4x4 Pinnacles Desert & Turquoise Coast Small Group Experience
Park fees includedLunch includedMax 5
From $186 per person
10 Things to Do in Cervantes, the Town Next to the Pinnacles
Short answer. Cervantes is the fishing town 17 km from the Pinnacles, about two hours north of Perth. Beyond the desert itself, you can walk the Lake Thetis boardwalk past living microbial reefs, eat western rock lobster and tour the factory that packs it, follow the coast trail from Thirsty Point, swim at Hangover Bay and, from September to April, join a boat tour to swim with sea lions.
Cervantes at a glance
The town sits on Indian Ocean Drive, and the turn-off to the pillars is two kilometres south of it. One A$17 day entry fee covers every national-park row below on the same day.
Things to do in Cervantes at a glance
| What | Where | Length or time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinnacles walk and drive | Nambung National Park, 17 km from town | 1.5 km walk, 4.5 km drive | A$17 per vehicle |
| 2. Sunset and stars | The same desert | Out of the park by 9 pm | Same day’s park fee |
| 3. Discovery Centre | At the Pinnacles Desert | Open 9:30 am to 4:30 pm | Park fee |
| 4. Lake Thetis boardwalk | Off Hansen Bay Road | 1.5 km loop, up to 1 hour | Park fee applies |
| 5. Lobster lunch and factory tour | 37 Catalonia Street | 30-minute tour at 12 pm and 2 pm | A$15 adult, A$7.50 child |
| 6. Thirsty Point Trail | Thirsty Point car park to Hansen Bay Lookout | 1.88 km each way | – |
| 7. Hangover Bay | Nambung National Park | – | Park fee applies |
| 8. Kangaroo Point | Nambung National Park | – | Park fee applies |
| 9. Sea lion swim | Boat from Cervantes | About 90 minutes | From A$75 plus fees |
| 10. Jurien Bay and Lesueur | 20 minutes north | 18.5 km loop road | – |
Not driving? A small-group 4x4 day from Perth stops
in Cervantes and at Lake Thetis.10 hours, at most
5 travellers, seafood lunch in town. From $186 per
person.
Check Availability1. Walk and drive the Pinnacles Desert
The pillars are why the town is on the map. They stand 17 km from Cervantes, about 15 minutes by car, inside Nambung National Park. You pay A$17 per vehicle at the entry station, then choose between the 1.5 km Desert View Walk and the 4.5 km one-way drive.
Staying in town means you can be among the pillars before the Perth coaches arrive. For the routes, see the walk trail and the one-way drive, or Inside the Pinnacles Desert for both, stop by stop.
2. Go back for sunset and the stars
This is what a night in Cervantes buys you. The desert can be visited outside Discovery Centre hours, and you are expected to be out of the park by 9 pm. From town that is a 15-minute drive to bed instead of two hours back to Perth.
The stargazing guide shows when the sky goes fully dark each month. If you would rather go with a guide, see the stargazing departures page.
3. See the Discovery Centre before 4:30 pm
The Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre is open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, every day except Christmas Day. Inside are displays, soundscapes, videos and objects on how the pillars formed, plus a retail gallery. It is the one stop on this list with a closing time that decides your order, so go there first and leave the beaches for later. Hours and the vehicle entry fee are covered in full.
4. Walk the Lake Thetis boardwalk
Lake Thetis sits just off Hansen Bay Road on the edge of town. Its living microbial reefs are dated to about 3,370 years, and the lake was cut off from the sea about 4,800 years ago. The loop is 1.5 km, Class 2, and takes up to an hour. The first 300 m of boardwalk is universally accessible and passes the best examples. You see the most between November and March, when the water is lowest. There are no toilets at the lake.
Pay the park fee once. The A$17 you paid at the Pinnacles also covers the lake, Hangover Bay and Kangaroo Point on the same day.
5. Eat rock lobster and tour the factory
Cervantes is a crayfishing town, known for western rock lobster. The Lobster Shack at 37 Catalonia Street serves it from a kitchen open 11 am to 3 pm. The shop is open 9 am to 5 pm, seven days a week, and closes on Christmas Day.
Guided factory tours run at 12 pm and 2 pm daily and take 30 minutes. You pay A$15 as an adult, A$10 as a senior and A$7.50 for a child, and you buy the ticket at the gift shop when you arrive. The tour opens with a video on the boats and ends at a touch pool. The theatre and shop are wheelchair accessible; the overhead viewing platform is not.
6. Follow the coast trail from Thirsty Point
The Thirsty Point Trail runs 1.88 km each way, from the Thirsty Point car park to Hansen Bay Lookout. It is Class 2: firm gravel, then a sandy track, flat apart from the short climb to the lookout. Dogs are allowed here, unlike in the national park. Wildflowers are out along it between August and October, and Pinnacles wildflower season has the rest of the bloom.
Did you know? The town is named after a shipwreck. The Cervantes was an American whaling ship, built in Bath, Maine, in 1836 and wrecked here in 1844. The wreck lies in 2 to 3 m of water, about half a nautical mile west-south-west of Thirsty Point.
7. Swim or snorkel at Hangover Bay
Hangover Bay is a wide sandy beach inside the national park and the Jurien Bay Marine Park. The park authority lists it for snorkelling, swimming, windsurfing and surfing. You get a barbecue, picnic tables, a shade shelter, accessible toilets and parking for more than 40 cars. Bottlenose dolphins and sea lions are occasionally seen. The park entry fee applies and pets are not allowed.
8. Picnic and fish at Kangaroo Point
Kangaroo Point is a beach popular for shore fishing and boating, with barbecues, toilets, shade shelters and picnic tables. Look north-west and you see Cervantes at Thirsty Point, with the Cervantes Islands out to sea. A concrete slab from a fishing shack demolished in the late 1960s is still visible.
9. Swim with sea lions
Boats leave Cervantes for the Cervantes Islands, where you can spend up to 45 minutes in the water with the sea lions. The whole trip takes about 90 minutes. You check in at 37 Catalonia Street 30 minutes before departure. Prices start from A$75, with government fees added at checkout. The regional tourism authority gives the season as daily between September and April.
10. Drive on to Jurien Bay and Lesueur
Jurien Bay is 20 minutes north of Cervantes. Sea lion boats leave from its harbour too, and skydiving runs seven days a week. Lesueur National Park has an 18.5 km one-way sealed loop road and more than 1,100 plant species, 10% of Western Australia’s known flora. They flower best between August and November.
Which Perth departures stop in Cervantes
You do not need a car to see the town. These departures leave Perth, stop in Cervantes and bring you back the same day.
- 4x4 Pinnacles Desert & Turquoise Coast Small Group Experience: Cervantes and Lake Thetis, with a seafood lunch in town. 10 hours, at most 5 travellers, $186 per person.
- Pinnacles Desert, Koalas and Sandboarding 4WD Day Tour from Perth: a fish and chips lunch at Cervantes, then an hour among the pillars. 11 hours 30 minutes, $196 per person.
- Pinnacle Desert Sunset and Night-time Stargazing Tour from Perth: dinner at Cervantes between two visits to the pillars. 8 hours, $182 per person.
- Pinnacles Desert Private Day Tour: a lunch stop of your choice in Cervantes. 8 to 10 hours, $407 per person, lunch not included.
The koalas and sandboarding day also stops at the Lancelin Sand Dunes on the way home. Pinnacles Desert tours from Perth show which meal and which stops each fare covers.
See Cervantes without driving
Compare the hours, the meal and the fare before you pick a date.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Cervantes from the Pinnacles?
Cervantes is 17 km from the park entry station, about a 15-minute drive. The turn-off is two kilometres south of town.
How far is Cervantes from Perth?
Cervantes is about two hours north of Perth by road. If you are not driving, the Perth departures named above stop in town for lunch or dinner.
Is Cervantes worth staying overnight?
Yes, if you want both the Discovery Centre and the sky after dark. The centre shuts at 4:30 pm and you are expected out of the park by 9 pm, which from town leaves you 15 minutes from bed. One Day from Perth to the Pinnacles has the single-day version.
Do you have to pay to see Lake Thetis?
The standard national park entry fee applies at the lake, which is A$17 for a standard vehicle. A day entry fee covers more than one park on the same day, so you pay once for the Pinnacles, the lake and both beaches.
Can you swim in Cervantes?
Yes. Hangover Bay is listed for swimming, snorkelling, windsurfing and surfing. It sits inside the national park, as Kangaroo Point does, so the park fee applies and pets are not allowed.
Give Cervantes a lunch stop and you get the lobster and the lake. Give it a night and you get the pillars at sunset and at first light too. Pinnacles Tours lists every departure that gets you there.
A lunch stop gets you the lobster. A night gets you the pillars at both ends of the day.Most tours refund in full; each card states its own window.
See Top ToursTours that stop in Cervantes
Pinnacle Desert Sunset and Night-time Stargazing Tour from Perth
Dinner and afternoon teaHotel pickupLive commentary
From $182 per person
Private Pinnacle Day-Tour; Pinnacles,lobster shack & Lancelin
Entry includedYour group onlyMax 9
From $855 per group