I tackled a road trip through regional NSW in an EV. Here’s how it went

Boutique beds

Long gone are the days when heading into regional NSW meant lowering your expectations regarding accommodation and food. Today, the region is littered with top-notch stays and award-winning eateries.

We spend our first night at Essington Park, a historic estate near Oberon owned by chef and entrepreneur Simmone Logue and her equally talented sister, artist Joanna Logue. Available for exclusive hire to groups of up to 10, it offers luxurious digs in a renovated shearer’s shed, plus two communal spaces (both with high-end kitchens), a fire-pit and a veggie garden. It’s a gorgeous rural retreat that guests can enjoy through a creative workshop, such as cooking, painting and weaving, or just as a relaxing country escape. The good news for Tesla drivers is that there’s a dedicated charger onsite.

In Bathurst, the team behind the award-winning Wilga Station has worked its renovation magic on a three-storey, 19th-century wool store in the city’s heritage precinct. Opened in September 2022, The Wool Store contains five stylish self-contained apartments, including a genuinely stunning four-bedroom New York loft-style penthouse. It, too, will soon have its own charger.

While both of these are clearly premium options, there are more affordable gems too. In Parkes, we stay at Joyce House, one of four self-contained properties offered by family-owned Kirsten Accommodation. It’s a clean, modern, well-equipped bolthole that’s walking distance from town.

Wine and dine

Orange has long been praised for its cool-climate wines, but far from resting on its laurels, the region continues to attract innovative operators with fresh ideas.

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At See Saw Wine’s new cellar door, they offer a seasonal food pairing, matching three of their organic whites with an indulgent serving of stracciatella cheese and grilled peach, followed by three reds with a delicious braised duck ravioli and garlic cream.

Another newcomer is Macquariedale Organic Wines, run by husband-and-wife team Ross and Derice McDonald, who spent 30 years honing their craft in the Hunter Valley before moving to Orange in 2021. They’re already making an excellent riesling, pinot gris and rose using grapes from a nearby 850-metre-high vineyard, but will soon start producing pinot noir from their own 1100-metre-high vineyard, making them one of Australia’s highest wineries.

On the culinary front, the region is blessed with numerous gourmet fine diners, but there are excellent rustic options too. After their restaurant burnt down twice in two years, indomitable duo Cathy and Vittorio Murda reopened Cafe Aglio e Olio in the former Parkes Hotel, offering fabulous home-cooked Italian food. The squid ink seafood risotto is one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

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Country sceptics

On our last night, we head to Rockley, 35 kilometres south of Bathurst, where the locals on the deck of The Rockley Pub give us a rousing welcome when we pull up outside, carefully squeezing the shiny white Tesla between two muscular, mud-splattered utes. Hatted chef Matt Moran may have bought the pub in 2021, refreshing the rooms and introducing an upscale bistro menu, but it’s still a much-loved local watering hole. One ZZ Top-resembling regular tells me with trademark country candour that “we f–ing hate electric cars around here”.

Clearly, Elon has his work cut out in Rockley, but it’s hard to argue with the facts. Aside from the initial rental hiccup, this 1100-kilometre, week-long trip has been a breeze. Regional NSW has an ever-growing network of chargers that are easy to find, intuitive to use and, in many cases, free. In a comparable petrol engine SUV, this trip would have cost about $180 in fuel. In the EV, it was $36.34.

The writer was a guest of Avis and the Central NSW Joint Organisation. See visitcentralnsw.com.au

THE DETAILS

HIRE
Avis offers the Tesla Model Y in selected locations across Australia. Rates vary but are similar to an equivalent petrol SUV. See avis.com.au