Description
Thousands of huge limestone pillars rise from a stark landscape of yellow sand to form one of Australia’s most intriguing landscapes.
Parking bays are provided at various points along a one-way drive for those wishing to stop and explore the fascinating Pinnacles Desert on foot.
In places, the pinnacles reach up to 3.5m tall. Some are jagged, sharp-edged columns, rising to a point, while others resemble tombstones. Please treat the pinnacles with respect and never climb on these fragile structures.
Features that provide clues to the origin of the Pinnacles can be seen by the astute observer. For example, many pinnacles display cross-bedding structures, where the angle of deposition of the sand changes very abruptly. This indicates that the dunes from which the limestone bed was formed was originally laid down by the wind.
Some pinnacles have a mushroom-like shape, due to remnants of a calcrete capping. The mushroom shape has formed because the capping is harder than the limestone below it and therefore weathers at a slower rate.
This information was provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions: dpaw.wa.gov.au
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