The Pinnacles (Western Australia) Tomb

Address: The Pinnacles (Nambung National Park), near Cervantes, Western Australia, Australia

Website: https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/nambung

Hours: Open year-round

The Pinnacles are a field of limestone pillars located in Nambung National Park on the west coast of Western Australia, near the town of Cervantes. The pillars rise from the yellow sand plains and form one of the region’s most distinctive natural attractions.

Thousands of pinnacles stand across the desert surface, with individual pillars reaching up to about 3.5 metres in height. A sealed loop road, walking trails and viewing platforms let visitors inspect the formations at close range and photograph the landscape from several angles.

The limestone formed when seashells and marine sediments consolidated into calcarenite, then were exposed and sculpted by wind and rain over many thousands of years. The current surface shapes result from long-term erosion of the surrounding sand.

The Pinnacles sit within Nambung National Park, a short drive from Cervantes on Western Australia’s Coral Coast. The site is reached by road and is often visited as a day trip from regional centres on the west coast.

• Visitor access: A well-constructed boardwalk and short loop allow close viewing of the limestone pillars while protecting the fragile landscape.
• Best time for photos: Best light on the limestone formations occurs at sunrise and sunset when shadows and colours are most distinct.

From Perth drive north roughly 200-250 km (about 2-3 hours) via the Mitchell Freeway/State Route 60 and Indian Ocean Drive to the coastal town of Cervantes, then follow local signs onto Pinnacles Drive into Nambung National Park (the Pinnacles Visitor Centre/carpark is about 17 km from Cervantes). There are regional coach and tour operators that run day trips from Perth to Cervantes/ the Pinnacles; once at the park the main boardwalk and viewing areas are a short walk (a few hundred metres) from the carpark.

• Visit at sunrise or late afternoon for the best low-angle light and cooler temperatures - the Pinnacles look most dramatic at golden hour and photographic crowds are smaller then.
• Enter via the Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre off Indian Ocean Drive (the park's main car park) and follow the designated boardwalks and the short loop trail to see both the main columns and quieter formations away from the viewpoint.
• Avoid the mid-morning coach rush by coming on a weekday or outside peak summer; drive the one-way Pinnacles loop slowly so you can stop at several outlooks rather than clustering at the main viewing platform.