We pulled off the road to Cervantes and asked directions to the Pinnacles. Turns out we hadn’t seen signs because they’re slightly south, direction Perth, of Cervantes. We headed back out of town, muffins in hand to snack on. First, we were able to go to Lake Thetis and see the Stromatalites. They’re descendants of the oldest living organisms, the organism from which all of life started. They are extraordinary ... and extraordinarily boring! Without knowing what they are and how special they are, one would think they’re weird bubble shaped rock formations and nothing more. They actually are one of the UNESCO superlative natural phenomena present in a property: they represent the oldest form of life on Earth and are comparable to living fossils.
16 km later and we were in the Pinnacles Desert. Limestone pillars that are remnants of compacted seashells that once covered the plain and, over millennia, subsequently eroded. Or, the dreamtime Aboriginal story is: elders warned the young men from going there because of sinking sand, but some ignored the warnings and the pinnacles are their fingers reaching out as they sink, trying to grasp hold of anything to pull them free.
We drove the 4km track through the desert, hopping out at spots to check them out. Then off to Perth we went!
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