NSW Central Coast + Seal Rocks 2025
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We’re selling our EV.
It’s been a fantastic car, never skipped a beat. It drives as well today as the day we bought it. We’re only selling because we need a car that has seating higher off the ground (arthritic hips). Selling for $35,000. No offers. We have a week to sell it, otherwise we’ll just trade in on a new car (another EV). Tesla Model 3 RWD, 2022 (August) 0 to 100km/h in 6 seconds White paint Includes extra purchases from Tesla: - $1500 white seats/interior - $5100 Enhanced Autopilot - $250 Boom box and Pedestrian Warning System Third party included purchases: - Rubber mats for floor. - Rubber mats for boot, sub-trunk, frunk. - Original unused floor mats. - Mud flaps. Unused, not installed. Included if required. - Roof shades. - Rear spoiler. 91000 km No accidents Rego: CGU321 Rego until March 2026 Runs on sunshine ☀️ Pick up from Emerald, Victoria. Or, we can deliver it within 100km.
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Back in January, we took the plunge and ordered a new Tesla Model Y “Juniper” launch…
…edition. “Ultra Red”, white interior, 20” wheels (which was the only option for the launch edition). We chose the same battery and drive as our Model 3: RWD (rear wheel drive), LFP battery (no nickel or cobalt), 0 to 100km/h in 5.9s. The main reason for the upgrade is for the greater ease of getting in and out of the car, which has been increasingly painful on Fran’s arthritic hips. As those of you who follow our Tesla Tripping blog will know, we have looked at and test driven quite a lot of other options. The best contender was the XPeng G6. In the end we stuck with the Tesla Model Y because of the huge storage space, driving performance and the tech. The Tesla app has guided us through the whole process up to now, with registration, trade-in, insurance. Today is delivery day. The final `Start` button is still disabled in the app. I’m guessing it will enable at exactly 3pm, when we’re at Tesla Mulgrave. We are trading in our Tesla Model 3, after driving 91,000 km in 2.7 years (plus…
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First stop today, at Lake Nillahcootie, near Bonnie Doon, on our way north.
We happened to stop here just a few weeks ago, in our Model 3, travelling south. We grabbed a couple of toasties from the weekend food van, stretched our legs, and headed off again. Ultra red seems to be following us 🤔. Earlier, we passed through "The Black Spur" on the way towards Alexandria, where the last of the fern trees and tall trees farewelled us from our mountain ranges near home.
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Coffee stop, just north of Glenrowan, at the BP service centre.
The Tesla/Google navigation only knew the south bound service center here, so the directions tried to send us over the highway 🤪. Thanks to the nearby solar farm that provides the power to the grid that found its way to our car. We overheard someone paying $1100 for fuel, presumably a semi trailer. Wow. 😮 Home baked Anzac slice (thank you Krissy) was the perfect accompaniment for the coffee and thermos of tea. The small birds begged us for crumbs. On towards Wagga. Charging: This is the first public charging for our new car. The Tesla navigation planned to route us through the Superchargers in Wangaratta, but we charged here because we were stopping anyway, for coffee. We aim to charge opportunistically – meaning: charge while we’re stopped anyway to do something else. In hindsight, we probably should have pressed on to Wangaratta for coffee and a charge. This BP charger cost 75c per kWh, which is probably the most expensive we have paid. The Tesla Superchargers, which are faster and…
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The navigation showed red traffic ahead on the highway towards Goulburn.
We saved ten minutes of slow traffic, by taking an off ramp. Pretty proud of myself until the detour turned into a long dirt road through Brayton, which probably added twenty minutes to the trip. The photo shows an easy part of the road, but a few sections were pretty rugged. Glad to have the higher clearance of the Model Y (compared to our previous Model 3), but the 20 inch low profile tyres on this “Launch” model aren’t ideal for off road. I wish the navigation showed which roads are unsealed, and the length before reaching tar. This was our first major christening of the new car on dirt roads. Great scenery. The flat bum of the Model Y Juniper accumulates the dust. But the rain and a quick hosing at our motel sorted it out.
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On the way out of Wagga Wagga this morning, we stopped at Rules Club.
Looks like a nice place – we’ll try out a meal there next time. Tom waited outside, in his bare feet, like a vagrant, while Fran went in to get a coffee. Our Model Y seating is much more comfortably higher than in our old Model 3. This has greatly reduced pain in arthritic hips, on this journey. The road grime is starting to collect on the previously shiny paint. After polishing off a travel cookie, we unplugged and headed off again. Earlier this morning we were on babysitting duty, with grandson Enzo. Lots of fun. He overpowered Tom into taking him for a walk towards the park. At the end, we drew straws as to who would carry whom back up the hill. Tom lost. We passed an intriguing street sign with added distances to Victoria and Queensland. Charging: We parked at the Tesla Superchargers, next to the club, and charged up while we bought a coffee. Another couple, Rob and Wendy, were in their Tesla Model 3, heading to Adelaide. I mentioned that I’d discovered a new setting in navigation…
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Cruising along the Hume Highway, between Gundagai and Yass.
The highway average speed monitoring system is now enforced for all vehicles. Fortunately, our Tesla monitors our average speed setting these sections, showing it on screen, so we can ensure that we comply. And, of course, in Autopilot, the car just drives itself for most of the drive. Driver fatigue is greatly reduced.
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Stop for a late lunch, in Yass, at Kaffeine 2582.
We picked this place, because it’s opposite the Tesla Superchargers. I wonder if the cafe realises how many EV drivers now eat at their cafe 🤔. Charging: This is the first time we’ve charged the new car to 100% (or 99 ish). It estimated the range at 418km, which is the same as our previous Model 3 had, after 91,000km. The Model Y gets a bit less range due to extra weight and size. Charging was quick and seamless, except that the release button on the changing cable wouldn’t work, so we reported the issue via the Tesla app. We disconnected using the Tesla app too. Powered by the iconic Cullerin Range Wind Farm, just down the highway (pictured).
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After our journey from Wagga and Yass, last night we stayed near Bowral at Briars Country…
…Lodge. Nice motel, set on beautiful grounds, complete with buffet breakfast. Our car got its first wash, from a hose next to the parking. Dinner at The Scottish Arms Hotel, Bowral. Driving on today to Cessnock and Seal Rocks. Charging: No EV chargers on site. We’ll charge up while getting coffee on the way out of town.
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On our way out of Bowral this morning, we grabbed a coffee at Coffee Guru Mittagong.
Conveniently located across the road from Evie fast chargers, so we could all be charged up for our long drive to Cessnock and Seal Rocks. Charging: The Tesla’s navigation has the option to route through third party EV chargers. But it misses out on showing a lot of them. To get this one to show, we had to type “Evie” into the navigation, then select it from the list. The navigation is smart enough to even precondition the battery for this destination, but not yet smart enough to include it in the list of chargers. Hopefully a software update will fix this. The Evie Networks chargers have a great “auto charge” feature, where we can just plug in our car and walk away, like we do with Tesla chargers. No tap card, app or faffing required. Since this was our first Evie charging of this new car, however, we needed to use the app, to set up the account details. This also prompted me to remove our old car from our Evie account, so we don’t end up paying for the new owner’s travels. This site…
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Taking the scenic route through Wollombi and Laguna, on our way to pick up Mum from…
…Cessnock. Raining. Beautiful countryside. A few years ago, this whole valley suffered major flooding.
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Stocking up on some groceries in Raymond Terrace, before the final leg of our trip to…
…Seal Rocks. We used the Woolworths app to order ahead for “direct to boot”. Charging: We aim to charge while parked anyway. Raymond Terrace has Tesla Superchargers in the shopping center car park, powered by solar panels that shade the car park. So, it’s the perfect opportunity. In hindsight, I should have parked at the charger, and just wheeled the groceries over, since it took a while for the groceries to appear. After piling the Woollies groceries into the car, we parked at the Supercharger and plugged in, while we walked into the shopping centre to grab a couple of things that Woollies didn’t have. That gave the car time for a top up charge. Shopping done, we took off again – no need to wait until 100%. Once parked between these superchargers, it can be a bit of a stretch to reach the cable from behind the car. And the solar panel roof has gaps, which release targeted rain on you in certain places. Our car’s LFP battery is supposed to do a max of 170kW, but this charger managed…
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We arrived at Reflections Seal Rocks.
Seal Rocks. Francis joked at reception “We’re here for our sunny holiday” as the rain continued to belt down. It rained most of the time we were there. The room key mocked us with the label “Life is better outside”. But we made the most of it. We played a few rounds of “brain fart” which was frustrating and fun. I drove 3km down the road to Treachery Camp to pick up Amber. It takes a long time to drive along a road that bad. On the first night, we drove to the closest open dinner venue: The Palms Bistro, Smiths Lake. The satay veg curry was yum and great value. Another night, Fran cooked up a delicious mushroom meal for her mother in law! And sent her home with the leftovers 😉. We did a few days trips out, including a snippet of sun. Stay tuned for those. Charging: Given its isolation, we checked before we booked that we could charge at the cabin. Our hosts kindly allowed us to do so, and gave us a cabin with easy access for Mum’s walker. Thank you. On our way back from dinner the…
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We often fail to get around to lunch in a town before everything starts to close.
We trekked out to Forster and after a few failed eateries, we happened across this Turkish restaurant which proved to be the find of the week. Lovely people and great food. We hung around the attached dessert shop afterwards and discovered all types of Turkish Delight that we didn’t know existed. Charging: We charged up from a standard power point at our cabin in Seal Rocks. There appear to be a few destination chargers around Forster/Tuncurry, but no fast chargers.
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We made the most of the slight break in the weather with a drive out to Blueys/Boomerang…
…Beach, for lunch at Kembali Cafe. We phoned ahead to secure some food before the kitchen closed. Then some pics back at Seal Rocks. Charging: We left our cabin with 100% charge, after leaving the car plugged into to power point on the deck, whenever car has been parked, during the past couple of days.
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Time to pack some bodies into the subtrunk! There’s so much room in this thing.
We prepared for our trip today to the NSW Central Coast, via Cessnock. Charging: Charged up to 100% from the power point on the deck of the cabin. More than enough for our journey today, and no need to stop to refuel.
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Quick lunch at Heatherbrae's Pies, on our way to drop Mum back at Cessnock.
We swung out through Thornton. One of the many towns with full flood plains. The farmers must have been busy moving livestock and equipment to higher ground. Charging: Several fast charger options around here, but nothing practical exactly at Heatherbrae’s pies. But, we have more than enough charge from a power point at our cabin yesterday.
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A couple of visits to Erina Fair, while we’ve been on the Central Coast the past few…
…days. Back to our favourite Thai Thyme restaurant for some pineapple fried rice, and Harris Farm for groceries. Even time for a couple of haircuts. Charging: For years, the two Tesla destination chargers at Erina Fair were the only public options around. They are almost always occupied, sometimes ICEd, and difficult to park in. But they are free. We happened across an available spot, a couple of times, and risked the parking, but this might be the last time. Evie Networks has recently opened two charging stations, with four cables, in the next car park. They are fast chargers, but cost to charge. This should make them far more available. The EV signs point you towards them, but fail to mark the last left turn, so you end up wanting to go backwards through the one way section. They are easy for parking, once you know where they are. Unfortunately, they sit out in the rain, so you’ll get a bit wet when plugging in. The Central Coast also has Tesla Superchargers in West Gosford and…
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A few random jaunts around the Central Coast to catch up with family.
Ettalong Beach, Terrigal, Woy Woy waterfront. Bringing KFC to lunch in the frunk, to keep the smell out of the cabin. Charging: We managed a couple of chargings at Erina Fair, but topped up at our accommodation, using excess solar, and the cheap off peak night rates.
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When the EV chargers are in the car park of the pie shop, then pies are definitely for…
…lunch. Disappointing to see one of the other EVs occupying a charging park, but not plugged in. Charging: Park the car, plug in, go eat a pie for lunch, unplug, drive off. Super easy. The smell of pies is so much better than the smell of petrol. Over 180kW (briefly) charging speed on our LFP battery was pretty impressive.
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We left our motel this cold morning in our preheated EV.
No need to run an engine and fill the veranda with fumes. We hit “Home” as the destination in the navigation, then “Find along route”, coffee. It showed various options along our path. We tapped the “Brew Cart” pin, read the details, then added it as a stop. Neat! It turns out to be just a brew cart. Just coffee. As advertised, I guess. No food. Charging: We charged up the car last night from the destination charger at our motel. Similar to how we’d charge our phones.
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Quick stop for a fluid change (hot chocolate in, wee out) at Oliver's Real Food Gundagai.
Charging: Three of the six Tesla Supercharger stalls were occupied when we arrived. They were parked in alternate slots, which maximises the power to each car, since each adjacent pair of chargers share power. We had to park next to someone, which lowered their charge rate. A few minutes later, they disconnected and left, which increased our charge rate from 65kW to 130kW.
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Lunch stop at Mint and Jam in Yea, on the way home.
Marmalades is closed until June 5, so we had to venture out 😉. A bag of avocados selling for $6 – good value. Charging: We arrived with 11% charge, as predicted by the navigation. We only charged up for a few minutes, before we even started lunch, since it’s cheaper to fully charge at home, at the end of our journey today.
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The things you discover while cruising along the endless Hume Highway
1. Our new Model Y Juniper seems to have a bug, where turning off AutoPilot also turns off Auto Wipers, so they immediately start going. Might need to lodge a fault. 2. The navigation shows the weather at our “Final Destination”. Nice! 3. Logging trucks make me nervous, having seen the “Final Destination” movies.
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Past the halfway point of our trip home, we stayed last night at the Woomargama Hotel…
…Motel, 15 minutes south of Holbrook. Great find. Good value room ($120 per night), hotel next door serves dinner. Added bonus: destination EV chargers out the front of each room. The room’s (de)odorisers were quite potent, so we tracked them down ina cupboard and moved them outside and opened up the windows while we had dinner. Charging: Destination chargers are a convenient way to have an EV fully charged while you sleep, fully fueled by the time you leave in the morning. Just like plugging in your phone. They don’t have to be fast, and are usually cheaper than fast chargers, or often free. This one was a bit of a pain to get going. It requires your own CCS2 cable (which we have), and using the Wallbox app to set up an account and start charging. The app needs to be simpler. But we got it charging in the end. 3 phase x 6A x 240V = 4kW. Odd combination, but does the job just fine.