Perth through the days, #2: trip to the Pinnacles

This was our last organised trip here in Perth. A whole day on the bus. However, we were pleased to find our other driver, Bob, at the wheel. He turned out to be a real resource, knowledgeable in botany, history, chemistry, art - as well as a good driver.

Headed up from Perth to the North, along a fairly new highway, and stopped at the Caversham Wildlife Park. We had a private "showing" of kangaroos, wombats, and koalas. While they were all tame, it was still exciting for us tourists. Pictures below:





We had a great time, albeit too short. The kangaroos were very tame, eating out of your hand very delicately. In the wild, I understand, they can be quite a challenge and even quite dangerous. Wombats, as you see, are big slobs, but apparently can run on the level at about forty kph! They are also marsupials.

From here, back on the bus, and after a too-quick stop at an ocean beach, to see a lobster factory in the town of Cervantes (named after a British ship of the same name which sunk in the area). They must give a kickback to the tour company: the tour of the factory was okay, and somewhat interesting, but was really a sales job for the meat. I would have gladly gone by this. However, it was not to be, so we got immersed in the fine details of how to sort and preserve these ten-legged crustaceans for future torture at home and abroad.

Turns out the Pinnacles desert was quite nearby. A hop and skip, so to speak. But a world apart in terms of the experience.


The sand colour changes from the white sand of the shoreline to this golden-coloured sand further inland. And there are the pinnacles: actually dead Tuart trees which grew millions of years ago in what was then wetland. The soil they drew their water from was very high in calcium, so they got calcified. Then the soil eroded away, and you were left with these atherotic pinnacles!


That's Bob the driver explaining all this to us. Fascinating: there were places where you could still count the rings. There were places where you could see the small roots still. There was one sample where there was some burned wood incorporated into the whole. I loved it, even in the heat of the desert.

But after a few hours, we were ready to head off, and we went further south, on the way back to Perth, for about an hour before stopping at Lancelin, a town known for its dunes. While most of the dunes are protected from development, some of them have been set aside for "recreation". What this means is that anyone with a 4WD vehicle and testosterone can do their thing. So we did our thing, in the bus (it is 4WD), and then sand-boarded.


Fortunately, it was only about ninety minutes back to our place in Perth, and the evening was ours. We relaxed and went to bed happy and early.

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Location:Adelaide Terrace,East Perth,Australia