Stirling Ranges

The Stirling Ranges are located about 100 km from Albany in WA’s South-West region. It rises up to 1,100 metres above sea level and its most famous peak is Bluff Knoll or Bular Mial (“many eyes” as the Nyoongar people call the impressive rock). The peak got its name by the shape of the boulders; they are shaped like the eyes of an ancestral master spirit. Because the peak is often covered with mist that curls around the rock formations around the mountains edge; this constantly changing mist was believed to be the only visible form of Noyt (spirit). The mountain range was recorded for the first time in 1802 by Matthew Flinders and as a tribute to him the park was named after him. The Stirling Ranges are open all year round but the best time to visit is during the wild flower season in October-November; visitors can find up to 1,500 different species of plants, many of them can be found nowhere else. The walk to the peak of Bluff Knoll will is 6 km and will take you about three hours return. It is a very steep climb, but the views from the top are breathtaking and truly unforgettable.