The formation of the Pinnacles the of formation The RECYCLE Please return unwanted brochures to distribution points distribution to brochures unwanted return Please 2019_474 0720 25M 0720 2019_474 request. on formats alternative in Available 2020. July at current Information WESTERN AUSTRALIA WESTERN GOVERNMENT OF GOVERNMENT Visitor guide Visitor Photos – DBCA, Peter Nicholas/DBCA, Sally Treasure/DBCA, Tourism WA Tourism Treasure/DBCA, Sally Nicholas/DBCA, Peter DBCA, – Photos Visit dbca.wa.gov.au dbca.wa.gov.au Visit Ph: (08) 9688 6000 9688 (08) Ph: Jurien Bay WA 6516 WA Bay Jurien PO Box 638 Box PO 67 Bashford St Bashford 67 Parks and Wildlife Service Moora District Office District Moora Service Wildlife and Parks Ph: (08) 9688 6000 9688 (08) Ph: Cervantes WA 6511 WA Cervantes PO Box 62 62 Box PO Lot 809 Bradley Loop Bradley 809 Lot Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger Station Ranger Service Wildlife and Parks dieback. If you drive through these areas, you may spread infection. spread may you areas, these through drive you If dieback. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Attractions and Conservation Biodiversity, of Department Phytophthora of areas across cut and only purposes management roads marked in this brochure. Other tracks in the park are for for are park the in tracks Other brochure. this in marked roads Email: [email protected] [email protected] Email: Stay on the road. the on Stay Follow signs in the park and stay on the the on stay and park the in signs Follow Ph: (08) 9652 7913 9652 (08) Ph: and may fall over at any time – injuries have occurred. occurred. have injuries – time any at over fall may and Cervantes WA 6511 WA Cervantes them. Stay clear of them as pinnacles can be top heavy, unstable unstable heavy, top be can pinnacles as them of clear Stay them. PO Box 62 62 Box PO Respect Respect the pinnacle formations. Do not climb, sit or stand on on stand or sit climb, not Do formations. pinnacle the Pinnacles Drive Pinnacles Pinnacles Desert Discovery Desert Pinnacles in Jurien Bay. Jurien in Pinnacles Desert Discovery and the Turquoise Coast Visitor Centre Centre Visitor Coast Turquoise the and Discovery Desert Pinnacles assistance. passes are available at Parks and Wildlife Service offices, the the offices, Service Wildlife and Parks at available are passes Do not hesitate to contact them if you require any information or or information any require you if them contact to hesitate not Do Desert Discovery. Five-day, two-week and four-week and annual annual and four-week and two-week Five-day, Discovery. Desert always glad to help make your visit more enjoyable and informative. informative. and enjoyable more visit your make help to glad always passes can be purchased at the gate house into the Pinnacles Pinnacles the into house gate the at purchased be can passes National park rangers and Pinnacles Desert Discovery staff are are staff Discovery Desert Pinnacles and rangers park National Visitor fees Visitor help protect the park and improve its facilities. Day Day facilities. its improve and park the protect help More information More (08) 9688 6000 for more information. more for 6000 9688 (08) Station, which is open 7 days per week between 8am and 5pm. Call Call 5pm. and 8am between week per days 7 open is which Station, kennels for park visitors are located at the Cervantes Ranger Ranger Cervantes the at located are visitors park for kennels Pets are not allowed in Nambung National Park. Free basic dog dog basic Free Park. National Nambung in allowed not are Above Above Lake Thetis boardwalk. Thetis Lake kangaroo. grey Western road into Cervantes. into road with you. Bins can be found on the entry entry the on found be can Bins you. with Be clean. Be Put your litter in bins or take it it take or bins in litter your Put National Park National Hangover Bay and Kangaroo Point. Kangaroo and Bay Hangover the park. There are free gas barbecues at at barbecues gas free are There park. the Nambung use their own gas appliances anywhere in in anywhere appliances gas own their use Stay cool. Don’t light fires. light Don’t cool. Stay Visitors may may Visitors Caring for the park the for Caring Coastal landscapes Three old systems of sand dunes run parallel to the WA coast from Cervantes to Busselton. These dunes, formed from wind-blown beach sand rich in lime, mark ancient shorelines on the Swan Coastal Plain. The further the dune systems are from the sea the older and more gently undulating they are. The shape and character of the sands determine the plants that grow on them. Welcome The Quindalup system of white, lime-rich sands is found immediately The Pinnacles inland from the fore dunes and is constantly being added to by sand from the fore dunes and the beach. Acacia thickets are common in The park’s most popular attraction is the Pinnacles Desert. Thousands Nambung National Park is situated on the the small valleys between the dunes and on the leeward slopes. of limestone pillars rise up to 4m out of the stark landscape of Swan Coastal Plain approximately 200km Further inland the older Spearwood dunes have yellow and brownish yellow sand. Some are jagged, sharp-edged columns, others resemble north of Perth. The park contains one of quartz sands, often overlying limestone. The pinnacles are the eroded tombstones. What are the pinnacles? What natural processes created these odd and spectacular structures? Australia’s most fascinating landscapes, remnants of what was once a thick bed of limestone beneath these sands. The limestone came from sea shells that were broken down into lime- the Pinnacles Desert. Tuart woodlands occur in the valleys, but it is the low rich sands and were carried inland by wind to form high, mobile dunes. exposed heaths of acacia and myrtles extending Winter rain leached the lime from these sands, cementing grains of Out of the shifting yellow sands rise thousands of huge inland to the Pinnacles Desert that dominate the sand in the lower levels of the dunes. Vegetation grew and stabilised limestone pillars standing in stark contrast to the surrounding landscape. Casuarinas and banksias are also seen, the dunes. At the same time, an acidic layer of soil and humus low heathlands typical of this coast. the brilliant orange-flowered Banksia prionotes developed over the remaining quartz sand. The pinnacles often feature in tourist guides to the region, is common. This acidic soil accelerated the leaching process, and a hard layer of but they are only one part of the 19,268-hectare national The silica-rich sands of Bassendean system calcrete formed over the softer limestone below. Today this calcrete park. Beautiful beaches, coastal dune systems and trees and are found on the park’s east where the can be seen as a distinct cap on many pinnacles and has helped flowering plants typical of the northern coastal plain are all vegetation is low, open banksia woodland. protect the softer limestone below. part of this park. Most animals in the park are nocturnal, There are a few theories regarding how the pinnacles were formed. Summer days between December and March are usually hot but during the day you may see emus or This is the most accepted theory: and dry, with an afternoon sea breeze. During this time the fire western grey kangaroos. Reptiles of many danger is often extreme. Wildlife rests during the heat of the Cracks formed in the calcrete layer and were exploited by plant sorts are common, particularly bobtail skinks roots. Water spread down these channels leaching away the softer day and only appears in the cooler hours of early morning and and snakes. More than 90 species of birds have evening. limestone beneath. The channels gradually filled with quartz sand. been recorded in the park, including singing This subsurface erosion continued until only the most resilient Most of the annual 540mm of rain falls between May and honeyeaters and the southern emu wren. columns remained. The pinnacles as we see them today were September. From September onwards the weather warms up, Pink and grey exposed and shaped by prevailing winds blowing away the overlying . but the days are still mild and wildflowers throughout the cockatoos quartz sand. area start their spring bloom. This is the best time of year to discover the pinnacles and explore the park. 1 2 3 4 Below Quandong (Santalum acuminatum). Below King skink (Egernia kingii). Lime leached from the sand by rain Vegetation forms an acidic layer of Cracks in the calcrete are exploited Vegetation dies and winds blow cements the lower levels of the dune soil and humus. A hard cap of calcrete by plant roots. The softer limestone away the sand covering the eroded into a soft limestone. develops above the softer limestone. continues to dissolve. Quartz sand fills limestone. The pinnacles appear. the channels that form. RECYCLE Please return unwanted brochures to distribution points distribution to brochures unwanted return Please 2019_474 0720 25M 0720 2019_474 request. on formats alternative in Available 2020. July at current Information WESTERN AUSTRALIA WESTERN GOVERNMENT OF GOVERNMENT Visitor guide Visitor Photos – DBCA, Peter Nicholas/DBCA, Sally Treasure/DBCA, Tourism WA Tourism Treasure/DBCA, Sally Nicholas/DBCA, Peter DBCA, – Photos Visit dbca.wa.gov.au dbca.wa.gov.au Visit The formation of the Pinnacles the of formation The Ph: (08) 9688 6000 9688 (08) Ph: Jurien Bay WA 6516 WA Bay Jurien PO Box 638 Box PO 67 Bashford St Bashford 67 Parks and Wildlife Service Moora District Office District Moora Service Wildlife and Parks Ph: (08) 9688 6000 9688 (08) Ph: Cervantes WA 6511 WA Cervantes PO Box 62 62 Box PO Lot 809 Bradley Loop Bradley 809 Lot Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger Station Ranger Service Wildlife and Parks dieback.