Written by Julie Jones, Have Wheelchair Will Travel, January 25, 2025
The Pinnacles Desert was so fascinating we visited twice. While we were staying in Jurien Bay it was only a 30 minute drive to the Pinnacles so we booked a sunset and stargazing tour with Lumineer Adventure Tours, which was spectacular. Our next visit was during the day on our drive to Perth. We were glad to see the Pinnacles in different light and in the daytime we were able to pop into the Discovery Centre which has interesting information and displays about the Pinnacles. Whatever the time of day, The Pinnacles Desert is well worth adding to your itinerary.
Pinnacles Desert, stargazing & sunset tour
The Pinnacles Desert is located in the Nambung National Park and consists of thousands of huge limestone pillars which rise from the landscape of yellow sand, some as tall as 3.5m. Driving through The Pinnacles Desert is like entering a movie set for an otherworldly film, but in reality The Pinnacles Desert is located only two hours from Perth. Oh, and there are no aliens, a kangaroo hopping through the desert is the most likely sighting.
The best bit about The Pinnacles Desert is that you don’t even need to leave your car to experience it. A clearly marked 4km track leads cars around the limestone pillars with good views throughout the National Park. We were driving a Kia Carnival so you do not need a four-wheel drive to access the unsealed track.
If you have the time we highly recommend doing the Lumineer Sunset & Stargazing tour of the Pinnacles. We booked the self-drive tour option as we were joining the tour from Jurien Bay. We met our guides for the evening in the car park and followed them into the National Park to the sunset position. Their local knowledge resulted in us having a prime viewing spot for a spectacular sunset.
Braeden’s off-road tyres assisted in moving him around on the sand but Hubby did resort to tipping the wheelchair back at times if the sand was a bit deeper. On the track used by cars the sand is more compact and easier to navigate but as usual, we didn’t choose the path most travelled and wanted to get Braeden closer to the action.
Our hosts for the evening Don, Hadrian and Emma were incredibly considerate and suggested that we serve Braeden before they opened up the buffet to everyone else. Braeden was happy to get stuck into the Australian barbecue dinner.
Sausages, salads and rolls were offered in abundance. The salads were all freshly homemade, absolutely delicious and fancier than your usual tour salads. Dietary requirements can be catered to if stated when making a tour booking.
After dinner it was time to listen to Don’s Dreamtime storytelling and to stargaze, with Emma’s help, through the telescope. Hadrian was our cook but he is also a photographer who is keen to share his night photography tips with those that are interested.
The tour had so many elements to it and of course the stunning Pinnacles provided the ideal backdrop. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour. You can read more about the Lumineer Adventure Tour to The Pinnacles on their website.
Tips for visiting The Pinnacles Desert
Although we spent considerable time in The Pinnacles Desert keep in mind if you are short on time you can pop in and do the loop track in just over 30 minutes to see the limestone pillars.
We recommend manual wheelchair users stick to the more compact areas as wheels will dig into the sand in the less travelled areas of The Pinnacles Desert.
Companion card holders are eligible for discounted park entry.
Park entry is required even when doing the Lumineer Sunset & Stargazing Tour.
You can visit The Pinnacles for sunset without doing a tour but if your budget can stretch to doing a tour we think the story telling, dinner and stargazing are well worth it.
Take warm clothing if you are visiting in the evening as it gets cold, even in the warmer months.
Make time to pop into the Discovery Centre to learn more about The Pinnacles and the gift shop has some lovely quality items for sale too. I received a beautiful pair of earrings for Christmas that were purchased there and created by an Indigenous artist.
A unisex stand-alone accessible bathroom is available in the car park before you enter The Pinnacles Desert. There is no toilet once you start the one-way loop drive in The Pinnacles Desert so ‘go’ before you go!
