"The pinnacles experience is entirely personal and distinct. To some they are a pile of interesting rocks whilst others see them in a more spiritual or artistic light. Regardless, this is an experience of the Turquoise Coast that cannot be missed". So reads the article on the pinnacles in 'Parks of the Turquoise Coast'.
How true is was. For us our visit to the pinnacles was both personal and distinct....there is nothing like this area anywhere else in the country.
As luck would have it Tuesday 15 April was the night of the full moon....we decided that a visit to the pinnacles to watch the setting sun and the rising full moon was too much to resist.
The road to the pinnacles took us along Indian Ocean Highway, some 10 kms or so south of Cervantes. Here we passed a shifting dune of the startlingly white sand of this coast before
turning off the highway where the totally different yellow/orange sand area we were to visit in the Nambung National Park provided a real contrast of colour. This is the colour of the pinnacles.
How on earth did this phenomenon come about? The Discovery Centre seemed to be the right place for an answer.
Here I got more than I had bargained for....my quest for knowledge about the pinnacles took me past another display. What a revelation! Dear SA readers, never again let a Western Australian cousin mock you with the name 'croweater'. For lo and behold, this insignificant little desert burrowing creature is....A SANDGROPER! Nothing more to be said as far as I am concerned.
On to more serious matters. The pinnacles are believed to have formed about 500,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. It is believed they were exposed originally about 6,000 years past before being reburied by the shifting sand. They were re-exposed at some stage in the last few hundred years, and oddly enough, were missed by all the early explorers of WA. But they are now well and truly on the map with an estimated 200,000 visitors a year coming to marvel at one of nature's oddest creations.
To good dons of science are at odds as to the manner in which these rocky lumps and spires took form. I decided I could do no better than reproduce the relevant plaque in the Discovery Centre (completed with flash light reflection...apologies).
I can only trust that you can read the text in this enlargement of my normal photo size. Having studied this explanation in detail, I decided I was not in a position to line up with either view....I had another type of view in mind.
A great aspect of a visit to the pinnacles is the ability be be able to drive through them on the 4kms loop track laid out around the park. We were off at the posted 10 kph. Why anyone would want to use this track as if it were part of a rally is beyond us, but there were a couple. I did take quite perverse pleasure in blocking the antics of one such fool for a short distance.
As luck would have it Tuesday 15 April was the night of the full moon....we decided that a visit to the pinnacles to watch the setting sun and the rising full moon was too much to resist.
The road to the pinnacles took us along Indian Ocean Highway, some 10 kms or so south of Cervantes. Here we passed a shifting dune of the startlingly white sand of this coast before
turning off the highway where the totally different yellow/orange sand area we were to visit in the Nambung National Park provided a real contrast of colour. This is the colour of the pinnacles.
How on earth did this phenomenon come about? The Discovery Centre seemed to be the right place for an answer.
Here I got more than I had bargained for....my quest for knowledge about the pinnacles took me past another display. What a revelation! Dear SA readers, never again let a Western Australian cousin mock you with the name 'croweater'. For lo and behold, this insignificant little desert burrowing creature is....A SANDGROPER! Nothing more to be said as far as I am concerned.
On to more serious matters. The pinnacles are believed to have formed about 500,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. It is believed they were exposed originally about 6,000 years past before being reburied by the shifting sand. They were re-exposed at some stage in the last few hundred years, and oddly enough, were missed by all the early explorers of WA. But they are now well and truly on the map with an estimated 200,000 visitors a year coming to marvel at one of nature's oddest creations.
To good dons of science are at odds as to the manner in which these rocky lumps and spires took form. I decided I could do no better than reproduce the relevant plaque in the Discovery Centre (completed with flash light reflection...apologies).
I can only trust that you can read the text in this enlargement of my normal photo size. Having studied this explanation in detail, I decided I was not in a position to line up with either view....I had another type of view in mind.
A great aspect of a visit to the pinnacles is the ability be be able to drive through them on the 4kms loop track laid out around the park. We were off at the posted 10 kph. Why anyone would want to use this track as if it were part of a rally is beyond us, but there were a couple. I did take quite perverse pleasure in blocking the antics of one such fool for a short distance.
One of the first things we noticed was the diversity of size, shape and colour of the various rocky spires. Another was the groupings. In editing down the 70 photos I took (and this was without a doubt the most difficult of these exercises I have had to undertake since blogging...this place is aweinspiring), I have tried to present all these aspects of what we were seeing. I have kept words to a minimum...they are supurfluous.
Not far in we came to this dark coloured, quite crowded grouping.
More dark, bulky lumps followed
some of which are
of of significant size, whilst others
are far less phycsically imposing.
At the end of this track the northern edge of the pinnacle formations gave way to the dunes beyond.
and model thin,
others full and bulky, and just as is the case with human kind,
a few are real loners, like this chap standing tall and erect
as if challenging the nearby sand dune to to its worst. I did wonder if I might be able to persuade the powers that be to include this specimen in the tourist blurb under the title of 'The Raised Digit of the Pinnacles'! Probably not.
Back to the main track and on past this somewhat exoctic looking group on a hillside
Because the track is one way we had to retrace our steps to reach the Desert View Lookout, our planned sunset picnic and viewing spot. This proved to be a popular choice but we were at the head of the rush.
We chomped away on our cold collation whilst the sun continued to dip lower in the western sky. A glass or two a accompanying bubbly was contemplated, but we decided that completely unchallenged faculties were a very necessary part of a safe journey out of the park. This was not even an occasion on which the toss of a coin was appropriate.
Within no time at all we were part of a throng of eager tourists who came and went constantly, snapping away. And nary an Aussie accent to be heard!
We had staked out our spot on the west facing rail and held fast as the sun finally surrendered for the day.
Others had been more adventurous like this group of French (I still can pick that language) lasses who took up a vantage point on a nearby raised rock. They were all set. A blanket for their bums and a glass or two of red in hand, they had the game sown up.
Sadly this was not a 'postcard' sunset. Plenty of golden glory, but little other colour
but it was not long before the pinnacles took on a completely different look as the shadows lengthened and then disappeared.
Almost as the sun finally set, the full moon nudged its way upwards in the eastern sky. The harsh outlines of the pinnacles softened in the moon's glow and a strange hush descended on this extrordinary place. It was a magic time.
Gone were the harsh colours of both the rocks and the sand, and the sharp outlines of shadow surrendered to the gentle persuasion of the moon's glow as the landscape was washed with watercolours.
And even as we reluctantly drove out, we continued to be presented with stunning scenes in the ever changing light.
We left the pinnacles in no doubt that our decision to visit this incredible place in the afternoon and evening had been the right one. It was a quiet drive home.
We chomped away on our cold collation whilst the sun continued to dip lower in the western sky. A glass or two a accompanying bubbly was contemplated, but we decided that completely unchallenged faculties were a very necessary part of a safe journey out of the park. This was not even an occasion on which the toss of a coin was appropriate.
Within no time at all we were part of a throng of eager tourists who came and went constantly, snapping away. And nary an Aussie accent to be heard!
We had staked out our spot on the west facing rail and held fast as the sun finally surrendered for the day.
Others had been more adventurous like this group of French (I still can pick that language) lasses who took up a vantage point on a nearby raised rock. They were all set. A blanket for their bums and a glass or two of red in hand, they had the game sown up.
Sadly this was not a 'postcard' sunset. Plenty of golden glory, but little other colour
but it was not long before the pinnacles took on a completely different look as the shadows lengthened and then disappeared.
Almost as the sun finally set, the full moon nudged its way upwards in the eastern sky. The harsh outlines of the pinnacles softened in the moon's glow and a strange hush descended on this extrordinary place. It was a magic time.
Gone were the harsh colours of both the rocks and the sand, and the sharp outlines of shadow surrendered to the gentle persuasion of the moon's glow as the landscape was washed with watercolours.
And even as we reluctantly drove out, we continued to be presented with stunning scenes in the ever changing light.
We left the pinnacles in no doubt that our decision to visit this incredible place in the afternoon and evening had been the right one. It was a quiet drive home.
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