The Pinnacles (Where Billy Connelly Pranced Naked)
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2007
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22
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Trip End
Jan 08, 2008
Cervantes,
Australia
Saturday, April 14, 2007
I was very sorry to leave Coral Bay, its peaceful, clean environment, beautiful sunsets and bowl of stars, but time is moving faster than I am at the moment, so I found myself in Cervantes, wondering how to get to the Backpackers, and was taken there by Mike, the Pinnacles tour guide and booked onto the evening sunset tour that night, as I find that mornings are so much more peaceful when you don't have an alarm waking you up. Mike had also advised this as the variety of cloud cover, and its position promised an excellent sunset. I decided to take his advice, even though, at the time, all I wanted to do was crawl into my bunk to sleep off the (non-alcohol induced) nausea that had been so problematic on the Greyhound, and I was glad that I did
01. Welcome to the Pinnacles
. We set off in the mid to late afternoon, which had the advantage of allowing us to get a good view of the Pinnacles in daylight as well as in the fading sunset, and to be honest, I had mixed feelings. I have seen a lot of rocks and chasms over the last week or so, how could these be any different, and worth the detour on my journey?
But they are. The Pinnacles may be rocks, and WA has a lot of rocks, but none so surreal and alien as these oddities of nature, and they were very definately worth the tour, as Mike has years of experience here, and knows how to deliver the scene - and how to best photograph them. In fact the tour fee was worth it for the photography lesson alone, I will definately be using the tricks that he showed us as they allow you to photograph a foreground without giving up a backgrond and vice versa, when shooting into the sun.
Incredible how most tour guides (if they mention the Pinnacles at all) describe these formations, but I find that word to be totally inaccurate, I think that the best description of them is alien, possibly bizarre, but most definately alien, and you cannot help but feel the energy of the place when you get out of your car
02. Billy's Tombstones
. The Aborigines call this a significant site, not sacred (and that is a key difference, as it means that you cause no offense by being here - it is not like climbing Uluru). They tell a story of two tribes who had a great battle here, over stolen women, and that those who fell in the battle were crystallised into the Pinnacles formations by the great spirits in memory of the battle. I find this a much more interesting version of events than the geological explanation, so I won't go into that, and in truth the aura of the desert makes the story feel very believeable. It is a beautifully haunting place - especially as the sun begins to go down., and it is even possible to glimpse the 'faces' of the crystallised spirits in some of the formations - if the light is right.However, an ancient battleground or no, the Pinnacles has a more recent claim to fame. It is one of the (growing numbers) of places in the world that Billy Connelly has done some naked prancing. We even went to the very spot - just up the North Spur, and a part of the desert that many visitors miss out - I can only say don't, for two reasons...
The first is simply that if you do, you risk missing some of the more spectacular rocks, known as the tombstones, which are taller than a man and are infamous by way of Mr Connelly, and the second is that apparently Billy has inspired a following - if you arrive in the early hours, or when it is quiet, you may be treated to your very own enactment of naked prancing, mainly by young men, but sometimes by girls as well
03. Beware Maneating Rocks!!!
. We were told by Mike that this can be very amusing, especially if you catch them unawares and clap at the end of the performance. Just be sure that all young children are asleep or have visors over their windows!As for the promised sunset, it did indeed make for a fablous display, the sky was crimson, orange, yellow and violet on the horizon thanks to the clouds, as well as being a steadily darkening blue and indigo to the east. The whole, over the Pinnacles bowl, made for some fantastic photos, with the yellowish-red rocks seemingly piercing the sky which was bloodstained and painted by turns, I was very glad that I was not asleep, and I have some good photos, though they need to be seen in a large frame to really get the effect. I will upload them as soon as I can.
For the rest - I am heading back to Perth tomorrow - and to my bunk now, I have travelled for fifteen hours and taken in a four hour tour, by which I mean I paid attention, as well as being present, so I have definately earned a rest!
