The ancient Pinnacles Desert of Western Australia

Nambung National Park sits on the deep blue Indian Ocean in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia near the town Cervantes.

Within the park is the ancient Pinnacles Desert, which is an area with thousands of limestone formations called pinnacles.

*The Pinnacles, Western Australia. Photo Credit*

These magnificent pinnacles were formed from seashells which were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes.

There are thousands of limestone pillars and some of the tallest pinnacles reach heights of up to 3.5 m above the yellow sand base.

*The Pinnacles Desert contains thousands of limestone pillars. Photo Credit*

*They are limestone formations within Nambung National Park. Photo Credit*

Many theories have been proposed about the formation of the Pinnacles. One of the theories is that they formed as a result of karstification.

Another theory states that the pinnacles were formed through the preservation of tree casts buried in coastal aeolianties. A third theory states that the Pinnacles were created by plants.

*The Pinnacles during sunset. Photo Credit*

The desert played a key role in the Korean thriller movie A Million.

Also, the Australian electropop duo Empire of the Sun made their music video there for the song Standing on the Shore.

*the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. Photo Credit*

They are part of the Billy Connoly’s World Tour of Australia where he dances nude around them while telling an Aboriginal creation story which is related to the Pinnacles.

*The Pinnacles remained unknown to most Australians until 1967. Photo Credit*

To most Australians, the Pinnacles remained unknown until 1967. From 2011, the park received about 150,000 visitors a year.

The Pinnacle Desert is one of Western Australia’s most well-known natural tourist attractions.

The best time for visiting the desert is from August to October, when the wildflowers start to bloom.

*Most animals in the park are nocturnal. Photo Credit*

They are best viewed at sunrise and sunset when they change their colors.

Here is another interesting desert story from us:In ancient Persia, engineers developed a type of wind and water cooled ice house that could keep its contents frozen even in the desert summer

There are a lot of animals and birds in the desert and most of them are nocturnal animals. Sometimes, during the day, emus and kangaroos can be seen.