Bluff Knoll
The peak is 1095m above sea level, but the car park is only about 450m above, and is served by a sealed road, about 8km long.
We actually went up the car park after dark last night after dark, and its kinda eerie.
But this morning, its a whole different story.
We left Stirling Range Retreat at 0645hrs and managed to get to the car park before 0700hrs.
I will let the pictures speak for itself.
We met the park ranger, who watched the sunrise with us, and apparantly, he comes up here everyday to make sure everything is alright, and that the toilet is clean.
He is almost 65.
He was also telling us that the day before, the fog was much denser and the moon was bigger and close to the hills, and sky was all purply.
Too bad we missed that.
Stirling Range Drive
We went back to Stirling Range Retreat to pack up again, and went on our way to do the 80km scenic drive, along Stirling Range Drive, right to Red Gum Pass road, and then right again to Salt River Road.
The only sealed section you will see along this stretch is when you turn right into Salt River Road. However, please be careful as there are loads of road kills I can see along the way.
Guess how fast my wife is going at on a sealed road.
The Lily Windmill
After driving for almost an hour and a half, and making a circle around Stirling Range Drive, we came to The Lily Windmill.
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We stopped by Narrogin, 140km South of York to have an early lunch and a toilet break.
Had Hotdog and a coffee at the petrol station, opposite the left turn to continue along the Great Southern Highway. Service was slow, but hell, we are on a holiday here, so I ought to relax abit.
Wagin
“Wagin is ideally located in the heart of the Great Southern 228 kms south east of Perth and is the home of the Giant Ram and Woolorama. The town possesses excellent educational, medical, recreational and shopping facilities and a strong and vibrant community.” – http://www.wagin.wa.gov.au
We reached Wagin at 1330hrs or so.
We visited Bart.
Information on Giant Ram (Bart):
Giant Ram/Wetlands Park
One of the towns major attractions, the Giant Ram was built in Wagin and was put in place in 1985. Thousands of tourists visit the ram throughout the year which is located in the Wetlands Park.
Sculptor: Andrew Hickson
Built of steel, surface covered in fibre glass
Name: Bart
Height: 9 Metres
Weight: 4 Tonnes
Length: 13 Metres
Width: 6 Metres
Erected on 9th May 1985
I bet all rams has huge testicles…
Katanning
Its already 1500hrs when we reached Katanning, and I have 2 hours before the sun sets, and its another 2 hours drive from Katanning to Stirling Range.
However, we needed another toilet break and also need to go Woolworths to get our food for the next 3 days.
So we stopped by Katanning and did some shopping, hit the toilet, and off we went again. Bought $52 worth of food…. all done in less than 30mins…. we are getting good at shopping fast.
Saw a train along the way and we filed it on tape. God the train is long! And I am sure YS is going to enjoy watching it.
Met up with some road works at Gnowangerup, and that delayed us further.
However, we caught some real nice scnenaries.
We reached Chester Pass Road at about 1620hrs. So you can guess how much over the speed limit I went.
Stirling Range Retreat
Made it in time and reached the retreat just 5 mins before 1700hrs.
Have been communicating with Ayleen a few times over email when booking the accommodation. Decided on getting the Private Hostel Rooms with shared kitchen earlier.
But since we got our food from Katanning, we paid $35 extra ($90 in total) to get the Rammed Earth Cabin.
Its the best for cooking in the property, since it has 2 stoves instead of one.
It really brings me back to feel like staying in kampung. Drink rain water, bathroom walls with smooth cement, high ceiling, and an absolutely charming surrounding of trees and bushes.
Wife Cooking up a storm in the Rammed Earth Cabin, Stirling Range Retreat.
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