The Pinnacles Desert, Western Australia 2023

Date: 7-8th March 2023

Travelled: 200 kms from Perth to Cervantes in Western Australia   

Visited:  The Pinnacles and Cervantes  

Stayed: Cervantes RV overflow, $25, S30.50044, E115.07135  

Budget: days @ $ per day

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You may have noticed we’ve skipped a couple of days between Bunbury and Cervantes. We found we needed to pick up new decoder for the satellite TV from the dealer in Perth and take part in a teleconference which required some good internet. So we decided on a couple of days in Perth.

The CP in north Perth was a charmless place. Whilst we managed a couple of good bike rides and a long walk around the lakeside reserve. I struggled to take a photo of anything worth posting, so lets move on to Cervantes.

It’s Good Friday morning as we escape Perth and the traffic is relatively heavy, but it soon thins out. An hour further north the traffic is all but gone as we pass Seabird.

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We roll into Cervantes just in time for late lunch. Our guide book gives a star to the Lobster Shack, so rather than turn into the overflow we follow the signs to the Lobster Shack. Given it’s Good Friday we were a little surprised to see it open, parking we go in to find 2 or 300 hundred people enjoying lunch.

The half lobster, chips and salad $40 times two thanks. Obviously not the cheapest lunch we’ve had on this trip, but definitely the best. This time of the year the lobster or more correctly crayfish are fresh off the boat, just grilled with butter.

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Only for the drink driving restrictions we could have sat out the afternoon on the restaurant’s verandah enjoying the view.

So we drive back to the RV overflow finding ourselves a level spot on grass and set up for the night. The nearby CP is already full being Easter and by the early evening the overflow will be full as well.

Chatting with our neighbour he tells me he buys crayfish directly off the boat, giving me the number, why not, I send a text ordering two.

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Next morning we are off for our usual walk taking in the village as we do. Finding the name Cervantes is derived from a chain of islands just off the coast named after a ship of the same name which sank here in 1840.

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Our walk done we have breakfast before packing up and pointing the Jayco out of Cervantes turning south along Indian Ocean Drive. Fourteen kms later we turn into Namburg National Park and the Pinnacles Desert.

We are somewhat surprised to find a queue of 20 cars at the pay point. Our entry free thanks to our NP pass, however we are told the Jayco’s too big to drive the circuit so we park up and do the walking tour.

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We haven’t been walking too far to find the driving circuit is something of a moving traffic jam. Walking and wandering around is less than 2 kms back to the Jayco.

So what are the Pinnacles, hundreds perhaps a thousand or so limestone outcrops rising out of the sandscape. They rise up to 3 metres heavily weathered by the sand and wind that surrounds them.

Having done Cappadocia in Turkey back in 2015 the Pinnacles don’t quite challenge Love Valley. Check the link on the line above.

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The Pinnacles done we drive back in Cervantes, going straight down to the pier to wait for Mat and our crayfish to land. On time we watch Mat unload some 50 boxes of crayfish before he turns to deal with his cash customers.

We cough up $50 for two good sized western rock lobsters (crayfish), that are still kicking and not happy with the blue bucket. Back at the overflow the crayfish spend 90 minutes in the freezer. Luckily our neighbour has agreed to lend us his large pot, well actually it eventuated he cooked them for us (13 minutes in boiling water then straight into a bucket of ice water).

After halving the tails and cleaning, brushing with seasoned butter we give them a quick searing on the BBQ. Perfection.

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Anyway that was our visit to the Pinnacles and Cervantes.

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Michael + Pam