Hide & Seek in the Pinnacles

The other “rock” in Western Australia I wanted to see is the Pinnacles Desert in the Nambung National Park. This is not one rock, but thousands of them, all standing out from the sand. These eerie limestone pillars, up to 4m (13ft) tall, form the Pinnacles Desert. The moonscape scenery is made by the pillars rising out of the stark desert landscape of yellow quartz sand. At dusk and early morning, this place is a favorite subject for photographers from the light reflection.

We were not as fortunate in terms of timing. The day started warmer with hardly any clouds in the blue sky. We drove about 3 hours north of Perth, passed by plenty of wineries in the Swan Valley. With a late morning start, we stopped in Cervantes for a quick lunch, just outside the Nambung National Park. We found this cute little shack by the sea with homemade luncheon; definitely much better than our previous day tour to Wave Rock.

I was so very excited to see the Pinnacles when we entered the park. It was like, you didn’t see them, and then suddenly you see them everywhere. The park service laid out a sand path for passenger cars. The drive within the park is about 16 miles long, all lined with these termite mounds like rocks. We couldn’t help but pretty much jump off the car to admire and walk among these limestone formations. They are a perfect place to play hide and seek if not for the hot sun. Lots of ohs and ahs from the group. We all are very impressed with the whole experience.

On our way out of the park, we stopped by the Hangover Bay, another desolated beach with no one in sight but bleach white sand and plenty of seaweeds in the clear water. The hot sun creates an exceptionally bright reflection on the sand among the green bushes. That is what attracted us from the Pinnacles.

I love the Pinnacles!