rough course from the Barossa Valley towards home. First stop at Palmer Lookout, then Tailem Bend, home of a raceway and drag strip, I believe, for “the best coffee in Tailem Bend” from Revival Cafe. At the Tesla super chargers, a couple from Singapore chatted to us about travelling. They hired their Tesla Model Y in Melbourne, drove through South Australia, and are next headed to Sydney in NSW. They have previously hired an EV from Perth and driven down to around Esperance. I told them I’d post their photo to encourage Australians to road trip in EVs in their own country.

Last overnight stop, in Sea Lake

Part way through one of the Silo Art trails, yesterday, the sun was setting, so we booked a room at the next town, at the Sea Lake Motel. This is our final overnight stop before driving the remaining 450km to home, today. Last night, almost everything in this small town was closed. The motel stocks refrigerated meals in a vending machine, for people like us stopping in at the last minute. Great idea. We chose a curry, microwaved it in our room, but then realised that the used by date on the two packets was months ago, even though the used by date on the outer packet was fine. We decided not to risk it, and happily made a picnic tea out of our car travel food. We informed the host, just so they knew. It’s the fault of the food company, not the host.

Bakery breakfast, and a coal-fed NRMA charger, in Wycheproof

Breakfast and coffee stop at this enticing bakery in Wycheproof. Nice place. The NRMA charger up the road conveys “welcome”. The banners on the fence next to it imply “as long as your electricity comes from coal or gas”, perhaps. Let’s Google it: https://www.google.com/search?q=wind+turbines+generate+intense+electromagnetic+radiation+true+or+false

The world's smallest mountain?

I think I saw a sign on the way in: “The world’s smallest mountain”. It’s 42m above the surrounding terrain, and only 147m above see level. But, it still gives a good view of the surrounding countryside.

The last Anzac slice, near Bendigo

Our last piece of Anzac slice lasted until the last day of our road trip. Range anxiety – averted. Just passed Bendigo, this view over the “valley of a thousand hills” seemed appropriate.

Tesla to Uluru: an 8000 km recap

July 23 - August 11: We drove to the centre of Australia in an EV. Using the shortest range EV that Tesla currently builds. If you like a long drive, the scenery is spectacular and sprawling. Wandering the sand dunes and spiniphex plains is very peaceful. Sunsets and Uluru are otherworldly. The charging infrastructure in Australia is getting better, but the drive up the Stuart Highway isn’t quite there yet. Thanks to RAA / Chargefox and The NRMA for your work so far on chargers along the Stuart Highway. We need improved reliability. We luckily dodged a few outages. Pimba lost power for a couple of days that made the EV charger unusable, but it fortunately worked during our time there. Glendambo (between Pimba and Coober Pedy) has only a 7kW charger that runs off the town’s diesel generator, and would not initially start, both times we passed through. The NRMA charger at Eldunda Roadhouse, in Ghan, died a couple of days after we visited. But, there’s almost always a plan B for an EV.…

Silo art on the Mallee Highway home

August 10-11: We initially stumbled upon some silo art, then looked for more, on our way home from South Australia, starting along the Mallee Highway. Amazing.