Originally this post was going to be a short one about my road trip to the South West, specifically the trip to Albany, but really we only really stopped in one place on our Perth to Albany Trip drive, the Stirling Ranges.
Having set off at a very comfortable 10am from Perth, we took the Albany Hwy, comfort break at the Williams Woolshed in, Williams, then further inland to the Great Southern Highway with a quick stop in Wagin to see the Giant Ram. No photos, because, after the 10th visit and 100th photo it hasn't changed. I did however noticed new (or new to me) murals have started popping up.
Mural on the Bankwest wall in Wagin. Something about our addiction to mobile phones?
We drove east on Salt River Road which follows the northern edge of the Stirling Ranges then right onto Stirling Ranges Drive. Stirling Ranges Drive is an unsealed road that cuts through the middle of the ranges, east to west. It's bumpy, especially last time I drove it in the Octavia sedan, but I was a bit more prepared this time and it made all the difference.
Quick stop at the Western lookout,
Western lookout
The western lookout is lovely, but it doesn't offer any views not visible from the road and the only view it does offer is visible only through a small opening in the shrub. Stirling Ranges Dr is about 49km in length, so we kept moving until we arrived at the much better Central Lookout.
About 500m from the road with a 70m climb, and definitely the shortest official climb in the ranges, it's still worth the effort, offering views of a lot of the ranges as well as farmland to the south. We managed to get there just in time for the sunset.
