Stirlings & Porungurups - the camp, wine & windmills

The Stirlings are a surprise as you drive up to them. After many kilometres of flat, arable land, suddenly these mountains appear out of nowhere, they look small then as you approach they get larger and larger. Mountains of mystery and magic, I've heard them called, and that seems pretty fitting, particularly when the mist is low over the peaks.

The campsite ( Stirling Ranges Retreat), with the RV5 with all panels set up, and the fox wing of Andy's car. One of the main reasons for this trip was to test out the camping gear for the Kimberley, and I think we learned a few useful lessons. The current set up was great for a multi-day stop, but way too long for the Kimberley where we'll be moving every day. So we will take the basic RV5, without all the extra panels, but many nights it'll be camp beds under the foxwing. 

I reckon the Great Southern is an under-rated winery area, so we had to support it of course. Less people than Margaret River, less showy but you get to chat to the wine maker while sampling some really good, cool climate wines. Dukes remains the clear favourite, but Galafrey and Gilbert's are good as well, we didn't visit Castle Rock winery this time but it's well worth a trip for the Riesling, which ages very well if you can manage not to open the bottle for a year or two. 

Some of the loot we carried away 😄

There's a windmill just near the Stirlings, and an old plane that's been converted into accomodation - that just has to be done on another trip ! 

The windmill is an authentic, replica, 16th century windmill, a phrase I had to think through until I grasped the meaning. It's a true replica of a windmill, and is used to grind flour for the local market i.e. it's a working windmill, in the wide open spaces near the mountains so it gets good wind all year. It's incongruous when you first see it, then when you hear about the Dutch couple who bought the land 20 odd years ago, from distant relatives of theirs, and have turned it into a little Dutch oasis in the Great Southern, it makes a wierd kind of sense. 

The couple also bought an old Dakota, which they have now restored and turned into accomodation, how cool is that ? A plane to sleep in, fully fitted out with tiny kitchen and toilet, and a view of the Stirlings to wake up to.