The Pinnacles Desert #1

The Pinnacles Desert #1

A Sunset Tour of The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, located about 260 kms north of Perth, Western Australia. This unique landscape where thousands of huge limestone pillars rise from the shifting yellow sands is a photographer’s paradise. The colours of the Pinnacles change with the mood of the day and the angle of the light. This Sunset Tour with ‘Turquoise Coast Enviro Tours’ brings you views of The Pinnacles as seen from late afternoon until sunset. Some sunset photos were taken with a fill-in flash to highlight the Pinnacles, while others are silhouettes, but all are shown in natural colours and not enhanced. After you have enjoyed this Sunset tour, I hope you will join a Morning Tour to see this unique landscape by day — http://imageevent.com/gladysclancy/ecotours/thepinnaclesdesert2

October 2009Showing 1-105 of 10519860 visitsAlbum by gladysclancyPhotos by Gladys

1 Dunes carpeted with Wildflowers The Pinnacles Desert is surrounded by Dunes which are carpeted with Wildflowers during Spring	2 Rose Banjine (Pimelea rosea)	3 Rose Banjine (Pimelea rosea) close-up
4 Common Clematis (Clematis pubescens)	5 Thick-leaved Fanflower (Scaevola crassifolia)	6 Silky Hemigenia (Hemigenia incana)
7 Wattle (Acacia species)	8 Wattle (Acacia species)	9 Mike is a dedicated Tour Guide 'Turquoise Coast Enviro Tours' www.thepinnacles.com.au
10 Entering the Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park, Western Australia. Located on the Swan Coastal Plain, 260 kms north of Perth.	11 Pinnacles formations The formation of the Pinnacles would have taken many thousands of years.	12 Vegetation beside Pinnacle In winter, rain, which is slightly acidic, dissolves small amounts of calcium carbonate as it percolates down through the sand.
13 The Pinnacles Desert As the dune dries out during summer, this is precipitated as a cement around grains of sand in the lower levels of the dunes, binding them together and eventually producing a hard limestone rock.	14 The Pinnacles Desert At the same time, vegetation that became established on the surface, aided this process. Plant roots stabilised the surface, and encouraged a more acidic layer of soil and humus (containing decayed plant and animal matter) to develop over the remaining quartz sand.	15 In Shadow of encroaching Sand Dune The acidic soil accelerated the leaching process, and a hard layer of calcrete formed over the softer limestone below.
16 'Chocolate-coated' Pinnacles Cracks which formed in the calcrete layer were exploited by plant roots.	17 The Pinnacles Desert When water seeped down along these channels, the softer limestone beneath was slowly leached away and the channels gradually filled with quartz sand.	18 The Pinnacles Desert This subsurface erosion continued until only the most resilient columns remained.
19 Emu Footprint in the Sand The Pinnacles, are the eroded remnants of the formerly thick bed of limestone.	20 The Pinnacles Desert As bush fires denuded the higher areas, south-westerly winds carried away the loose quartz sands and left these limestone pillars standing up to three and a half metres high.	21 The Pinnacles Desert Although the formation of the Pinnacles would have taken many thousands of years, they were probably only exposed in quite recent times.
22 Yellow Sands of the Pinnacles Aboriginal artefacts at least 6,000 years old have been found in the Pinnacles Desert despite no recent evidence of Aboriginal occupation.	23 Pinnacles Landscape This tends to suggest that the Pinnacles were exposed about 6,000 years ago and then covered up by shifting sands, before being exposed again in the last few hundred years.	24 White Sand Dunes in the Distance This process can be seen in action today - with the predominantly southerly winds uncovering pinnacles in the northern part of the Pinnacles Desert but covering those in the south.
25 The Pinnacles Over time, the limestone spires will no doubt be covered again by other sand drifts and the cycle repeated, creating weird and wonderful shapes over and over again.	26 The Pinnacles The first known European recording of the Nambung area dates back to 1658, when the North and South Hummocks first appeared on Dutch maps.	27 The Pinnacles The Hummocks were also mentioned in navigator Philip Parker King's journal in about 1820.
28 The Pinnacles Nambung is an Aboriginal word that means crooked or winding and it was from this river that the park was named.	29 The Pinnacles The Pinnacles Desert remained relatively unknown until the late 1960s, when the Department of Lands and Surveys agreed to add the area to the already existing national park, which had been established in 1956.	30 The Pinnacles Today the park is visited by approximately 250,000 visitors, from all over the world, each year.
31 The Pinnacles Information courtesy:-- http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/hotproperty/property/national-parks/nambung-national-park-pinnacles.html	32 The Pinnacles Nambung National Park, Western Australia	33 Parrotbush (Dryandra sessilis)
34 Opening flower of Parrotbush (Dryandra sessilis)	35 The Pinnacles Nambung National Park, Western Australia	36 The Pinnacles Nambung National Park, Western Australia
37 Galahs perched on a Pinnacle Galahs(Cacatua roseicapilla)are common in Nambung National Park.	38 Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) This bird of prey is also known as Australian Kestrel.	39 Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
40 The Pinnacles Nambung National Park, Western Australia	41 The Pinnacles Nambung National Park, Western Australia	42 'The Three Warriors' Nambung National Park, Western Australia
43 Pair of Galahs Galahs form permanent bonds with their partner and this pair nest in a hollow in the top of this Pinnacle. Rain does not flood the nest because there is a crack which drains the water away.	44 Galah (Cacatua roseicapilla)	45 Galah (Cacatua roseicapilla)
46 Galah (Cacatua roseicapilla)	47 Pinnacles and Parrot Bush Nambung National Park.	48 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
49 The Pinnacles Desert As the wind swirls around each Pinnacle, the sand is moved to form a basin around the base.	50 The Pinnacles Desert Can you imagine a kangaroo facing north?	51 The Pinnacles Desert Same Pinnacle viewed from the other side, now the kangaroo is facing south.
52 Shadows are getting Longer	53 Late afternoon at The Pinnacles Nambung National Park.	54 The Pinnacles in the Golden Glow Nambung National Park.
55 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	56 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	57 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
58 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	59 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	60 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
61 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	62 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	63 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
64 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	65 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	66 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
67 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	68 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	69 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
70 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	71 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.	72 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
73 Fossilised Root in the Pinnacle Nambung National Park.	74 Lichen on the Pinnacle Nambung National Park.	75 The Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park.
76 White Sand Dunes in the Distance Nambung National Park.	77 White Sand Dunes in the Distance Nambung National Park.	78 Boardwalk to the Lookout Nambung National Park.
79 View 1 from Lookout Nambung National Park.	80 View 2 from Lookout Nambung National Park.	81 View 3 from Lookout Almost time for Sunset at Nambung National Park.
82 Woodbridge Poison near Lookout Isotoma hypocrateriformis, an erect, succulent annual herb which grows on sand, granite or laterite.	83 Woodbridge Poison Isotoma hypocrateriformis, near Lookout.	84 Sunset at The Pinnacles 1
85 Sunset at The Pinnacles 2	86 Sunset at The Pinnacles 3	87 Sunset at The Pinnacles 4
88 Sunset at The Pinnacles 5	89 Sunset at The Pinnacles 6	90 Sunset at The Pinnacles 7
91 Sunset at The Pinnacles 8	92 Sunset at The Pinnacles 9	93 Sunset at The Pinnacles 10
94 Sunset at The Pinnacles 11	95 Sunset at The Pinnacles 12	96 Sunset at The Pinnacles 13
97 Sunset at The Pinnacles 14	98 Sunset at The Pinnacles 15	99 Sunset at The Pinnacles 16
100 Sunset at The Pinnacles 17	101 Sunset at The Pinnacles 18	102 Sunset at The Pinnacles 19
103 Sunset at The Pinnacles 20	104 Sunset at The Pinnacles 21	105 Sunset at The Pinnacles 22 Thankyou Mike for a fantastic Sunset Tour of The Pinnacles.