Hammonds Road North Free Camp in the Otway Forest Park
The McLennan family passed the 27,000km mark on their all-electric adventure around Australia, wrapping up their journey through Victoria.
The coastal town of Mallacoota was our first stop after crossing the border from NSW and a relaxed introduction to the state of Victoria. At Buchan Caves in East Gippsland, we explored the stunning Fairy Cave. It was surreal to think our campsite had been underwater during last year’s intense flash floods. With climate change driving more of these extreme events, it’s clear why switching to electric vehicles (EVs) and renewables is essential for a safer future.
Driving through Gippsland, we passed Loy Yang A & B, Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant and gaping open cut mine, responsible for the country’s highest industrial emissions. But there’s hope on the horizon — Victoria’s coastline is dotted with wind farms that power local towns (and EV chargers) without disturbing the farms they share land with.
Fairy Cave tour
Wilsons Promontory
We then reached the beautiful Wilsons Promontory National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Australia and a vital climate refuge for wildlife. The Prom Sanctuary, home to over 150 threatened species, is dedicated to helping nature adapt to climate change. Off-grid campsites nestled in the bush let us share our space with wombats, kangaroos, and vibrant birdlife — an incredible experience!
Charging station at Orbost
Central Goldfields
In the Victorian Goldfields, we got a hands-on history lesson at Sovereign Hill, a living museum that recreates a gold rush town. Highlights for the kids included panning for gold, trying nine-pin bowling and watching the mesmerising gold pour demonstration. The AURA Sound and Light Show took us through the story of gold from the dawn of the universe to its impact on the land and people. The experience highlighted the long journey we’ve taken — and are still on — to balance prosperity with respect for Country.
Gold panning at Sovereign Hill
Melbourne
In the Melbourne area, we mostly stayed at powered sites in caravan parks. Every evening, we plugged the Kia EV into a 15A socket and woke up with an additional 50 per cent charge. Outside the city, we camped primarily at national park sites and free camps and used the fast charge network chargers. There are a variety of charge station operators throughout the state with different speeds and pricing structures. In total, we spent $101 on fast chargers (at five stations) for 2200km of travel over 25 days in the state.
Although Tesla Superchargers are common, we’ve avoided them since they’re not always compatible with non-Teslas, and there’s a premium for non-Teslas to use them.
Great Ocean Road
Our last leg took us down the iconic Great Ocean Road. Built by returning WWI soldiers, this 243km drive is packed with stunning rock formations, lush rainforests and rugged beaches. Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung Peoples are the custodians of this land, recently reaffirmed through a native title win covering more than 8500sq km of this region.
Warrnambool is on what is known as the Shipwreck Coast. This treacherous stretch of coast has more than 700 shipwrecked vessels submerged in its waters. The Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool was well worth the visit. It is both a living historical village that displays the life of a 19th century port and town, and holder of the fascinating maritime shipwreck collection. The EV charger in its car park was also a bonus.
The elevation around Great Otway National Park, and extra energy this required, caught us off guard a little. At one point our projected range indicated we would fall short of reaching our campsite at Port Campbell by 15km, but fortunately the improved efficiency going back downhill combined with regenerative charge saw us gain back all that shortfall and reach our destination with three per cent battery (or approximately 10km) remaining without needing to use any of our back up plans.
Parked in Great Otway National Park
Ziplining in the Great Otway National Park
Charging times
Different vehicles can receive charge at different rates.
- The Kia EV9’s 100kWh battery can charge at 11kW AC and over 200kW DC.
- Fast DC chargers: 0–80 per cent in 25 minutes
- Three phase AC outlet (32A): Full charge overnight
- Standard Caravan Park AC Outlet (15A): ~50 per cent charge overnight
- Standard Power Outlet: ~30 per cent charge overnight
The 80 per cent rule
Charging is not linear; the fuller the battery is, the slower it absorbs energy. When fast charging, the battery fills up quickly at first but slows down as it gets closer to full and after 80 per cent the speed drops significantly. On long trips, it’s usually faster to charge up to 80 per cent and then hit the road again, instead of waiting for a full charge. If there’s a long gap to the next charging station, we sometimes wait to reach 100 per cent to get the extra range we’ll need.
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THE NEXT STEP
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All Electric Big Lap: The Victoria EV adventure continues