I wrote this song for me, after a harrowing drive from Quorn back to Adelaide in an under-charged EV. In fact, there are three parts to the inspiration and reflection bound up in this song.
Firstly, the creeping dread of starting a 300 km journey in the country with 400 km of “range” showing on the car display. Seasoned EV drivers know that the estimate does not take into account going uphill or travelling at higher speeds like 110 km/h. My car can charge to 600 km but I had not done that, for a host of reasons.
So, late afternoon I saw an EV charge station in Wilmington, and connected my car. I wandered to the local pub and sat there reading and slowly sipping a Cooper’s Stout while also reflecting on my plight. You see, with a petrol car in 2026, apart from paying around $2.50 a litre for petrol, fuel is everywhere. You don’t need to think about it, you just fill up in a manner of minutes and on you go. Later, as I drove at dusk, I realised I had not topped up enough and so I needed to stop at Clare and charge while having dinner.
It was at the stop in Wilmington that I thought back to the days of travelling by horseback or even by motor car in the 1910s and 1920s. Back then, you had to plan your travel. It was not a small thing to go from Adelaide to Quorn or vice versa. In fact, here is what I found with Google’s AI assistant, namely that the common route would be Adelaide to Burra to Quorn, as follows:
- The Spine (Adelaide to Burra): Motorists first pushed north through Gawler and Clare toward Burra. This was a relatively well-worn path because of the 1845 copper boom, which had previously required 600 bullock drays to cart ore down to the coast. However, “well-worn” for a bullock dray meant deeply rutted, unpaved dust bowls that would easily high-center a low-clearance early motor car. [1]
- The Gateway (Burra to Melrose): Pushing further north, drivers aimed for Melrose, the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. This leg was characterized by unpredictable creek crossings. If a sudden outback rainstorm hit, the dry creek beds would flash flood, stranding motorists for days until the water receded. [1]
- The Frontier (Melrose to Port Augusta/Quorn): Beyond Melrose, the tracks split toward Port Augusta or Quorn. Here, the gravel gave way to loose sand drift. Motorists frequently had to deflate their tyres or lay down heavy coir matting just to prevent the car from sinking to its axles. [1, 2, 3]
- The “EV” Logistic: Port Augusta and Quorn were critical milestones. This is where drivers would meet the Great Northern Railway (The Ghan line). If an early car broke down catastrophically, the only way home was to haul the vehicle to the nearest rail siding and wait for a steam train to freight it back to Adelaide
What was even more fascinating was this summary extract from the 10th edition of the Tourists’ Road Guide in 1920, just to get to Burra:
- 0.0 miles: Start at the General Post Office (GPO), Adelaide. Proceed north along King William Road, crossing the River Torrens. Keep straight through North Adelaide.
- 4.2 miles: Pass the Enfield Hotel on your right. Road begins to narrow into a dirt track; beware of deep ruts left by bullock wagons.
- 12.5 miles: Gepps Cross. Take the right-hand fork heading toward Salisbury. (Do not take the left fork toward Port Wakefield unless bound for the coast).
- 26.1 miles: Gawler Town. Cross the bridge over the Para River. Turn immediately left at the prominent two-story flour mill.
- 34.7 miles: CAUTION: Road crests a steep hill. If driving a gravity-fed vehicle, ensure your fuel tank is full or prepare to turn the car around and negotiate the incline in reverse.
- 42.0 miles: Pass a large dead gum tree with a split trunk on the left-hand side of the road. Turn sharp right through the slip-rail gate immediately following it.
- 55.3 miles: Cross the dry creek bed. Note: If water is flowing over the boulders, do not attempt to cross. Wait at the blacksmith’s hut on the southern bank until the surge subsides.
- 68.1 miles: Manoora. Pass the railway siding on your right. Follow the fence line of Mr. Angas’s property for two miles until reaching the crossroads.
- 85.4 miles: Burra Township. Arrive at the market square. Petrol tins may be purchased at the local general store or fetched from the railway yard if pre-arranged. [1, 2, 3]
And the cruel irony is that I could have avoided these enforced stops because I was plugging my car into the slow charger. At first glance, it didn’t look like my Toyota could take the fast chargers with their extra prongs. The next morning, my research showed me that in a stroke of stupid design, those two prongs have a cover over them that look like a fixed part of the car. However, you fold back the cover and you can take the fast charge. Sigh. I could have solved everything in 30 minutes on my first stop.
But, and it’s a big but, I would have missed the time for reflection on two stops and that would have robbed me of insight number two.
The second item was how our ability to drive hundreds of Ks at the drop of a hat, ensconced in a nice coccoon of podcasts and music thanks to our phones, means the world can whip by as we skim from A to B. We are not leaving time to smell the roses. And maybe that’s the biggest insight from this incident, and the rousing outro to the song; we had better learn to slow down, not just for our wellbeing but to have a better sense of where we are going.
And then, when looking for an image to illustrate my song, I found a photo of me and my longest-serving friend, Brett, sitting by a campfire at Skytrek Willow Springs in the Flinders Ranges.
Seeing that photo reminded me of the simple pleasure and the gift of time that the small timeout delivered. We will do more of that. We must. this song is the persistent reminder to make sure that happens.
Onwards we go, thoughtfully. Oh, and with some wiser use of the fuels and charging stations around us.
Slow Down Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I had a Coopers Stout in Wilmington
As my EV charged
I might as well have travelled by stagecoach
Like the pioneers from the past
[Verse 2]
I had to stop again in Clare with the
battery running low
I was ready to trade my EV in
And sign up with Cobb and Co
[Chorus]
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You better rest along the way
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You had better stop, and rest, along the way
[Verse 3]
If this was a trip back in 1910
We would use a scheme
Send four gallon tins of petrol first
By cameleer or donkey team
[Verse 4]
We had to think about what could go wrong
When out there alone
Now 300Ks means nothing
Entertained by our telephones
[Chorus]
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You better rest along the way
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You had better stop, and rest, along the way
[Bridge]
You can fill your tank with sunshine
Put some miles on the roads
But if you don’t get some down time
You’ll be gone before you know it
We can travel further faster now
Life passes in a blink
We don’t realise what we’re missing
There’s so little time to think
[Chorus]
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You better rest along the way
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You had better stop, and rest, along the way
[Outro]
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
There’s no instant replay when you’re out here on the ground
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
So many treasures waiting in a roadside lost and found
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
Can’t smell any roses when you’re six feet underground
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
You can see my lips are moving but you cannot hear a sound
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
Get out of your smartphone that’s where living goes to drown
Slow down (slow down)
Slow down (slow down)
You can’t know where you’re going if you do not look around
[Final chorus]
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You better rest along the way
You gotta, plan your journey (plan your journey)
You gotta, plan your day (plan your day)
Wanna, go the distance (go the distance)
You had better stop, and rest, along the way
Listen to Slow Down
Slow Down Scratchings
Here are the original scribblings that led to this song. Some rewriting happened in the studio.
