The Pinnacles Desert: a day trip from Perth, AUS
Location, travel time and entry fee
The Pinnacles Desert is located in the middle of the Namburg National Park. It will take a straight 2-hour drive north of Perth, along Mitchell Freeway and the Indian Ocean drive, to get there. Entrance to the Pinnacles Desert is subject to a fee of A$ 15 per vehicle.
The desert is open to public access from 9 am and the last vehicle admittance is at 4.30 pm. I suggest to head there early in the morning or late in the afternoon so as to avoid the long car line that may form as well as to avoid the large crowds that you may encounter once arrived.
I arrived there at 9 am: lucky enough to enjoy the place with only a few visitiors that were there right before me. By the time I got out (after 2 hours, more or less) the place was full of cars and people!
Anyway, the Pinnacles is a big space, so it is not difficult to wander a little bit further and find a spot just for yourself.
How to enjoy your visit at the Pinnacles Desert
The best advice I can give you is to take your time. The area can be discovered either by driving around with your car or by walking around. Whichever option you will prefer make sure to follow the directions you encounter while in the desert and do not step out marked routes.
Do not forget to slap on sunscreen and to grab water! Temperatures, especially during summer months, can be very high and it is best to come here prepared to the heath you may encounter.
What more? Enjoy you time there! Be astonished by the particular formations you will see there and go in search of the tallest or lowest ones, or those with the most bizarre shapes.
Make sure you visit the Pinnacles Discovery Centre, where you can find a lot of information about the hows and whys this place has formed.
Useful informations: food and gas 🌭🥤⛽️
As soon as you leave the last northern suburbs of Perth behind you, you will immediately notice that the area is completely empty: there's only you, the road, fields and many other traveller's heading north. Make sure you have enough fuel in your car as the first gas station you will encounter is in Lancelin: 125km north of Perth and about 48mins drive south of the Pinnacles.
What about food? You can bring your own lunch or have a hot meal in Cervantes (15mins drive north of the Pinnacles Desert) or in Lancelin as well.
Along the way you will also find a couple of signs for local taverns that can be reached by taking a detour off the main road. I can't say much about that, as I did not followed these directions.
What is the Pinnacles Desert?
A scientific explanation
The pinnacles are natural limestone structures standing out of the ground. Some of them reach a 4m heigh.
Many mysteries revel around their formation. Geologists believe they formed underground up to 500.000 years ago during the Ice Ages of the Quaternary Period . They may have remained buried for most of this time, or have been repeatedly exposed and buried again during the millennia. Evidence suggests that they were exposed around 6.000 years ago, but were again covered by shifting sand moved by costal winds until only a few hundred years ago. The process of formation of the Pinnacles starts with dunes, which eventually transformed into limestone and finally into pinnacle through a complex transformation process that involves sea retraction, wind blowing and other natural phenomena.
However, geology is not my field of expertise: so if you want to know more about the formation of this wonderful place I recommend that you visit the Discovery Centre 😊
The original inhabitants of this area, the "Noongars", named this place "Werinitj Devil Place" because it was known to have sinking sands.
Young men were told not to go there as they would disappear. It is believed that the pinnacles represent the fingertips of those who tried to grasp hold of something so they can drag themselves out of the sand before vanishing.
What I loved the most about this place
The uniqueness of this place is enchanting and I was amazed by the contrast of colors that make up the landscape and blend perfectly as in a painting: the red of the desert, the white of the sand dunes in the surrounding area, and the deep blue of the ocean.
What do to in the surrounding area to make the most out of your daily trip
If you still have time you may want to explore the surrounding area as well to make the most our of your daily trip. Here are some reccomendations:
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