Having lived in Western Australia nearly my entire life, I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s taken me over 30 years to finally visit the Pinnacles! With 2 weeks of annual leave up our sleeve, my husband and I decided to spend a few nights going on a road trip up north. With my trusty Toyota Corolla, we made the just over 2 hour car ride from Perth to Cervantes. Cervantes is a small fishing town and the gateway to Nambung National Park, which is where you can find the Pinnacles.
Pinnacles Edge Resort
For our overnight stay, I booked us in at Pinnacles Edge Resort located in the centre of town. We stayed in the deluxe king spa suite and I was pleasantly surprised by how modern and spacious it was. We had our own well equipped kitchenette, lounge with TV, balcony overlooking the pool, large bedroom and king spa.
Lobster Shack
After checking in and taking a short nap from our long drive, we went to visit the famous Lobster Shack before it closed for the day. With half an hour to spare before closing time, we ordered a half-grilled lobster with chips and coleslaw, and Bobby’s lobby burger with chips. Although lobster isn’t my most favourite seafood, it was cooked well and it was nice to fill up my stomach with something more substantial than the road trip snacks we’d been munching on earlier. The patty of the lobby burger was made from their unique mix of lobster, fish and octopus, and topped with seafood sauce. Although the combination of seafood made it difficult to enjoy specific flavours, I would still consider it a must try food item for those who haven’t had a seafood burger before!
With our stomachs full, we took a short walk to the beach to take some pictures and check out the fishing boats that were anchored not far from the shore. Between the beach and the restaurant, we walked by what appeared to be large tin sheds, which is where the lobsters are processed. Lobster Shack offer factory tours that you can book online beforehand, however we were happy to give this a miss as we were keen to visit the Pinnacles before the sun set.
Lake Thetis
On our way out of town to the Pinnacles, we stopped by to visit Lake Thetis. The lake is known for its Stromatolites, which look like rocks and are the oldest lifeforms on the planet. To get to the lake, we had to turn off the main road onto an unsealed dirt road. Since we were driving in my small Corolla, it was a very bumpy ride! From the carpark, there was a boardwalk that took us to the edge of the lake, and up close and personal to some Stromatolites. They looked like small, flat, volcano like structures and it was amazing to think that they had formed billions of years ago from the sediment and sand from the lake. The lake itself was beautiful and we spent most of our time at the main viewing platform.
The Pinnacles
From Lake Thetis, it was a 3o minute drive back onto the main highway to the Pinnacles. From the main road we took a turn off, which led us to a large carpark and Discovery Centre. As we had arrived there after 5pm, everything was closed and the car park was pretty empty. I was confused about where the Pinnacles were located exactly and how we would be able to view them. Fortunately, there were signs in the car park directing us to a Scenic Loop Drive, so we decided to follow the signs and see where it took us!
The Pinnacles Scenic Loop Drive is a 4km long dirt track amongst the Pinnacles, which is marked by small rocks. I was worried that my Corolla wouldn’t be up to the task but after a bit of Googling, we were reassured that the track would be hard and compact enough for non-4WD vehicles like mine. Although the track is relatively narrow, there are many mini carparks along the way where you can park your car and get out to explore. As we started to drive along the track, it was exciting and surreal to see the bright yellow sand and tall cone-like structures that I had seen online so many times before. We ended up spending over an hour on the track and took many stops along the way to take pictures.
We were there as the sun began to set and it was amazing to see the remaining rays of the sun peeking through the clouds, over the Pinnacles. Around the half-way mark, there was a large stone hill and we hurriedly parked so that we could climb the hill to get some beautiful sunset shots of the entire area. Afterwards, my husband and I took a quiet moment together to watch the last rays of the sun disappear. As soon as the sun set, we hopped into our car and made our way out as we were keen to get home before it became too dark. Since there aren’t any lights until you hit the main town, it can get pretty scary and dangerous driving in pitch-black!
Cervantes Bar and Bistro
For dinner, we went to Cervantes Bar and Bistro, which was conveniently located minutes from our accommodation. We weren’t particularly hungry, so we ended up ordering some local seafood entrees including calamari and sizzling prawns. Both were delicious and a perfect end to a long day!
Stay tuned for the next part of our road trip adventure!
Marie xo