What is Nambung National Park?
Nambung National Park is a coastal park about 200 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia, best known for the Pinnacles Desert. It also protects beaches, dunes and heathland.
The park covers about 17,500 hectares on the Indian Ocean coast near the town of Cervantes. Its name comes from a Noongar word often said to mean crooked or winding, referring to the Nambung River, which flows into caves in the limestone.
Besides the famous limestone pillars of the Pinnacles Desert, the park has white sand beaches at Kangaroo Point and Hangover Bay, where visitors swim, picnic and fish.
Wildlife and wildflowers
Western grey kangaroos, emus and many reptiles live in the park, and the heathland bursts into colour with wildflowers from August to October.
The Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre explains how the pillars formed and showcases local plants and animals. The park is open every day, and an entry fee applies per vehicle.
Nambung is a popular day trip from Perth along the Indian Ocean Drive, often combined with Lancelin's sand dunes or Jurien Bay's sea lions.
Did You Know?
Nambung National Park was declared in 1956, but the Pinnacles section was added in 1967.