Updated Apr 2022
The Pinnacles Desert
On the west coast of Australia, North of Perth, is a fantastic place called the Pinnacles Desert. This little desert is full of thousands of limestone pinnacles sticking up out of the sand. There is a driving path through the park with plenty of places to park and get out and walk among the pinnacles. (4WD not required).
What made the Pinnacles?
There are several theories of how the pinnacles came to be. One theory is that sand adhered to the trunks of trees once here. Then shifting dunes covered the forest. The trees died and became buried in the sand, which hardened into limestone. Thousands of years later, the dunes moved on, exposing the area again. The softer sand got blown away, leaving the pinnacles behind. There are other theories if you search the internet. No one seems to be sure. Anyways, it is a fascinating place to visit.
Sand Dunes
As you drive down the highway before getting to the park, you can see the huge mounds of white sand that move slowly through the area. The wind picks up grains of sand from the back and top of the dune and deposits them at the front, causing the whole thing to move forward a couple of centimetres per year. For the entire dune to move forward as much as its length takes about 6,000 years. One day the pinnacles might be buried again.
There is no camping or other accommodation facilities in the Pinnacles Desert. Well worth a stop to see this amazing place.