Road trip with EV (TESLA) and kids - nervous?
- novadjauw
- Aug 16, 2024
- 10 min read
After a long consideration, we decided to purchase EV as our second car. Everything went well and we were happy with our decision until school holiday came and we decided to do road trip with the kids. We were nervous about doing road trip with EV. Although the idea of EV is very enticing, it is quite common to discover that people are very nervous about the accessibility and the convenience of charging stations.
We were hoping to do 2 weeks trip around New South Wales south coast with EV. Travelling with 2 kids (5 years old and 2 years old), we were hoping to have a more relaxing trip. The focus of this article is to inspire and help you plan your trip with EV.
Below are our itineraries (around 2 weeks) from Sydney to the South Coast NSW and back.
Travelling during school holiday, April 2024.
Approximate journey 1200 km in total.
Day 1
Sydney to Mittagong
Drove to Mittagong (fully 100% charged) and arrived around 1230. We stayed in Mittagong Caravan Park. The place is clean and tidy and very close to Bowral. The caravan park is also self contained with little kitchenette which we loved. Accommodation in Bowral is much more expensive than Mittagong, therefore it is best to stay in Mittagong and commute 5 minutes to Bowral for the attractions.
Bowral is very nice. The town itself is very quaint, with lots of shops and arcades. We drove and walked around Southern Highland Garden (under construction then). A huge garden indeed! During the trip, we always had downtime in the afternoon especially for the kids to have a rest. We did the big exploring in the morning and little sightseeing in the afternoon.
Day 2
Explored Carrington Falls in the morning. It is one of the most beautiful falls in NSW. Easily accessible and walk with kids.
We tried to explore Fritzroy falls too however the creek half way through the drive was overflowed with water (from the heavy rain). We were uncomfortable taking the EV passed through the skinny overflow bridge. It is probably wise to call ahead from the tourism information centre in Bowral to check out the condition of the drive especially during rainy season.
After a nice lunch in Bowral, we continued on to the town of Berrima. Berrima is a small historic village with a beautiful court house (there is a reenactment of the court - as it is a museum now) and also the old Berrima Gaol (the oldest in Australia) - and it is still operational! Berrima also offers few heritage listed buildings dotted around the village which is easily strolled with kids.
Kids were happy so far and Tesla was still quite fully charged.
Easy to access Carrington Falls
Day 3
Adamant to see Fritzroy falls again, we drove to the other side of the fall. The view was simply breathtaking and it is definitely worth a visit.
There are some self serve laundromats in Mittagong too if you need to do all of your laundry. We always travel light so we try to book accommodation which can provide coin laundry or try to find laundromat every 2-3 days. In the evening, we took the kids to see the glow worm in Bundanoon.
You need to drive to Bundanoon (approximately 30 mins) from Mittagong and park at the top end of William Street. Walk up the top of the street then walk through the bush / path around 30 mins each way. Please bring a torch - it is very dark. We resorted to our phones, but they were not quite bright enough. Although it is quite small, nevertheless very interesting.
Beautiful Fritzroy Falls
Easily accessible with little kids
Day 4
Drove to Canberra.
Left our accommodation early around 0900. Tesla battery was depleting - we had approximately 10% - 15% left. We found a charging station at Canberra Airport (2 stations). They are just in front of Vibe Hotel (3 Rogan St, Palliago ACT 2609). Unfortunately, someone was using the charging station 1 and someone else was parking illegally at the charging spot 2. Chris managed to let the concierge knew and the owner moved his car to the spare car park nearby. After much a do, that station / charging station 2 is not suitable for our Tesla anyway (the charging head is different). We managed to wait for the the other car to finish (approximately 20 mins). We were lucky the kids were calm and collected.
The charging itself was very quick (around 45 mins to fully charged), meantime we had nice coffee and lunch at Vibe hotel lounge.
After Tesla was fully charged, we drove to Rodney's. Apparently Rodney's is a popular place for families with kids. It is very family friendly - with playground and nurseries attached to it. Just beware that parking might be quite iffy when it is really busy. Address: 24 Beltana Road, Pialliago ACT 2609. It is very close to the airport.
We stayed at Madison Capital Executive Apartment. Again the accommodation comes with a little kitchenette and small laundry area for guests (free - they will give you the laundry powder - ask reception). The location is perfect. We were literally in the middle of Canberra central. We could walk around the city centre for lunch, shopping, groceries etc.
Day 5
We took the kids to Questacon, a national science and technology centre and a cool place for kids to ponder and play around. Address: King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600. Beware this place can be very busy during kids school holiday.
Lake Burley Griffin is around the area and it is a nice area to explore with kids. There is a decent cafe for lunch. We decided to skip the Parliament House as the kids passed out in the car. Bigger kids will get heaps of information from this amazing place. Also, the War Memorial is currently under renovation, so please book the tickets ahead. We strolled around Canberra centre in the afternoon to find some art supplies for the kids.
Day 6
Our friend recommended National Arboretum for kids.
The arboretum is huge with amazing collection of Bonsai (boasting a national bonsai and penjing collection). You can walk around the outdoor areas exploring the multitude of tracks and trails (the arboretum has over 20 km of multi purpose trails). Otherwise there is a big playground area for the kids "Pod Playground" next to the arboretum.
We ventured out for dinner with our friend and her families in the afternoon at Southpoint (a suburb in Canberra). There is Tesla charging station conveniently located at the shopping centre parking lot. We charged our Tesla here whilst we dined upstairs at the food court area. These days, EV charging stations are placed at most big shopping centres which makes it handy for EV owners.
Day 7
Canberra to Jindabyne
Had lunch in Jindabyne. Beware that most shops are closed during this period (no snow - no show :) The shops are mainly open during winter and snow season.
We stopped in Cooma for groceries and top up the Tesla (we thought EV charging might be scarce in Thredbo). The charging stations are located in the shopping mall car park - easily found and no queue!
The entire Thredbo area is located on the national park, hence you do need to purchase entrance fee / pass.
Many tourists will prefer to stay at Jindabyne because it is cheaper than Thredbo. However, we figured that with little kids, it would be nice to have the accommodation closer to the walks. Although a little pricey, the accommodation is superb and we had a very comfortable stay. We cooked dinner most nights considering the low season, many of the restaurants were closed anyway. Again, washing machine saved the day.
We spent most of the afternoon walking around the little village. It was cold and quiet. Many travellers especially families with older kids were using dirt bike around Thredbo. They stayed in Jindabyne and rode to Thredbo each day to use the gondola and chairlift.
As we suspected, there is only one EV charging station and the charging head is not suitable for our car. Tesla was fully charged and we did not use the car during our 3 days stay in Thredbo.
Tesla supercharger was easily found next to shopping centre in Cooma
Our accommodation was in front of the chairlift - convenient when you have little kids.
Day 8
Walked up Mt. Koziousco in the morning.
We used the chairlift (you need to purchase the pass in the kiosk prior to using the chairlift).
The chairlift will take you to the start of the walk (Eagles' Nest), from there you can carry on walking as far as your heart content. The path is well maintained, the view is amazing, and it is well sign-posted.
The girls made it to the first post, however it was getting very windy and cold.
We turned back and headed down to the village and had a nice lunch at one of the cafes.
There is a very small convenience store (inside a post office) - however do not expect to get the full groceries from here.
The starting point after using the chairlift
Walked like a trooper
After 5 mins - this was the rest of the walk
Mt. Kosciuszko - magnificent view
Day 9
The next day was much the same. We used the chairlift to the top - however it was way too cold for the 2 years old. We decided to come down and use the gondola instead - for a more comfortable ride.
It was an easy morning for us. We had a lovely stroll around the river in the afternoon.
More enjoyable gondola ride.
Day 10
Today was Chris' solo walk at Mt. Kozciousco. Off he went after a good breakfast.
I hung around with the kids and we strolled around the village in the morning. Chris returned around 1530 with a big grin on his face. We had not driven around since we arrived in Thredbo, so the Tesla was still fully charged.
Day 11
Leaving Thredbo.
We drove to Cooma once again (approximately 1 hour from Thredbo). Charged our Tesla at the shopping centre, went to Coles for groceries and lunch break. Drove again for 2 hours to beautiful Narooma.
After settling in at our accommodation (just in front of the Surf Beach, Narooma), we drove 5 mins to charge Tesla (at the shopping centre).
Walked around the beach in the afternoon. Surf Beach Narooma is easily one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen - maybe because it was quieter during this time.
Surf beach Narooma
Day 12
Walked around the broadwalk - where you can see the beautiful inlets. What a beautiful part of the South Coast!!!
We saw lots of seals around the rocks.
We had lunch at one of the plentiful cafes in the city centre.
The kids were thrilled to stroll around Surf Beach in the afternoon looking at the sunset.
Mill Bay Broadwalk Narooma
Plenty of seals around the rocks
Day 13
Walked around Mystery Bay and swam in Mills Broadwalk Beach.
I was grateful for the coin laundry at the accommodation once again.
We decided to have dinner at the famous Queen Chow - delicious!!!
Day 14
Our last day in Narooma. Drove and explored the Glasshouse Bay in the morning and walked around the Surf Beach in the afternoon. The kids absolutely loved the beach walk.
By the way, there are so many oyster farms in Narooma, you can get them really cheap. One caveat - you might need to shuck them yourself.
We chose Montague Oyster because it was easier to find. We purchased a shucking knife (they sell it on the spot) and a dozen of oysters. Of course Chris had the honor of shucking the oysters. Thank goodness for youtube tutorials!!! There are plenty of restaurants serving oysters if you are not keen on shucking.
There are plenty of walks in Narooma, however most of them are either 30 - 45 mins drive and otherwise unmarked roads / gravel roads. The visitor centre or your accommodation will be able to provide you with lists of walks around the area. They can help you book boat tickets to Montague Island as well. We could not use the charter boat because of age restrictions for kids.
Secluded Eurobodalla and the interesting rock formation
Amazing Glasshouse Rocks and Pillow Lava in Eurobodalla. Short drive from Narooma. These interesting rocks are dated between 510 and 440 million years old (submarine volcano). We had some difficulty finding this secluded beach - but it was worth it!!!!
Please go to VisitNSW website for the whole explanation of how to get there.
Day 15
Drove to Batesman Bay in the morning. We wanted to top up Tesla - but no luck. The internet dropped off inside the shopping mall, so we could not access the EV charging. We drove around trying to find other charging stations - it was either occupied or the charging head was not suitable for our Tesla. This was stressful for us, considering Tesla battery is depleting fast.
We decided to drive straight to Huskisson instead. Huskisson is very much a tourist town - super busy. We were surprised that there is no EV charging station in Huskisson.
Chris was nervous the entire day, worrying about the Tesla battery.
Day 16
Huskisson to Berry. We were aware that there is a EV supercharger in Silos Estate winery in Berry. We were nervous the entire times - what would happen if it did not work out. What a relieve to finally able to find the charging stations (6 spots). They are conveniently located inside the estate. We arrived early in the morning around 0730 and the winery was technically closed, however the estate gate was opened. These charging stations might get busy during the day, so if you are planning to charge here, I would recommend come in early. There was another car pulled up to use the charging station when we were there. We were waiting inside the car (looking over the gorgeous winery) for approximately 35 mins whilst it was charging up to 90%. That would be enough to take us back home to Sydney. And that concluded our 2 weeks road trip with Tesla and ...kids.
My conclusion:
Road tripping with EV is definitely doable (depend on the terrain). The trip went really well and relaxing. Admittedly we were travelling through paved road and avoiding rugged terrain / unmarked road. We definitely wont be travelling to far north Queensland in unmarked road anytime soon with EV.
It is essential that you plan and check where the chargers are located prior to the trip. There are so many EV charging apps available now (NRMA, Tesla, Evie, PlugShare etc) - it makes it so easy to plan your trip.
There were few occasions where we felt quite nervous due to depleting batteries. Things like the stations are being used up, illegal parking, unsuitable charging head, as well as no internet connection can really annoy the hell out of you especially when you have kids in tow (imagine the crying and the boredom). However, as I mentioned earlier, we really enjoyed our trip and EV made it even more exciting. We did not have any major EV fault to report on. Regarding charging cost, depending on your EV model, a fully charged Tesla will usually cost around 30 - 35 AUD, with approximate 350 kms of usage.
Things to be aware of before using EV for a road trip:
Make sure you know where the charging stations are
Make sure the charging head is suitable for your car
Download the charging apps prior to your trip (you might need to pay through the apps and there is nothing worse than slow internet connection on the day you need to download the apps.
Most accommodation will not let you charge EV, so check ahead.
Lastly, be patience and take a deep breath - things will not always go according to plans.
There you have it. I hope this article has been informative and inspire you to do that road trip with EV :)
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