Pinnacles Desert, Koalas and Sandboarding 4WD Day Tour
The daylight version of this trip, and the one with the most in it. A wildlife park in the morning, then a fish and chips lunch at Cervantes. An hour among the limestone pillars while the visitor centre is still open, then a four-wheel-drive run and sandboarding on the Lancelin dunes.
Your day from Perth, stop by stop
Koalas, wombats and hand-fed kangaroos
The wildlife park is first, before the coaches arrive, which is when the kangaroos are hungry enough to come over.
The desert while the centre is open
You reach the pillars in daylight, so the Discovery Centre and its displays are still available.
A 4WD run over the dunes
Forty-five minutes across the Lancelin sand in a vehicle built for it, which no hire car can do.
Sandboards provided
Included in the fare rather than hired at the dune.
Fish and chips at Cervantes
A full lunch in the rock-lobster town, inside the price.
What the day actually does
Board at the Crown Entertainment Complex at a quarter to eight, . You can also arrange a complimentary hotel pickup from selected Perth city and Northbridge addresses when you book. The first stop is Caversham Wildlife Park. The kangaroos are hand fed there, and the koalas and wombats are close enough to photograph properly.
From there it is north to Cervantes for a fish and chips lunch, then the Pinnacles for an hour, . The Lancelin dunes come last, for the four-wheel-drive run and the sandboarding. Eleven and a half hours door to door, and the fullest day of the lot.
Why daylight changes the visit
The Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre closes at 4:30 pm. It is the only place that explains what you are looking at: displays, soundscapes and objects setting out how the pillars formed. Half an hour in it turns the rest of the field from interesting rocks into a sequence you can read.
One reviewer puts it exactly: there is enough time to explore the desert, but the centre shuts at half past four, so go there first if you want to see it. How the pillars formed covers the same ground if your hour goes on the walk instead.
What the reviews consistently say
The wildlife park and the dunes are what people write about, and the guide is what makes or breaks the day — Beck, Jonathan, Gordon, Lee and Anton all appear by name. The lunch gets consistently good marks; the lobster processing tour that comes with it divides opinion.
The consistent criticism is time. An hour at the pillars is enough for most people and not enough for some. In summer the heat compresses it further: one January traveller had their stop cut to quick photographs. If longer at the desert is the priority, a private day is the format that gives it.
Hour by hour
- Board at Crown Perth, Burswood
- Caversham Wildlife Park for koalas and kangaroos
- Fish and chips lunch at Cervantes
- An hour among the Pinnacles
- 4WD run over the Lancelin Sand Dunes
- Sandboarding, then back to Perth
Who this suits, and who should book something else
This one is for you if: you want one day out of Perth that covers wildlife, the desert and the dunes, you are travelling with children over four, and you would rather see the pillars while the visitor centre and its displays are open.
Book something else if: the sky is what you came for — this day is finished before dark, so take the sunset and stargazing tour instead — or if a forty-eight-seat coach is not the way you want to travel, in which case the private day tour covers similar ground.
What’s included
In the fare
- Fish and chips lunch
- Bottled water
- Professional Driver/guide with Live Commentary
- Transport by air-conditioned coach or 4WD
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Use of sandboards at Lancelin Sand dunes
- 4WD tour at Lancelin Sand Dunes
Not in the fare
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Where you are collected
Crown Perth, Burswood, with Perth city hotel pickup on request. Pinnacles desert stargazing tours list every departure with its own pickup point, and getting there sets out the five places in Perth that departures actually leave from.
Know before you go
- Under-fours cannot join the 4WD leg. Stated on the listing; the rest of the day is unaffected
- Flag dietary requirements at booking. The lunch is pre-arranged, so it has to be known in advance
- The vehicle may change through the day. The tour may run with a coach in the morning and a 4WD in the afternoon, or the 4WD all day, depending on passenger numbers
- Soft sand can delay the dune run. Flagged before you book rather than sprung on you at the dune
- Hotel pickup is on request. Complimentary from selected Perth city and Northbridge addresses, arranged when you book
- Reach the Discovery Centre first. It closes at 4:30 pm and this day arrives with time to do it, but only if you go straight there
Photographs from the day
What travellers said
Jonathan was a good driver and guide. The stop at the wildlife park is short. The fish and chips were an enormous portion. There is enough time to explore the desert, but the visitor centre shuts at half past four.
Paul G. · December 2024
We hand-fed the kangaroos right as the park opened, so they were hungry and came straight over. Sandboarding at Lancelin and the Pinnacles were the other two high points of the day.
Wendy A. · December 2024
The dunes were the high point and the sandboarding was worth the drive on its own. The heat at the Pinnacles cut our time there down to quick photo stops, which is the one thing I would change.
Nabeena K. · January 2025
Frequently asked questions
How long do we get at the Pinnacles?
Is the wildlife park included?
Can we feed the kangaroos?
Is this too long a day for children?
Do I need to book a sandboard?
What if I want to stay for sunset?
The other departures worth comparing
Pinnacles Tours has all of them in one grid, with prices and group caps.