Today I left moderately early, though my journey wasn’t to be that far. Salmon Gums to Mount Barker, via Esperance and the Stirling Ranges.

It was something of a change and return of scenery driving south towards Esperance, the desert landscape gave way to farm land, fields and fields of green or the brilliant yellow of canola.

Arriving in Esperance it was somewhat of an odd experience, driving through the town I found nothing much to be open, it only dawned on me why, as I looked around that I remembered what day it was; Sunday. Sunday in Western Australia, it’s like going back to the dark old days when you couldn’t do anything on a Sunday.

I’d skipped my room-provided breakfast in Salmon Gums as the cereal boxes indicated they were past their best before date and based on that I had my doubts about the rest of the food in the room (actually the bread in the fridge), so had decided to wait till I got to Esperance.
In the end I ended up at Maccas having driven through Esperance and gotten slightly detoured because half of the main street was blocked off due to road works there.

Leaving Esperance I was heading for Ravensthorpe. The route this road took was rather amazing, the contrast in landscape that went from sandy desert to almost coastal and then farmland next to it, and everywhere the brilliant bright yellow of the canola, I just found it wonderfully contrasting.
If I had any ability to paint, it would have inspired me to paint huge works of art.

As I approached Ravensthorpe the native wildflowers began to appear more readily on the roadside, the most noticeable was a brilliant purple flower. Along the way I went to the lookout at Mount Desmond. It was somewhat unremarkable.
There was a plaque there to C.C. (Tom) Daw.
But interesting for its view around the area.

I had elected not to take the most direct route on my way to Mount Barker, my destination for that night, and instead head via the “alternate route”, the tourist drive through the Stirling Ranges.

I am very glad I did.
The Stirling Ranges are, and this is a word I think I used too much because everyone in Western Australia seemed to think I was easily awed. And that is inspiring awe / awesome.
The Stirling Ranges loom as mountains over the countryside.
Their magnificence is further enhanced by the farmland around it, almost illuminated by the luxurious luminescence that is canola in bloom.
It makes for a quite otherworldly sight; mountains, which were the highest natural landmark I had seen for days surrounded by a brilliant yellow sea.
I got chills down my back upon seeing this sight of magnificence.

Travelling through the Stirling Ranges surprised me by how much the landscape changes, through rolling hills to dry arid landscape. Yes, all these things, these changes in landscape and environment exist within Victoria, but they’re 100s of kilometres apart.
Travelling towards, through and out the other side of the Stirling Ranges it felt like it was a voyage through different environments and landscapes.

It’s somewhere I fully intend to return to and explore more thoroughly in the fullness of time upon my return to Western Australia.