The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles are two-hundred and forty-five kilometres north of Perth on the way to Geraldton. Closest main town is Cervantes. The Pinnacles are seventeen kilometres south east of the town.

The Pinnacles are limestone formations. The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime rich sands which were carried inland to form high mobile dunes.

The Pinnacles were formed from lime leaching from the sand and by rain cementing the lower levels of the dune into a soft limestone. Vegitation forms an acidic layer of soil and humus. A hard cap of calcrete develops above the softer limestone. Cracks in the calcrete are exploited by plant roots. The softer limestone continues to dissolve. Quartz sand fills the channels that form. Vegitation dies and winds blow away the sand covering the eroded limestone. The Pinnacles appear.

You can take a scenic drive (for light vehicles only) of approximately five kilometres from the Pinnacles car park. Heavy or long vehicles should remain in the car park and passengers walk approximately one-hundred metres to the Pinnacles area. Vehicles must stay to defined tracks and parking bays. Camping is not permitted in the National Park.