Packing up to leave Yackandandah

Packing the car to leave Yackandandah.

A Yackandandah dinner at the Star Hotel

We started our return trip north from Emerald Victoria to Cessnock NSW, staying tonight in Yackandandah at the Views Motel. Dinner at the Star Hotel Yackandandah. We’ve had a great few days showing Mum around our home in Emerald, riding on Puffing Billy Railway, spotting plants and wildlife in our yard and the local area. First stop earlier today was at Lake Nillacoothie, near Bonnie Doon. Quiet spot with a row of bright red autumn trees. Toilets were surprisingly okay, except not great disabled access.

Mum, the biggest kid on Puffing Billy

The biggest kid on the Puffing Billy Railway may have been my Mum. And it was our first chance to have a ride since we moved into Emerald five months ago. What a beautiful trip through the fern trees and tall trees, along winding paths and over bridges, from Belgrave back through the town of Emerald to Lakeside Station, just a stone’s throw from our house. Great day.

The Coffee Pedaler in Gundagai, and Mitsy

We stopped in at The Coffee Pedaler - Gundagai for morning coffee. While she waited, Fran made a new four legged friend “Mitsy” who had traveled from Western Australia. Last night we shared a delicious Moroccan veggie bowl at Oliver's Real Food Gundagai. On the way in, Fran formed a conga line with Mum and her walker. When we returned to the car, I had a chat with Mark who was charging his BYD electric van. It was a grey import. Only a 45kWh battery but great for running around town. He was on his way to Canberra (from Adelaide?) with motorbike in the back of the van. We stayed overnight at the “Gundagai Tourist Suites” – motel style units away from the main road. As Mum walked slowly back to the car in the morning, I couldn’t help but show off our remote control car by “Summoning” it through the iPhone to reverse all the way to pick us up. Breakfast was toast and spreads in our room. Just so you (and Mum) know it’s not all cafes 😉.

A hello to Ned Kelly in Glenrowan

Stopped for lunch in Glenrowan and said hello to Ned Kelly. Great town for a visit on the way through. Followed by a brief stop in Yea before arriving home in Emerald.

Mum at the Holbrook Submarine

It’s amazing to see the little kid emerge from my elderly mother when we stopped at the HMAS Ottway Holbrook Submarine. A bit of a wander and refresh for a few minutes on our way from Cessnock NSW to Emerald Victoria.

Out the back of the Holbrook Submarine

On our way from Cessnock NSW to Emerald Victoria.

A first birthday and a Snap CarWash

May 1 - 5: On the NSW Central Coast, catching up with family. We filled the frunk with drinks and ice for our first grand child’s first birthday party. Snap CarWash in Erina Fair did another great job cleaning our car, inside and out. At first they couldn’t match our booking, until I realised we had changed to Victorian license plates since our previous visit.

A Tesla 'confession' at Campbelltown Catholic Club

We drove from Erina to Cessnock NSW to pick up Mum, to take her back to our home in Emerald Victoria for a few days. First stop at Campbelltown Catholic Club for lunch. We’re not Catholics, but our Tesla spent time at the Tesla confessional booth while we ate lunch. Easy to park out the front of the club for Mum to get in the front door with her walker. She marvelled at the robotic assistants that take the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. Onwards south, past the wind turbines in Breadalbane, to Yass. Stopped for a few minutes for a toilet break and stretch in Yass in Banjo Patterson Park. The autumn leaves are still stunning. Mum plugged in the car to charge and swiped on The NRMA app to start it charging. There’s also a faster multi bay Tesla Supercharger site up the road in Yass, but it’s not near amenities like this park. Onwards south to stay tonight in Gundagai.

Rocky Horror at the Theatre Royal, by Tesla

Tom chauffeured Francis and our friend Nicole from Erina and Umina Beach to The Theatre Royal in Sydney, to watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show on stage. There doesn’t seem to be any drop off zone at the theatre, so we ended up in the Wilsons Parking underneath for drop off and pick up. Hoping we don’t get charged two lots of parking when we never actually parked there. While they watched the show, I (Tom) drove off to find a place for lunch and to catch up on some work. I ended up in the Sydney suburb of Zetland at the P'Nut Asian Kitchen, eating satay veg and rice. The underground parking is extensive and has a pervasive smell of car fumes. Even with the aid of roof mounted fan cylinders, the fumes aren’t healthy. We need more EVs. Then the drive back to the Central Coast, starting with viewing the Sydney Harbour Bridge through our Tesla’s glass roof. Nicole asked all about the Autopilot as we drove along, and gradually came to accept that the two blue lines on the screen meant that…

Through Kosciuszko at dusk

Driving through Kosciusko National Park, just before dusk, from Corryong on the west to Jindabyne on the east.

A balcony stay at Park Ridge Retreat, Gerringong

Last night we checked into Park Ridge Retreat in Gerringong, NSW. Nice staff and place with a balcony view over the front garden. Bonus destination chargers on site. The fridge had a freezer for our ice packs! But, like many places, the fridge is encased in a cabinet with no ventilation. So, it gets very hot and makes the fridge work extra hard.

A coastal detour over the Sea Cliff Bridge

We took another scenic detour, this time along the coast from Thirroul, stopping for a cuppa, crossing the Sea Cliff Bridge, up to Stanwell Top, and out through the Royal National Park, emerging at Kirrawee for lunch.

Avoiding the Hume from Mansfield to Ovens

We again avoided the Hume Highway, from Mansfield through Barwite and Bobinawarrah, including a few more unmarked dirt roads, towards Ovens. We planned on stopping for lunch in Ovens at the Happy Valley Hotel. We’ve passed it a few times before on the way to Bright, and have noticed the Tesla Superchargers beside the hotel. We arrived, plugged in, but soon realised that the hotel wasn’t open on a Monday. There were no toilets open either. Faced with bladder range anxiety, we hopped in the car and drove back up the road to Myrtleford. Lunch at the Tu Vietnamese Street Food restaurant was yum.

Lake views at The Jindy Inn

After crossing Kosciusko National Park, we checked into The Jindy Inn last night. Great place with a balcony overlooking Lake Jindabyne. The room’s fridge had no freezer which meant we couldn’t refreeze our cold packs for our cooler bag. We didn’t bring the giant Kings Fridge on this trip. No microwave oven in the room, so we drove down the road to The Brumby Bar & Bistro to share a Brumby Burger (presumably not made from brumbies). Delicious! The inn included continental breakfast in the dining room. After slightly burning my finger on the reluctant conveyor belt toaster, I enjoyed autumn colour themed fruit salad and Greek yogurt on my cereal. After checkout, we grabbed a coffee from ESS BOARDSTORES, where they were happy to use our lactose free milk, from our cooler bag, since they didn’t stock that option. The cold temperature lowered the tyre pressures, as you can see on the Tesla’s screen. But they soon warmed up as we hit the road. Next, on to Cooma and then Gerringong.

Birdsnest, Nanny Goat Hill and The Lott Cafe

Francis explored Birdsnest while Tom explored the back streets of Cooma, including Nanny Goat Hill Lookout. Lunch at The Lott Cafe, then onwards towards Gerringong.

A quiet stretch at Googong Dam

Brief stop for toilet and a thermos cup of tea at Googong Dam, in the ACT, just outside of Canberra. Nice quiet spot for a stretch. Lots of new housing up the road, sadly with dark roofs and few trees.

Modelling the latest from Evie

Francis is modeling the latest in fast chargers from Evie. This ensemble comes with 75kW and sleek lines to suit any occasion. This used to only exist in exclusive fashion houses, but is now popping up everywhere across Australia. After crossing back into NSW, we stopped in Bungendore, for a chemist and coffee. Glad we had the chance for a brief wander through the town – it’s got quite a lot to offer.

Googong Dam, ACT

Googong Dam ACT, 30 April 2024. Details: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YEPCK5Lj4hE7dz8e/

An okay night at Mansfield Motel

Last night, we stayed in Mansfield, Victoria. The Mansfield Motel is conveniently a short walk to everything. Friendly reception. Our only complaint was that the hot water pressure was woeful. Oh, and the power points next to the bed touch the floor (why do electricians do that?), so you can’t plug in a power pack for laptop, phone etc. But that’s just being picky 😉. Like most of the areas we’ve been through this week, Mansfield is decorated by beautiful autumn trees, in shades of green, yellow, orange and red. The main street is split, with a park in the middle and a roundabout adorned with flowers. For dinner, we grabbed Indian takeaway from Curry Garden. For breakfast, we had toast and spreads. I mention this so you know that most of our road trip meals aren’t from fancy cafes 😉. After we checked out this morning, we grabbed a coffee at The Mansfield Coffee Merchant, 100m away. We drove off towards Kosciusko National Park, crossing the border into NSW, aiming to get to Jindabyne…

On a mission to find a left thermos lid

Down to the core of our mission 😉: to see if my thermos lid is still on the garden stake where I accidentally left it half a year ago, in the middle of Kosciusko National Park. We left our lunch stop in Myrtleford and drove through to Corryong, on the western side of the Great Dividing Range. One last stop there for a quick toilet break and a stretch before takling the mountains. Oh, and a symbolic thermos lid of tea (in our second thermos). It would be dark soon, so we needed to get to Tom Groggin while there was still a glimmer of daylight by which we could search for the missing thermos lid. As you might have guessed and as probability and time would dictate, the first thermos lid was nowhere to be found. We took a photo of the replacement on the stake as a reenactment. It’s now time to move on. We continued east, past Thredbo and Mount Kosciusko, towards Jindabyne where we would stay the night. The mountains are beautiful. No snow on this trek through. Dusk brought out the…

A dirt-road detour to Fawcett Lookout

Leaving Alexandra, I noticed “Fawcett Lookout” nearby on the Tesla’s navigation. So, off we went down a side road. The tar soon gave way to gravel. The Google maps driven Tesla navigation gives no indication of road surfaces, disappointingly. The “lookout” turned out to just be the intersection of the gravel road with some farm’s driveway. But it did give us a great view over both valleys. We pressed on, towards Mansfield. The Old Fawcett Road led into Coles Road, and the conditions deteriorated in places. I was acutely aware of the low clearance of our car, and we bottomed out just a couple of times. The pile of gravel in the middle of the road provided the main challenge. But there were also a few sections that started to have an off road rocky feel. Beautiful scenery made it all worth while. The bemused returned waves from a couple of passing ute drivers also gave me a smile. We should probably get a slightly higher clearance car, for roads like this. Maybe a Tesla Model Y.

A slow start, dropping off the cat

We’ve had a pretty slow start today so far on our road trip north. It took less than an hour to pack the car – we’re pretty experienced at that now. But it took another two hours to tidy our house, then another hour to drop off the cat. Then a “drop in for a quick coffee” turned into staying for lunch, at the best barista and chef in town – our friends Kristy and Tim. By the time we actually started on our road trip, the afternoon had also started. First stop for a toilet, stretch, and some carrot cake, in Alexandra, Victoria. Fortunately, a couple of cafes were still open at 2:30pm on a Sunday. Friendly staff and a good vibe at Grant St Grocer and Cafe.

Off on another road trip — five-minute prep

We’re off on another road trip this morning. Heading north ish towards the NSW Central Coast to visit family. Car prep: Five minutes to top up windscreen washer fluid. Nothing else to do. No radiator to top up. No oil to top up or change. No need to visit to a petrol station to fill up the tank. First stop to drop off our cat Archie at Catshack. They are so good to him there. We hope to divert near Tom Groggin Campground in Kosciusko National Park to check whether my thermos lid is still there, which I left on a pole a year ago. Pretty unlikely. But mainly taking that route because the Hume Highway is a bit boring.

Lunch at Tatiana's, then Sassafras Creek

You know it’s a lazy day when your planned Saturday brunch turns out to be lunch by the time you get there. Delicious food and welcoming staff at Tatiana’s cafe in Monbulk. A short trip down the road to walk along Sassafras Creek – what a picturesque find! An easy flat windy walk which ended up at Lyrebird Falls reception centre.

Flowers and poffertjes at Tesselaar KaBloom

Afternoon visit to Tesselaar KaBloom in Silvan, Victoria. Rows and rows of flower blooms, a tractor train ride, lunch trucks, Dutch poffertjes, some zombie looking sun flowers. A few people dressed as magical characters, including fairies and Shrek. The food trucks were electric, so were quiet and had no fumes ☺️. The tractor train kept us in the diesel afterglow, but was fun.

The Lost Woods Market on our doorstep

A brief trip up the road in Emerald yesterday to The Lost Woods Market. What a great find, right on our doorstep. A long line of markets stalls, art, craft, food, knickknacks, performers, between the tall trees and right next to the Puffing Billy Railway.

Finally trying the Dindi Cafe in Yarck

On the way, yesterday, from Yackandandah to our home in Emerald, we stopped for a break in Yarck. We have passed the Dindi Cafe many times before. Now we could finally check it out. We had read reviews that said it had strong smells from the products, but our sensitive noses found the smells of lemon myrtle, eucalyptus quite pleasant. We bought a couple of products and shared a toasted panini for a late lunch. They just offer ready made food from the display cabinet.

A not-so-flat detour to Flat Rock

We took a stab at the on screen map by tapping “Flat Rock”. It took us out the back of Beechworth, past the correctional center, along a dirt road. The path to the rock was not flat, so we groaned in the photo. The moss on the rock was like carpet for bare feet.

Beechworth sweets, then Newton Falls

Like a kid in a candy store at The Beechworth Sweet Co. But we showed restraint… until we went next door to the Beechworth Bakery. We took a couple of vege rolls and a cuppa down to Newton Falls, which are pretty spectacular for something right in the middle of town.

A $10 squeegee solves an EV-charger gap

We figured out that the one advantage of having an ICE car is having access to a window washing squeegee at the service station, a feature that is not provided at EV chargers. Problem solved: We bought a $10 squeegee at Mitre 10, and keep it in the car boot. We set off this morning with a clean windscreen and a full “tank”.

Past The Big Shovel, ending at Yack's Bottom Pub

We stopped by “The Big Shovel” as we left the Off-Grid Living Festival in Chiltern. Francis tried to make a friend out of a skittish young bull. We finished up back in Yack, this time at the ”Bottom Pub”, complete with appropriate (or inappropriate) photo.

Slides from our EV road-tripping talk

Some of the slides from our presentation on EV road tripping at the Off-Grid Living Festival, in the Border Regional Electrification Events electrification tent.

The vibe at the Off-Grid Living Festival

Great vibe at the Off-Grid Living Festival. Street musician and entertainers, cuddly animals, amazing artwork, lots of delicious food options. No disposable plates! Impressive.

An eye-opening talk on EV conversions

Eye opening talk today at the Border Regional Electrification Events electrification tent, about converting existing cars to EVs. New life for classic cars. Improves torque, reliability and longevity. No fumes or noise. Love it.

Yackandandah Motor Inn has EV charging sorted

The Yackandandah Motor Inn has got it sorted! It has a power point outside the room, next to the parking spot, specifically for EVs and e-bikes. Brilliant! Before you point out that the sign says to “park front in“, we checked that with management. As we’ve seen in other motels, that’s to reduce the fumes and noise of ICE vehicles filling the rooms, which of course is not a concern for EVs. Even the bedside charging is set up properly, with USB-C, USB-A and a power point high enough for a laptop plug pack. Dinner is a very short walk away at the Star Hotel Yackandandah. We had mushroom fettuccine and eggplant parmigiana.

Marvin meets Husqvarna at the Off-Grid Festival

On our way out from the Off-Grid Living Festival, we checked out some of the displays in the Border Regional Electrification Events area. We had a chat with Paul about the Husqvana robot mower that was quietly cutting a patch of lawn next to us. All Seasons Garden Solutions: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091464130556 We chatted with Matt from Clenergy about a possible portable battery for camping, which can charge from the Tesla car’s 12V supply and from portable solar panels, to then use it for high power cooking such as induction stove tops. It pains me that this is needed because our Tesla doesn’t have vehicle to load (V2L) which could power the stove directly. Other EVs have this feature.

EVs and conversions at the Off-Grid Festival

Many electric vehicles at the Off-Grid Living Festival this weekend, in the Border Regional Electrification Events area. New cars from Tesla, MG, Hyundai and others. Test drives on site. We spotted a few converted cars including a VW Beatle and a Mini. A Zero motorcycle. Dozens of electric mowers from small to huge. The place of huge!

Catching the EV panel at the Off-Grid Festival

We arrived at Off-Grid Living Festival at about 2:30, to catch a few of the talks in the Border Regional Electrification Events electrification tent. We caught the tail end of a panel discussion of EV owners answering some audience questions, then Michael from the Electric Vehicle Council covering a range of issues. And finally an eye opening discussion on recycling measures in place for lithium batteries in Australia. The tent was appropriately powered by V2L (vehicle to load) from the MG EV parked next to it. We found our names in the presenters list for tomorrow! See you at noon.

Battery-powered coffee at the Off-Grid Festival

Battery powered coffee at the Off-Grid Living Festival. No diesel generator noise or fumes. How’s the serenity!

First stop, Marmalades in Yea, on the way to Chiltern

First stop, in Yea, on our way to the Off-Grid Living Festival. We stopped for lunch at Marmalades – delicious fritters and a cheese waffle dish, which was new for us.

Cramming Early Settler furniture into the Tesla

We crammed our final furniture purchases into the Tesla. They arrived at Early Settler Furniture in Chirnside, about three months after we ordered them. We didn’t want to fork out for another delivery fee (we’ve paid for two already on this one order), so we decided to just pick them up. Two bedside tables and two tall coffee tables, plus the boxes and packaging. Two fit in the back seat and two almost fit in the boot. So, we left the boot slightly open. Driving off, the Tesla displayed a warning on screen and played a continuous three beep sound. We couldn’t tap anywhere to stop it, but after a minute or so, it just went quiet. We stopped for lunch at Milk & Wine Co in Heathmont. Delicious coffee and eggs. But, I digress. While we were seated for lunch, the Tesla sent my phone a notification to warn that the boot was open. That was okay. But, I also couldn’t lock the car. It seems that the open boot prevents the car locking the doors too. I’ll need to check into this. It seems wrong…

Lots to see this weekend

Invited to speak at the Off-Grid Living Festival

We have been invited to speak at the Off-Grid Living Festival next weekend in Chiltern Victoria. In conjunction with Border Regional Electrification Events. The festival boasts a wide range of stalls, talks and other information, from growing veggies to electric vehicles. We’ll be giving a talk at 12 noon on Sunday, April 7 (the first day that daylight savings ends). We’re aiming to demystify EV road trips to be something anyone can do. We’ll be in “The Electrification Tent”: https://www.offgridevent.com.au/electrification If you’re coming along, let us know, and say “hi”. Please ask if you have some questions about road tripping in an EV. It will give us some good talking points.

A Touch of Dutch for Easter goodies

A culinary step back to Fran’s roots at A touch of Dutch. We left with some Dutch chocolate for Easter, apple cake, crochets and a bunch of sweets (for gifting, honestly!).

High tea at Oxi Tea Room

A road trip into Melbourne city for a fancy high tea at Oxi Tea Room. We managed to find a free parking spot in the same laneway. The choice of over thirty teas was laid out in a matrix of flavours. The high tea theme changes every season. For autumn, it is a space adventure. The artwork, ornaments and spectacular food matched the story unfolding on our phones, guiding us through eating each sculpture. We couldn’t tell which was savoury or sweet until we tasted them. It pushed comfort zones a little, but it was amazing. The staff were lovely. Thanks to Helen for this “out there” Christmas gift ☺️👽🧑‍🚀.

Bunnings sausage sangas, in cosy Tesla mode

Aussie traditional trip to Bunnings, complete with sausage sangas. We did wonder about the meat source, after reading the sign 😉. Rather than hover around the carpark, while eating, we hopped in the Tesla. For a laugh, we turned on the cozy fireplace, which also blows warm air from the “fire”. I tapped the screen once and, to my surprise, it started playing Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” 🎶 😮🤭😂.

Eggs Florentine in Cockatoo

A local trip to Cockatoo, Victoria, for Eggs Florentine at Brunch on McBride. We had to laugh at the inappropriately truncated The Black Cockatoo Pizza Cafe across the road. We wandered a bit down the road through the local community garden, and harvested a strawberry. A familiar toot toot sound turned out to be Puffing Billy Railway with a Thomas The Tank Engine face. We think it runs from Emerald to Cockatoo only once a day.

By the start of the Yarra River, Warburton

Next to the beginnings of the Yarra River in Warburton Victoria.

A drawer-knob hunt in Warburton

A quick trip this morning out to Blue Scooter, in Warburton, to look for some drawer knobs. But, it’s all about the journey. We stopped on the way there to grab a coffee in Wesburn at The Flying Apron Patisserie. After Blue Scooter we walked the long way back to the car, through Warburton around the Yarra River, sharing a burger for lunch at Three Sugars Cafe Warburton. Stunningly beautiful day.