The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park is thousands of limestone spires standing out of yellow sand, some of them four metres tall, with nothing around them for context. It photographs like another planet and it is only two hours from Perth on a sealed road, which makes it the best value day trip in the state.

The drive from Perth

Roughly 200 kilometres north. The coastal route is the good one: Wanneroo Road onto Indian Ocean Drive, which runs within sight of the water for most of the way to Cervantes, then two kilometres south into the park. The inland alternative is Brand Highway, which is faster in theory and duller in practice.

Worth stopping for on the way up:

• Yanchep National Park, 45 minutes out, for the koala boardwalk and the Crystal Cave tours. Book the cave ahead.
• Lancelin, about 90 minutes out, for the sand dunes and sandboarding.
• Guilderton or Seabird, for a quiet stop at the Moore River mouth.

One practical warning: there is no fuel between Lancelin and Cervantes, so fill up before that stretch. Indian Ocean Drive is also a notorious road for kangaroo and emu strikes at dawn and dusk. Plan to be on it in daylight.

What to do when you get there

The Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre explains how the spires formed, which is worth ten minutes before you walk out among them. From there you have two options and most people do both: the 4.5 kilometre Pinnacles Desert Drive, a one-way graded loop through the formations, and the Desert View walk trail, about 1.2 kilometres on foot.

Nearby, and outside the fee gate:

• Lake Thetis at Cervantes, where a boardwalk runs past living stromatolites, some of the oldest living structures on earth.
• Hangover Bay and Kangaroo Point, both inside the park, both good for a swim and a picnic.
• Lobster Shack in Cervantes, for the obvious lunch.
• Thirsty Point Lookout, for the view back over the town and the reef.

When to go

August to October. That is peak wildflower season in Nambung, when the wattle runs from horizon to horizon, and the temperatures are still civil. Go early morning or late afternoon whatever the month, because the desert has no shade at all and the light in the middle of the day flattens the spires into nothing.

Entry is 17 dollars per vehicle for up to twelve occupants. If you are visiting other parks on the same trip, a Parks Pass works out cheaper: five days for 30 dollars, two weeks for 50 dollars, or an annual All Parks Pass for 130 dollars. A day entry receipt can be upgraded to a pass within seven days.

Making it a full day

The Pinnacles on their own take about 90 minutes, which is not much for a four to five hour round trip, so build the day out. A route that works: leave Perth at 11am, stop at Lancelin for the dunes around 12.30pm, push on to Cervantes for a late lunch at the Lobster Shack, walk the Lake Thetis boardwalk while the light is still hard, then be at the park gate by 4pm for the loop drive and the walk trail as the shadows lengthen. Swim at Hangover Bay if there is time.

That has you leaving the park around 6pm, which does mean part of the drive home is in fading light. If you would rather not share Indian Ocean Drive with wildlife after dark, flip it: leave Perth at 6am, do the Pinnacles first thing, and treat everything else as the trip home.

The hire car we would put you in

The Compact SUV, a Kia Sportage or similar. Two hours of highway each way is where a small hatch starts to feel like hard work, and the Sportage gives you a higher seat, a quieter cabin and five seats with two bags of room. The desert loop drive is graded gravel rather than sealed, and while any 2WD car handles it fine, the extra ground clearance means you are not wincing at every corrugation.

Doing it as a family or with a group? The SUV 7-Seater, a Mitsubishi Outlander or similar, carries seven and still drives like a car. There is no need for a proper four wheel drive here: every road on this route is sealed except the graded loop inside the park.

Before you leave the depot

Carry more water than you think you need, at least two litres a person, because there is nowhere to buy it inside the park. Fill the tank in Perth and top up at Lancelin. Leave Perth by mid afternoon if you want the good light, and take a torch, since the drive back down Indian Ocean Drive after sunset is when the wildlife comes out.