Western Australia - Day 2 (Pt 1): Pinnacles Desert

Woke up to this fabulous view from the balcony of our apartment.  I stood at the balcony for some time to absorb the views, then started the preparations for the 200km long journey ahead to the mysterious Pinnacles Desert.

We heated up the Miss Maud pie from yesterday for our breakfast.  It did not disappoint.

By the time we left the apartment, it was approximately 7.15am, all within our schedule.  Ahead of us was a 2 hour 15 minutes drive to the Nambung National Park, where The Pinnacles Desert was.  The children were overwhelmed with excitement when I told them that we were going to a desert.

The Indian Ocean Drive was a fairly easy and straight route along the Coral Coast.  Here is a recap...

Clear, blue sky.

As we drove further away from Perth, we started to see almost barren plains.

On and off, there would be some flowering trees.

After passing Lancelin, we spotted a wind farm on the right side.

Huge patches of white sand as we continued further north.

Drive with extreme caution on the Indian Ocean Drive!  It is highly recommended not to drive at night or in the early morning when animals are more active.

You will know that you are near when this sign appears.

Paying the entrance fees ($10/car)

At last, we had arrived at our destination after a long, non-stop car ride.  Let's give our driver a pat on the back. Hehe..

The clear, blue sky we had seen earlier on had transformed into a cloudy and gloomy one.  The moment we put our foot on the orange sand, we could feel the chilly air on our bare legs. Wearing only tees and shorts, we were obviously under-dressed for the occasion.  We had mistakenly anticipated a warmer temperature on the Coral Coast.  We quickly reached for the jackets, and lamented not bringing long pants along as well.

The children occupied themselves with sand-play, while the adults were busy snapping pictures away.  It would be picture-perfect if there was a cloudless blue sky, but nevertheless, we enjoyed being in such a unique place.  It was also our first time in a desert.  

We drove around the desert following the driving trail and skipped the walking trail.  After hopping around for about an hour here, we decided it was time to say goodbye.

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