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First night car-camping, at Discovery Parks
Michelle at reception was very friendly and helpful, though a little puzzled when I mentioned that I wanted to plug in an electric car. We opted for a powered site with an ensuite (private toilet, shower and sink). We set up the MOGICS Carsule tent, moved the 50L Kings fridge and all our gear from the car into the tent and setup the Tessories bed in the Tesla. We had a swim in the pool, showered in the ensuite and walked up the road to dinner at Club Dubbo. We turned on “camp mode” in the Tesla which kept us in air conditioned comfort all night, using power from the battery, with no engine running. The bottom of the bed was slightly angled, putting too much weight in our hips, and kept us awake half the night.
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How EVs charge: at home, and at a camp ground
Most of the time with an EV, we just plug it in overnight at home to get a full "tank" of battery charge ready to go in the morning. Any household powerpoint can charge the car at 10A (10 amps) (about 2.4kW). At a camp ground, you can usually get a 15A supply (about 3.6kW), which should have you charged and ready to go the next morning. This is a slightly technical video, of our first time trying to figure this out, for those interested.
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Setting up our MOGICS Carsule tent
For those who asked for it, here is our amateur fumbling setup of our MOGICS Carsule Tent. The Mogics printed and video instructions suggest a different positioning for the tent when inserting the poles, but that didn't work for me when I tried. I definitely need to refine my technique. The Carsule tent is designed to be connected to a hatchback car, covering the hatch. But we set it up next to our Model 3 since the boot is too small to enter/exit (ie it's not a hatchback car) and we preferred it beside the car. We used a suction cup from Bunnings on the roof of the car, to which we tied one side of the tent, which worked well. We moved all of our gear from the Tesla into the tent, so we could set up the bed in the back of the car.
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A safari feel at Western Plains Zoo
You really do get to feel like you’re on safari with the animals. Less fences, more space.
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Swapping the Tesla for a zoo buggy
At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, swapping the Tesla for a somewhat slower electric vehicle, to drive around the zoo.
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A phantom passenger, leaving Mudgee
We left Mudgee with a mysterious extra passenger who wouldn’t fasten their seatbelt. The bags in the passenger seat seemed to trick the Tesla into thinking someone was sitting there. We tried tapping the alert in the Tesla screen to mute it, but that didn’t work. According to a Google search, that’s not supported in Australia 🤦. In the end, we just pulled over and plugged in that seatbelt. Problem solved.
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Gulgong's Holtermann Museum
Checking out the Gulgong Holtermann Museum, including huge detailed photos of Gulgong and Hillend from around 1870. The negatives were enormous glass sheets. Very thankful for my iPhone camera right now. Thanks to Phil for showing us around.
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Driving through historic Gulgong
Driving through Gulgong. It’s full of historic buildings, like stepping back 100 years. Or like a movie set. Fortunately, for Francis, it does have modern coffee.
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Last-minute Big W shopping, before the trip
We did some last minute shopping at Big W, just before our road trip. I was previously considering a water boiler (from Amazon) that would plug into the car's 12V supply, but would take 25 minutes to boil water for a cuppa or two. We ended up buying a couple of 470mL Thermoses. We can just fill them with ready made tea or coffee in the morning, and it stays hot into the night. Our Tesla car has a giant battery. It would be great to have V2L (vehicle to load) where we could plug in 240V appliances, such as a kettle or hot plate. In the mean time, a thermos at least gives me a hot cup of tea all day.
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A Mudgee park lunch, before Dubbo Zoo
Back in Mudgee for lunch in the park. Beautiful place. Ready for our trip to Dubbo and Dubbo Zoo tomorrow 🦁 🐘 🦒
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A simple Mudgee morning, before historic Gulgong
Toast and fruit. Simple breakfast and some washing before heading out to historic Gulgong today.
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Driving from Mudgee to Gulgong
Driving from Mudgee to Gulgong.
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We might be a little bit crazy
We moved out of our home, sold what we could, moved the rest into storage, and set off road tripping in our Tesla Model 3. It’s the cheapest, smallest Tesla, with RWD (rear wheel drive), LFP battery and about 430km range. It runs on electricity. No petrol, oil, smell, noise etc. We’ve only had it three months. We have a bed that fits the back of the Tesla from Tessories Australia, a Carsule tent from MOGICS, a huge 50L camp fridge, camp chairs and other gear from KILOS GEAR. When we can’t find accommodation, the Tesla will be our home for the night. We were living on the NSW Central Coast, in Saratoga. All of our kids have grown and moved out. We need to downsize and reset. But, for the moment, we are without a home, other than the Tesla. We had only booked accommodation for our first two nights, in Port Stephens. We’re just winging it from there. The rough plan is to then head west through Mudgee and Dubbo, then up through Tamworth and Armidale, then up through Queensland to Airlie…
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A few days at Rosewood Cottage, Mudgee
Settled in for a few days of rural bliss at Rosewood Cottage Mudgee.
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Dinner at Club Mudgee (with three wise men)
We had dinner at Club Mudgee. The locals were very friendly. We even saw Jesus and what I think were three wise men. A few work Christmas parties, I think.
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A glove-box solution to eating in the car
Eating in the car presents challenges. I hate crumbs dropping everywhere, and plates are difficult without a table. Francis is especially challenged in this area, but I have a solution ready in the glove box.
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Coffee at Hollydene's Vines Restaurant, en route
On our way to Mudgee. Francis grabbed some coffee at the Vines Restaurant at Hollydene. The staff were lovely. Beautiful spot.
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Heatherbrae Pies, then Fran's first road-trip nap
In Heatherbrae for a quick recharge for the car at the Tesla supercharger, and for us at Heatherbrae's Pies. Time to head west. The last few days have caught up with us. Exhausted. So, Francis takes the first road trip nap, later described as very comfy.
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An afternoon at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary
Leisurely afternoon at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary.
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Soldiers Point Marina chargers, ICE-blocked
Looking at PlugShare for nearby chargers, we tried the free Tesla destination chargers on-site at Soldiers Point Marina. We had to wait for ICE cars to vacate the spots (anyone can park there). One charger wasn’t working and one wasn’t full capacity, so it wasn’t really worth bothering. They need to fix that. While there, we had lunch at The Deck Cafe/Restaurant & Bar, which was delicious.
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First stop: The Oaks Pacific Blue Resort
First stop Port Stephens, at The Oaks Pacific Blue Resort, courtesy of credits from our last app contract for Luxury Escapes.
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Thanks to Adrian's, for the move into storage
Thanks to the boys at Adrian’s All Inclusive Transport Pty Ltd for moving all our remaining belongings into storage.
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Last solar charge from our old roof
Car charged up one last time from the solar panels on the roof. “🎼 We’re driving on sunshine.” I’m gunna miss those solar panels.
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Last night on the bedroom floor
Last night on our bedroom floor. We had already sold our bed frame by this stage. The less we have, the easier it is to fit what remains into storage.
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Setting off on our east-coast EV adventure
We packed the essentials into our electric car (Tesla Model 3) and set out to explore the east coast of Australia, out to Dubbo, up through Queensland to Cape Tribulation, down from Mackay to Bega and along the south Victorian coast, Great Ocean Road, The Grampians and much more. Last lunch before we go, courtesy of Shelly's Cafe. Somehow we managed to fit all of that (including 50L fridge, bed, chairs, tent, food, clothes, computers) into the smallest car that Tesla make.
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.