Australia
The Pinnacles
Thousands of limestone pillars rising from yellow desert sand like a forgotten civilisation's monuments.
Thousands of limestone pillars rise from yellow desert sand, some four metres tall, casting shadows that shift all day. No one is certain how they formed — the leading theory says they are calcified root systems of an ancient forest. The Pinnacles look like the ruins of a civilisation that was never built.
The Pinnacles sit within Nambung National Park, 190 kilometres north of Perth on Western Australia's Turquoise Coast. The formations — weathered limestone pillars ranging from a few centimetres to several metres tall — rise from a landscape of bright yellow sand against a backdrop of Indian Ocean blue. The prevailing scientific explanation attributes them to dissolution of an ancient limestone layer around the roots of plants, though the exact mechanism remains debated. Emus wander between the spires, and in spring, the surrounding kwongan heathland erupts in wildflowers. The drive from Perth passes through the lobster-fishing town of Cervantes, where rock lobster pulled from the ocean that morning is served at the jetty.
Solo
Walking alone among limestone pillars at sunrise, when the long shadows transform the desert into an alien landscape — the Pinnacles reward early risers.
Couple
A sunset among the spires, where the light turns yellow sand to gold and the pillars cast long, leaning shadows — the Pinnacles are naturally cinematic.
- Thousands of limestone pillars up to four metres tall rise from yellow sand — an alien landscape on Earth.
- The formations are calcified remains of an ancient forest — tree roots turned to stone over 30,000 years.
- Sunrise and sunset cast long shadows between the pillars, shifting the landscape every few minutes.
- Emus wander between the spires as if this is perfectly normal — for them, it is.
Cervantes Rock Lobster — western rock lobster pulled from the Indian Ocean, grilled and served metres from the catch.
Picnic among the pinnacles at sunset when the formations cast long shadows across the golden sand.
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