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The Pinnacles Desert is another of Australia's unique natural land formations - some 250km North of Perth.

Close to the main event, we pass by a small sign to a lake with a single word which grabs our attention - Stromalites.  We detour here and stop off to examine these creatures. 

Once thought extinct, Stromolites are the oldest living fossils on Earth - microscopic organisms which were the first to photosynthesise light - as such, they were the Earth's first oxygen producers and consequently we have a lot to thank them for. They manifest themselves as a kind of furry purple growth around rounded rocks (which I believe are the remains of millions of previous generations).

A few kilometres further on, we enter the Pinnacles area...

Here, ancient tree roots have fossilised and, as the surrounding land has eroded through wind and ancient water movement, the Pinnacles have risen from the desert floor to produce sandstone pillars up to 6 metres tall in an otherwise flat sand area.

We arrive late afternoon and watch the sun set. The shadows gradually extending and the shapes gradually mutating from bright stone pillars into eerie black outlines - they increasingly resemble tombstones.

The next morning, we head off South from the Pinnacles nearest town - Cervantes - to Lancelin, and try our hand at windsurfing.

As we head for along a dirt road linking the towns, we spot several evil looking lizards - we stop to feed one an apple core... he laps it hungrily, then thanks us by baring his teeth and making a hissing sound something that small should not be able to manage...

At Lancelin, we're in the water most of the time (often without wanting to be). As Phil and I stand in three feet of water, I spy a dark shape moving towards us... A sting-ray! And a bloody big one at that... with two equally large friends in pursuit. We retire to the beach and spy dolphins!

Suffice it to say, we had mixed success at this sport - each of us taking the 'walk of shame' up the beach after floating helplessly with the wind.

We do however console ourselves in getting a few unsightly tan lines...

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