245 km orth of Perth at Cervantes, which is on the coast 50 km east off Brand Highway; entry A$11, www.parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/nambung. The main thing to see here is the Pinnacles Desert, which is in the heart of the park. This consists of curious limestone columns which appear to sprout up out of the sand. And oddly, once upon a time they really did sprout. These are in fact the ancient roots of extinct plants which flourished along this coast 30,000 years ago when it was a jungle.

The plants died, and the dead roots fossilized, gradually becoming exposed over thousands of years by the prevailing south-westerly winds. When the first Dutch explorers spotted the Pinnacles as they sailed past, they thought these were the remains of an ancient city. For years it was marked on some ancient maps as such, prompting the German philosopher Leibnitz to speculate that the Chinese may once have colonized this part of Australia.

This spot is popular with day-trippers from Perth, who almost outnumber the columns on high days and holidays. Get here at dawn, when the fine wind-blown sand sometimes creates a mysterious mist, or at golden sunset when the long shadows give the place an eerie archaic atmosphere. This was what the earth was like long before we arrived, and what Perth will probably look like long after we’re gone. In spring, the desert becomes a mass of wildflowers. But be warned: the unsealed road is likely to flood after rain.

Along the coastal stretches of the park there are some fine walks over the dunes and the beach, which are home to a huge variety of migrating birdlife.