Around Australia trips in a pure EV

DriverStart/End pointCompletion DateVehicle
1. Glen GeorgePerthNovember 2011MG converted Blue
2 Richard McNeallSydneySeptember 2016Tesla S Blue
3. Jeff JohnsonSydneyNovember 2016Nissan Leaf Blue
4. Sylvia WilsonGladstoneJuly 2018Tesla S Blue
5. Steve & Keita BurrellPerthAugust 2018Tesla S Titanium
6. Harald MurphyPerthNovember 2018
19 days
Tesla X Titanium
7. Wiebe WakkerDarwin/SydneyMarch 2019VW converted Blue
8. Richard SmithDarwinApril 2019Tesla X White
9. Linda RohrsGold CoastJuly 2019Tesla S Blue
10. Rob & Robin DeanPerthNovember 2019Tesla S Blue
11. Peter HayesMelbourneDecember 2019Tesla 3 Silver
12. John PaulMelbourneMarch 2020Tesla 3 Red
13. Jules BoagSydneyMay 2021Tesla S White
14. Michelle & Terry ArzanikowBallaratJune 2021Tesla 3 White
15. David McLeodWarnamboolAugust 2021Tesla S Blue
16. Phil SmithCairns August 2021Tesla 3 Blue 
17. David CoatesMelbourneSeptember 2021Tesla 3 Blue
18. Bill Gresham & John PhillipsCanberraJuly 2022Hyundai Ioniq Red
19. Jeff & Julie WicksGoldcoastJuly 2022Tesla 3 White
20. Tiff OvertonCentral Coast NSWAugust 2022Mercedes EQC400 Silver Grey
21. Harald MurphyPerthSeptember 2022 14 daysTesla Y White
#AUSYtour
22. Pete PetrovskyPerthSeptember 2022
17 days
Tesla Y White
#AUSYtour
23. Neil BoltonCanberraOctober 2022
17 days
Tesla Y White
24. Stuart McBainSydneyNovember 2022Tesla 3 White
Charge Around Australia
25. James TaylorPerthDecember 2022Tesla 3 White
26,604km
Not confirmed: Hilly Andy? Perth2021Tesla 3 Blue

Jurien Bay DC charger critical instructions

Due to a redevelopment of the Jurien Bay foreshore the “plan B” 3 phase outlet has been removed making the 50kw DC charger at Caltex even more important for those looking for a short stop on the trip between Perth and Geraldton. There is a Tesla destination charger at the tourist park but this is limited to 3.6kw so is only useful for an overnight stop.

If Perth to Geraldton is only 410kms via the coastal road do I need to stop? In most cases, absolutely yes, due to the nature of the road surface and almost constant winds it’s near impossible to achieve reasonable energy efficiency, driving at slower speeds on this busy road and being a road hazard is not an option so it’s best to accept the inevitable and plan a 25 to 40 minute stop at Jurien Caltex while adding 20-40% back to the battery. 

The most critical aspects to using the Jurien Bay DC charger is to carefully read the operating instructions on Plugshare before arrival, patience is front and centre at this location, if you try and rush the process or miss a step you’ll just waste time. The Tritium DC charger is very reliable, the only time it’s failed to work is due to an issue with a handful of pre 2020 model X or S cars with a CCS2 upgrade or the operator rushing the start up process. If your Tesla is less than 24 months old, you should not have any issues with this charger.

A few tips:

Phone ahead your arrival time, Wade or Jarryd will make an effort to be on site as they know the process better than other staff members.

Make sure when the charger is unlocked both charging handles are firmly pushed into the holsters before and while the charger completes its 5 minute start up process.

Don’t arrive at this charger with less than 50kms of range, even though it’s so far been extremely reliable there is no longer a plan B in town, keep enough spare range to drive the 24kms to the Cervantes destination charger.

Don’t complain about the price, the $50 flat fee may appear high (it used to be 70 cents per kWh and a $25 minimum) but the Electric vehicle owner that spent tens of thousands of dollars installing the Jurien Bay unit will never see a return on investment.