NAMBUNG National Park, on the Swan Coastal Plain 245km north of Perth, contains one of Australia's most fascinating landscapes - The Pinnacles Desert. Out of the shifting yellow sands rise many thousands of huge limestone pillars, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding low heathlands typical of this scenic coast.

THE most popular attraction of the park are The Pinnacles. Thousands of limestone pillars up to four meters tall rise out of the stark landscape of bright yellow sand. Some are jagged, sharp-edged columns, rising to a point, others resemble tombstones. What exactly are The Pinnacles? What natural processes have created these bizarre and peculiar structures? The Pinnacles often feature tourist guides to the region, but they are only one small part of the 17491 ha National Park. Beautiful beaches, coastal dune systems, trees and an amazing variety of flowering plants are all part of the national treasure. Summer days between December and March are usually hot and dry with an afternoon sea breeze. During this time the fire danger is high. Wildlife rests during the heat of the day and only appears during the cooler hours of the early morning and evening.
MOST of the annual rain falls between May & September. From September onwards the weather warms up, but the days are still mild and the vast array of native wildflowers throughout the area start their bloom to quilt the undulating landscape with stunning colours of every shade and hue. This is the best time to discover the Pinnacles and explore the park while taking scenic drives throughout the region.

The Environment:
THREE old systems of sand dunes run parallel to the WA coast from Nambung National Park to Busselton. These dunes, formed from wind blown sand rich in lime, mark ancient shorelines on the Swan Coastal Plain. The dune systems become older the further they are from the sea. The shape and character of the sands determine the plants that will grow on them. The Quindalup system of white, lime rich sands is found immediately inland from the foredunes and is constantly being added to by sand from the foredunes and the beach. The vegetation here is strongly influenced by the shape of the dunes. Acacia thickets are common in the small valleys between the dunes and on the leeward slopes.
FURTHER inland the older Spearwood dunes occur. There are yellow and brownish quartz sands that often overlie limestone. The Pinnacles are the eroded remnants of what was once a thick bed of limestone beneath these sands. Tuart woodlands occur in these rolling valleys, but it is the low exposed heaths of acacia and myrtles extending to the Pinnacles Desert which dominate the landscape. Scattered over these low heaths grow casuarinas and banksias. The brilliant orange flowered Banksia Prionotes is common.
THE silica rich sands of the Bassendean system are found on the east side of the park where the vegetation is low, open Banksia woodland. Most animals in the park are nocturnal, but during the day you may see emus or western grey kangaroos. Reptiles of many sorts are common, particularly bob tails, skinks and snakes. Over 90 species of birds have been recorded in the park. ...............More