The Pinnacles Desert

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The Pinnacles Desert is contained within Nambung National Park, Western Australia. Limestone formations rise up out of the desert up to a height of 5 metres. There are thousands of these pillars, with shape and texture having been defined by calcification processes and erosion.

The base material for the limestone came from sea shells which were broken-down into lime-rich sand. This sand was then blown inland by natural wind pattens, forming high sand dunes. Rain caused the lime to seep to the bottom of the dunes, where it stuck together and formed limestone. Small plants began growing on top of the dunes, protecting the dunes from being blown away again by the wind. This also helped to create an acidic layer of soil over the top of the dune, which further contributed to the leaching of the lime from the soil. A layer of calcrete formed over the soft limestone under the dunes. Small cracks in this hard layer allowed plants to send down deeper roots, which had the side-effect of allowing water to flow in also, gradually eroding the soft limestone beneath. This was replaced by quartz sand from the dune above. This continued until only columns of limestone that sat protected from the encroaching water remained. These columns were exposed when the vegetation on top of the dune died, allowing the wind to blow away the dune and sand between from between them.

The best time to see The Pinnacles is September as the days are mild and wildflowers start to bloom. Most animals in the park are nocturnal, but emus and kangaroos can also be seen during the daytime.

As of May 2006, entrance to the park costs AUS$9.00 per car, or AUS$3.50 per person on a tourbus.

The nearest town is Cervantes.