Travel Guide Pinnacles Desert

The Pinnacles Desert lies some 20 km south of Cervantes. It was not discovered until 1960, when a plane made a forced landing there. The pilot, unhurt, managed to overcome the labyrinth of mineral trees and find help. Such a late discovery, 2 km from the coast and less than 30 km from a village, illustrates just how difficult it is to discover this immense state that is still virtually devoid of population. On the way, the car bumps along a narrow road. Then, without transition, a lunar landscape stretches out to infinity. On a desert of blond, shifting sand, thousands of pillars and needles of stone rise up in a multitude of shapes, a veritable mineral forest covering 300 hectares. These vertical formations, close together, appear strangely rigid, on silky sand that gently wrinkles and lifts under the caress of the wind. The evening light, shifting from the softest pink to the deepest ochre, constantly transforms the appearance of the pillars. The Pinnacles desert has served as a backdrop for fashion photographers from international magazines. It's best to visit the Pinnacles at sunrise or sunset (and watch out for kangaroos on the road) to intensify the colors and add a little more magic to this remote spot. Tour the site on foot or by car. There is no on-site accommodation, but Cervantes offers several options. Many organized tours of Perth.