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| Pinnacles Desert Tourism Western Australia |
Western Australia |
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Thousands of eerie limestone pillars, up to 4m tall form the Pinnacles Desert. The moonscape scenery is made by the pillars rising out of the stark desert landscape of yellow quartz sand. It is a favourite subject for photographers.
| Pinnacles Desert Hotels Cars Tour Specials | |
Nambung National Park is home to the Pinnacles Desert, a series of eerie limestone formations sporadically scattered over vast yellow, rippled sand dunes. Just 245km or three hours drive from the center of Perth city, the Pinnacles make for a comfortable day trip where visitors can walk amongst these spooky stones and visit the nearby fishing village of Cervantes.
Practically unknown to the wider public until the late 1960s, the Pinnacles Desert is part of the Nambung National Park. The Pinnacles Desert was added to the existing National Park that was named after the winding Nambung River. Nambung means crooked in the local Aboriginal tribal language. It is a park with a 26km stretch of sparkling coastline bordered by rolling ancient sand dunes that extend inland into banksias woodlands. Pretty red river gum trees line the banks of the Nambung River until it disappears into limestone caves. Massive sand dune fields characterise the area near the coast where the Pinnacles Desert lies.
| Pinnacles Desert Wildflowers | |
The area surrounding the Pinnacles Desert comes alive with wildflowers from August to October.
| Pinnacles Desert Formations | |
The limestone formations of the Pinnacles vary in size and shape; some are as small as a mouse whilst many are as big as 3.5m high. These unusually shaped rocks have been likened to tombstones, termite mounds and even fingers. The Pinnacles Desert is best seen at dawn or dusk when they cast long, strange shadows over the rippling yellow sand dunes. Although the desert teems with wildlife, most animals are nocturnal. However, it is not uncommon to see western grey kangaroos, emus and many sorts of reptiles and birds like black-shouldered kites hanging around the strange stones.
There is only one access road into the Pinnacles Desert that is 27km long. Visitors should ensure that insurance permits their vehicle to be driven on the unsealed roads.
Visitors are encouraged to get out and explore the Pinnacles desert or the more adventurous can take a two or three hour walk to the Red, White and Painted Coloured Deserts. If you choose to do the walk, you need to carry at least a litre of water for each person and a compass is recommended for the lunar-like landscape.
At various turning points off the main access road, beach and picnic areas can be accessed.
Hangover Bay provides a gas barbecue, wooden tables and magnificent scenery for lunch. It also has a boat launch that can only be accessed by 4WD vehicles. You can go snorkeling, swimming, beachcombing or just relax on the beach. Windsurfers and surfers are also attracted to Hangover Bay.
The other popular spot in the Pinnacles Desert is Kangaroo Point where toilets, barbecue and picnic facilities are located. From here, you can get views of the little town of Cervantes at Thirsty Point and small Cervantes Islands just off the coast.
Central Pinnacles Desert North West WA - Western Australia
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Western Australia - Map of Pinnacles Desert Australia
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