Our drive took us along the coast, past small towns, fishing villages and vast open spaces. We checked into the Cervantes Lodge in the crayfishing town of Cervantes. The town was named for some nearby offshore islands, which in turn had been named for a shipwreck. The streets of the town are all named from the book Don Quixote. The lodge was very clean and neat, organized and well-run. Our room had two bunks, a small table and a wardrobe. They have a spacious communal kitchen with eating area and a cozy living room with TV, movies, book exchange, and games. Most impressive were the recycling and energy conservation efforts. Lights turned off automatically, everything was marked for recycling or composting, and it was made clear water should be used sparingly. We’d definitely stay there again, or recommend it to others passing through.
After getting settled, we drove south to Nambung National Park, home to the Pinnacles Desert. The thousands of pinnacles are made of limestone, and originally came from sea shells, compacted into sand, which cemented through the action of plant roots and rain and eventually formed pillars. The dunes around the pillars degraded over time by plant roots and wind, exposing the pinnacles. The pinnacles are visible in some areas of the park for years, then as winds shift, they are covered over again, exposing more pinnacles in different areasw of the park, in a constant cycle. We did both a hike and the gravel drive loop through different areas of the park, taking our time and soaking in the atmosphere of this mysterious area.
On the drive back there was a huge red kangaroo who seemed less surprised by us than we were by him, but who hopped away at a leisurely pace when the car got too close. Before heading back to the lodge, we made a detour to Lake Thetis, one of the few locations where stromatolites can be found in this state. The stromatolites are formations or build-ups of microbial matter in limestone from the world’s oldest living fossils. Here they are round, some resembling an erupted volcano, and visible around the edges of the lake.
For more photos from the West Coast road trip, click HERE.
