Porongurup

Porongurup is the name of a small mountain range in the Shire of Plantagenet in Western Australia (see Porongurup National Park for information about the range itself) and also of a small village on the northern slopes of the range.

The name is derived from the Aboriginal place-name, and consequently arrived with no spelling as such. A common alternate spelling is Porongorup and while some maps still show this spelling, state government signs around the town use "Porongurup", as does the promotion association for the region.

Porongurup is the fifth of the subregions of Great Southern, somewhat untidily locking into Mount Barker on its western boundary. Eucalypt forest and rounded granite knobs and boulders give way to views out over the stirlings in one part, and towards Esperance in another. A feature of the climate is a night-time thermal zone, created by a layer of warm air which rises above the denser cold air sliding down the hillsides of the subregion and settling on the lower valley floor. It is on these slopes that most of the vineyards are planted. The excellent air drainage further diminishes the risk of frost. Throughout the region, soil types are often named after the dominant eucalypt species of the location.