Perth Road Trip 2016: Pinnacle Desert

Pinnacle Desert, Nambung National Park, WA
Thurs, 25 Aug 2016

From Emu Downs Wind farm, we took Bibby Road -> Cervantes Road -> Indian Ocean Road to Pinnacles Desert. Estimated Distance 60km about 45min. Kalau ikutkan boleh je nak sampai lagi awal tapi sebab speed limit kat highway hanya 110km/j, terpaksalah jadi pemandu berhemah, hehehe. Kami sampai di main entrance about 4.20am. Kami disambut dengan ceria oleh staff yang bertugas masa tu. Dia cakap kami datang just nice sebab dah nak hampir nak sunset. No entrance fee for visitor tapi we need to pay for the parking fee, AUD11. Nanti, akan dapat satu map untuk tour around Pinnacle Desert. Actually, ada Pinnacle Discovery Center kat sini tapi sebab kami dah lambat sampai, so, dah tutup. Tapi kami boleh datang lagi esok kalau nak visit the discovery center with the same parking fee ticket. Just show the same ticket, let say, kami nak datang lagi esok.

Nasib sampai tak lewat sangat, dapat lagi lah nak tour kat Pinnacles Desert before the sunset. And it was superb. Pinnacles are actually natural limestone formation. Maybe, the formation here not as sharp as Pinnacles in Mulu but still it has its own unique formation characteristic. Some of the tallest pinnacles here reach heights of up to 3.5m above the yellow sand base. Ada juga formation selain pinnacle ni.

Pinnacle Desert

The best season to see the Pinnacles is spring from August to October, as the days are mild and wildflowers start to bloom. Katanya, the pinnacle formations are best viewed in the early morning or late afternoon as the play of light brings out the colors and the extended shadows of the formations delivers a contrast that brings out their features.

Yang penting, view masa kami sampai di sini sungguh tak mengecewakan. Alhamdulillah.

Beautiful skyline blended with beautiful landscape

Ini bukan dalam studio ya

Area yang kami mula-mula stop ni, pinnacles tak berapa tinggi & bersaiz kecil sedikit

 

Terasa macam berada di ancient world sangat... hahaha

Ini bukan model No Birds Car Rental ya, hehehe

Dah agak-agak matahari makin nak turun tu, kami pun mula bergerak menuju Pinnacles view lookout. Actually, kami pun tak sure kat mana Pinnacles lookout walaupun staff kat entrance tadi dah explain we just need to follow the route (map yang dia kasi) sebab nanti akan ada signboard. Emmhhh, maknanya memang nak kena explore sendiri jugalah bila dah masuk pinnacle desert trail ni. Tapi jangan panik sebab ada jer route untuk kereta masuk terus ke dalam. Follow jer. Nasib baik kami sewa Rav4 sebab trail dia agak sesuai untuk 4WD walaupun kereta kami bukan 4WD pon. And ada tempat-tempat khas boleh park kereta, let say, nak stop & amik gambar.

Kami sampai di Pinnacles view lookout tak lama kemudian. Dari sinilah cantik nak tengok sunset. Nak tengok Pinnacle dari atas ni pun, boleh jer, cuma nanti nampak kecik sajalah semua batu tajam kat bawah tu. So, enjoy puas-puas amik gambar kat bawah before naik kat lookout point ni tengok sunset. Memang cantik view dari atas ni. We came just in time for the beautiful moment.

Dah nak masuk senja

Ada trail dari lookout point ni menuju Pinnacle Desert

Safety for you to follow

Wild flowers everywhere

Pinnacle view from the pinnacle lookout point

Sunset view dari Pinnacle Lookout

Ingatkan kami saja... tiba-tiba jadi ramai bila pelancong jepun datang

Sunset from Pinnacle Lookout

Beautiful sky during sunset

Subhanallah

Sesuatu yang indah just after the sunset

Pinnacles View Lookout

Pinnacles during sunset

We ended the tour just after the sunset. Dah pusing satu pinnacle desert ni baru notice pinnacles yang agak tinggi & besar berada on the other side, on the way jalan nak keluar, hahaha. Yelah tak habis tour satu Pinnacle desert ni sebab hari pun dah nak gelap. Mungkin kalau datang lagi awal dapat explore the entire desert. 

Baru sedar yang kami belum dapat proper rest lagi dari sampai pagi tadi. Gila hectic road trip kami hari ni. Hotel pun tak check-in lagi. Luckily, kami dah book accomodation di Cervantes Lodge. So, tak ada lah jauh sangat nak drive dah. Lagipun esok kami akan ke Lancelin. Tapi jalan semua dah gelap gelita nak masuk ke Cervantes Lodge. Memang takde lampu jalan, hanya bergantung lampu depan rumah orang, kedai or petrol station yang berhampiran sajalah. Masa ni pun kedai semua dah tutup. Tak sempat kami nak shopping apa-apa grocery. Makan maggi & roti jelah malam ni.

To be continued...

Mulu Day 3 - Spectacular Pinnacle

Friday, 14th Jan 2011
Gunung Api, Pinnacle's view


Seawal 4.30pg aku dikejutkan oleh alarm clock handphone aku. Today the real journey is going to begin. Aku terus proceed to bathroom...buat apa yang patut and then, solat Subuh... begitu juga dengan yang lain ikut giliran. Lepas tu, kami pun proceed ke dapur nak cook for our breakfast. We have to make it fast since our Pinnacle's trip will begin at 6.30 a.m. Our breakfast menu for today... roti, baked beans & nasi goreng special. Ok lah tu, buat alas perut kejap lagi dah nak mendaki. Tapi aku masih tak lalu sangat nak makan. Maybe, my sore throat still not ok.

Our packed lunch... Roti + butter, boiled eggs, Nasi Impit & serunding and plus 3L plain water. Kita orang distribute makanan sama rata & semua pun kena carry sorang skit.

Before beginning of our climb to Gunung Api...pics with our guide Bagli

Altogether, there were 3 groups for the Pinnacle's climbing today. My group, the Chinese group and the Mat Salleh group. Tapi kami yang gerak dulu masuk Hutan.

For Pinnacle, All you need to bring...

• Small back pack
• Energy snacks / lunch (Self prepared kt Camp 5)
• 2 Water bottles, 1.5L each (1 is left at the halfway point for you to use on the return journey, the other is taken to the top)

Seawal 6.30pg kami memulakan perjalanan kami. Rupa-rupanya lalu kat laluan kami menuju ke Camp 5, cumanya, kalau dari camp 5, kami kena belok ke kiri, masa tu still gelap lagi, so, use your headlamp. After about 10 min walk inside the forest, we reached our first rocky trail...which was the beginning of our hiking trill. It was just beginning....but I already felt like, fuhhh... serious mencabar...dah kena panjat batu-batu dah ke...so, aku dapat membayangkan the next trail will be much harder. Tapi yang aku agak pelik guide kami bleh buat derrrkkk jer jalan kt depan dulu....ahead all of us. Apa lah gunanya ade ade guide kalau dari mula trip till the end tak membantu apa-apa sangat, pada aku lah. ..tak tahu plak geng yang lain. So, yang ketinggalan agak kebelakang skit memang pandai-pandai lah sendiri.

Mula-mula tu aku memang rase semangat sangat & gerak agak laju juga saing dengan my guide Bagli. Aku memang follow jer dia dari belakang tapi kat certain tempat bila aku nampak orang lain dah sayup-sayup tak nampak aku suruh dia tunggu kejap, kalu tak kasi warning mahu laju je dia nie. Mayde dia ingat kita orang ni makan angin je kot. Tapi aku rasa, Bagli ni dah biase guide Mat Salleh kot that's why bila ade orang Melayu dia rase janggal skit, lagi-lagi perempuan macam kami ni. Aku akui Mat Salleh ni energy dia tak sama macam Asian people, that's why dia orang takde guide pun takpe, boleh survive. Tapi disebabkan syarat nak naik Pinnacle ni mesti ade guide, so, hebat mana pun you still need a guide to bring you, walaupun guide tak membantu apa-apa sangat pun.

On the way tu, kami dipintas oleh group Mat Salleh & Chinese group. Panjang betul langkah Mat Salleh ni. Aku fikir kalu macam ni 2 jam pun dah bleh sampai atas. Dah lah yang mula-mula start daki tadi kami, pastu siap kena pintas dengan dia orang yang start pukul 7am. Hebat, macam tak penat lansung dia orang ni, siap sengih-sengih kat kita orang lagi. Ni memang dah betul-betul fit enough lah ni.

Antara trek yang agak mencabar

We reached Mini Pinnacle around 7.30 a.m macam tu, kira OK lah tu. Meet the target. Mase ni dah 900m asl, meaning, we have another 1500m to reach. Masa ni kami diberi 15min break by Bagli. Apa lagi, sesi bergambar lah, macam-macam aksi. Masa tu, Chinese group yang pintas kami tadi tengah rehat-rehat... maybe dia orang pun baru sampai. Aku cuma rehat sekejap, makan coklat & minum air dari 1.5L bottle yang bakal aku tinggal kan kt situ nanti. Meaning the other 1.5L, I will bring all the way up to Pinnacle's viewpoint.

Mini Pinnacle... you need to reach here in within one hour

Selesai saja, we proceeded our journey, tak bleh buang masa sebab seperti yang diberitahu kami kena sampai the first ladder before 11 a.m or else we need to return back, baliklah makne nyer. Kita orang pun berusaha keras sendiri lah nak sampai ke tangga yang pertama dengan gigih nyer. Again, the Chinese group tadi pintas kami lagi but this time only two of them, their guide, Richard Burong & one of the Chinese guy. I did asked them, where the other 2? He said, the lady already vomitted and cannot proceed anymore. So, her boyfriend needs to accompany her descending. OK...noted. But, I told the Chinese guy you should tell your friend that we're already halfway, then He said, "I did telling the same thing too". Dah tak larat kan nak buat macam mana, karang paksa lain plak ceritanya. Alhamdulillah, kami semua masih OK pada masa tu.

Most of the rocks here are sharp

So, sepanjang pendakian aku, memang 100% percent aku berusaha sendiri without Bagli's help. Cuma masa time nak turun dari Pinnacles tu memang kena ade orang guide nak turun because there are certain rocky trail that need you to climb almost 90 deg. Luckily, we had Richard Burong to guide us. Burong ni actually guide kepada Chinese group but since 2 orang dah give up mase kat Mini Pinnacle, so, cuma ade sorang ahli saja lah yang dia bawa. So, dia ada banyak masa tolong kami masa nak turun. Thanks Mr Burong....you're really really helpful.

Another trail

Ratu-ratu gunung

Trail akar-akar kayu

The track is getting tougher

Pokok Zirafah....sempat kami abadikan kenangan lagi

You need rope at certain steep climb

We reached the first ladder around 10.20am... kira OK lah tu. Alhamdulillah, semua pun selamat sampai. Masa ni the real rock climbing is going to begin. Haaa...excited.

The first ladder we need to climb...

you must reach here before 11a.m or else you need to return

Altogether, there are 15 ladders you need to climb to the peak

Amacam...ade brani

The real rock climbing... if you had done rock climbing before... this is much tougher & harder but I like

Masa nie nak sampai peak dah....still mencabar juga

Beautiful view you could find on the way to the top

Finally, we reached the top. Alhamdulillah, macam tak percaya jer, kami semua berjaya. I was fascinated by the beautiful formation of the Pinnacles and forgot to ask the guide about the behind story of the Pinnacle because I was too busy taking photos and looking the surrounding area, really beautiful and unbelievable. God has made them in a very beautiful and fantastic pinnacle form.

Subhanallah, Inilah yang aku nantikan... Pinnacle

Alhamdulillah... Finally berjaya

Betullah kata orang, kalau niat kita baik semua pun akan dapat keredaan dariNya. Thanks Allah for giving me an opportunity to witness one of your wonderful and fantastic creation.

All of us... successfully made it

Pinnacle's view from the other side

Macam tak percaya jer selama ni tengok gambar orang lain jer kt sini

Mase dekat atas peak tu aku sempat capture a few type of pitcher plant and few others not so familiar floras. Cantik sangat.

We spend only about half & hour up there since we arrived late. So, around 12pm, dengan sangat berat hati kami terpaksa turun... end of our Pinnacle's view on top. Tak puas hati sangat sebab tak dapat lama. Maybe sebab kita orang dah amik masa yg banyak on the way to the top. That's why, 12pm we have to return back or else we had to walk in the dark on the way down. OK...we follow.

So many species of pitcher plant u could see

One of the pitcher plant species

Glow in the dark

So, if u think you're already good enough conquering Mount Kinabalu then you should try this. Pinnacle is much harder and tougher compare to Mount Kinabalu.

Anyway, to ALL Geng Gunung, congrats for all of your hardworking & determination to successfully reach up to this point. Korang memang terbaik lah.

Wish I could have another chance to be here again. And masa tu, aku nak make sure juga aku sampai ke Gunung Mulu. InsyAllah.

To be continued...