1 Day Pinnacles Desert and Sand Boarding Adventure
Tours With A Twist
I have come to notice as I have arrived in Perth that Western Australia is extremely underrated. With beautiful and seemingly untouched white sand beaches, bizarre geographic landmarks, and endless adventure, it makes me wonder why more travellers don’t take advantage of the west coast.
When I decided to come to Perth, I learned of a day trip attraction known as the Pinnacles Desert and immediately wrote it down in my list of must-sees from the area. The Pinnacles is a “desert” located in Nambung National Park, covered in a series of strange limestone rock formations. I say “desert” in quotations, because I actually learned from Suzan on the tour that the Pinnacles, while it looks like a desert, doesn’t actually have sufficient features to be considered a desert. But alas, the name stuck, so Pinnacles Desert it is!
Little did I know, I was in for quite the adventure with Suzan and Tours With A Twist! The Pinnacles Desert was just one of many stops throughout the day. Suzan certainly proved to put a “twist” on a traditional day tour.
Tours With A Twist is a locally owned and operated tour company based in Perth. Suzan is wonderful and very knowledgeable about the area. She offers two fantastic tours, a Pinnacles Desert one-day tour (featured here) and a Hold a Koala Tour. Both tours are available for bookings on https://www.backpackerdeals.com/.
1 Day Pinnacles and Sand Boarding Adventure
Pick Up: 8:20am at the Perth Train Station
Our first stop of the day was only about a 30-minute drive from Perth – Yanchep National Park – where we would be able to spot wild kangaroos hopping about the park. There were heaps of them wandering around – we had no problems finding them! Plenty of photo opportunities with one of Australia’s favourite animals.
We also had an opportunity to stroll along the Koala Boardwalk of the park, where we were in search for another Aussie favourite. Of the ten koalas living in the park, we were able to locate seven of them. A few of which decided to take a nap on a branch right in front of us!
We were given a bit of free time to wander around the park on our own. The park itself was beautiful and made for a very scenic walkabout. We of course spotted several more kangaroos soaking up the sun along the way as well.
Suzan told us that our next stop (about a 45-minute drive from Yanchep) was relatively unknown to many tourists, and she referred to it as a “local secret”. It became clear to me upon arriving why the locals prefer to keep the small coastal town of Guilderton to themselves. The Moore river runs through the town, and actually comes to an end as it approaches the ocean. But instead of the water flowing straight into the coastal waters, it is remarkably separated by a natural sand bar. So essentially, you are able to see two completely different bodies of water side by side, maintaining their own unique beauty.
I took a relaxing walk down the sandbar and found it so fascinating to look to my left and see deep blue, red, and gold water that made up the Moore river, and look to my left and see the crystal clear ocean. You also have the option to go for a swim here, but sadly as it has now turned winter for my tour, I wasn’t planning to make the plunge into the freezing waters!
We then made our way toward Lancelin (about a 45-minute drive), where we had a nice lunch of sandwiches and drinks right by one of the beautiful white sand beaches. For lunch we were able to choose between chicken, ham, salmon, and egg sandwiches, or vegetarian options were available. Suzan also gave us a cooler of assorted drinks to choose from.
While we were in Lancelin, Suzan took us to the impressive sand dunes nearby so that we could get a bit of an adrenaline rush! We followed Suzan to the top of one of the steep dunes and she showed us how to properly sand board down the dunes. One by one, we went down the steep slope, and it was such a thrill! There is something about sliding down a natural sand dune that is incredibly exhilarating – perhaps it is because you know you won’t get this opportunity many times in your life! You can always go skiing or snowboarding, but how often can you fly down a massive sand dune?
By this point in the day, we had already had so much fun that I was already satisfied with the tour. But then we made our way to the main attraction – the Pinnacles! Our final stop of the day certainly verifies that sometimes you really do save the best for last.
We first made a stop at the Pinnacles Interpretive Centre, where we could see an art gallery of beautiful photos taken of the Pinnacles. There was also an educational aspect of the Centre, as we were able to learn about how the limestone formations came to be, and what sort of creatures inhabit the area.
Finally, we pulled into the national park, and the view was even more spectacular than the photos and post cards I had seen. The rock formations are simply fascinating. Each one is uniquely different, coming in all shapes and sizes. But the real shock was just how many of them there were. Everywhere you looked, you would see hundreds of them, and I couldn’t help but wonder the entire time how this really happened. I know I read about the science of it at the Centre, but I just couldn’t fathom how it was possible. I had never seen anything like it!
In the Pinnacles Desert there is a driving path that goes through the park. Suzan drove us through the, seemingly off-road desert path and we stopped at 3 different locations where we were given time to wander around and take photos. Each time we stopped, the awe just restarted over and over again. The Pinnacles are beautiful, and I am very glad I was able to see it for myself.
After we left the Pinnacles, we made our way back to Perth, stopping along the way for snacks or food. It was a very long day, but I didn’t want it to end! I wondered what other gems Suzan might have had under her sleeve to show us. Until next time!
Thank you so much to Suzan and Tours With A Twist for a wonderful day!
If you would like to book your 1 Day Pinnacles and Sand Boarding Tour, please visit the following link:
https://www.backpackerdeals.com/australia/perth/pinnacles-and-sand-boarding-full-day-tour
Visit www.backpackerdeals.com to book the best tour for you!
Author’s note: If you would like to read more written by me, you can visit my personal blog at: https://arielearoundtheworld.wordpress.com/
