The numbers, the planning, and the highlights behind the diary
We didn't post to Facebook every day on this trip — there are a lot more photos in the album. If this link does not work, please ask Kayleen or I to share the Album with you.
Actual GPS route from Paul's phone — drag to pan, scroll/pinch to zoom, click a dot for the place name.
| Place | Dates | Nights | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hervey Bay | 8–9 Aug | 1 | First night on the road, stayed at Hervey Bay |
| Rockhampton | 9–10 Aug | 1 | We stayed the night in Rockhampton and took a walk along the riverbank |
| Mackay | 10–11 Aug | 1 | Stayed at the Alara Motor Inn |
| Townsville | 11–13 Aug | 2 | Two nights at Aquarius on the Beach, walked the beach and into town |
| Lake Barrine (Atherton Tablelands) | 13–20 Aug | 7 | A friends place — our base for a full week: boating and cycling on the lake, several days driving around the Tablelands |
| Kuranda | 20–21 Aug | 1 | Walked the town, checked out the railway station |
| Port Douglas | 21–23 Aug | 2 | Stayed at Newport on Macrossan, two days enjoying the town |
| Daintree | 23–25 Aug | 2 | Daintree Village Caravan Park; drove up to Cape Tribulation and back across the river ferry |
| Cairns | 25–26 Aug | 1 | Qld'er Hotel and Apartments; visited Mossman, Port Douglas and Palm Cove on the way in |
| Kurrimine Beach | 26–28 Aug | 2 | King Reef Caravan Park; Babinda Boulders and Josephine Falls en route, wild cassowaries near Bingil Bay |
| Townsville | 28–29 Aug | 1 | Ridges Southbank; via Mission Beach and Murray Falls, recharged at James Cook University |
| Bowen | 29–30 Aug | 1 | Harbour Lights Caravan Park |
| Sarina Beach | 30–31 Aug | 1 | Sandpiper Motel; via Airlie Beach and Mackay |
| Yeppoon | 31 Aug – 1 Sep | 1 | Surfside Motel; via Sarina and Clairview |
| Agnes Water / Town of 1770 | 1–2 Sep | 1 | Escape 1770; via Emu Park, Rockhampton and Miriam Vale |
| Hervey Bay | 2–3 Sep | 1 | Last night at Hervey Bay before home; via 1770, Bundaberg, Bargara and Childers |
In August 2022 Kayleen and I decided to drive our new Model 3 Tesla up the Queensland Electric Super Highway or QESH as this public charging network is known as. Our only firm plan was to make it to Cairns. We had a full month available for the round trip. In the end we made it as far as Cape Tribulation. We used the rule of “not driving past a charging station”, just in case the next one was busy or out of order. In the end we only had the one scare on the way back, one station was down but we made it to Townsville with a low battery. We stopped more often than we really needed to, but we were relaxed, and often the car was ready to go before we were finished our coffee. Everything worked well, and we stayed at some beautiful places. We met old friends at Cairns and enjoyed their hospitality at Lake Barrine. We met two other couples we know at various spots as they also happened to be travelling in the north. As usual we did lots of walking, veered off the highway when possible, for sites like National parks.
For me highlights were relaxing and driving around the Atherton Tablelands, the Daintree drive and the crocodile boat ride. I was on a bit of a mission, so I was very happy that we proved we could do this in an EV.
[Kayleen's best memory from this trip]