Rainbow Valley

This is a Class 4 trail, with loose rock, uneven footing, steps, short steep sections and some rock hopping. Parts along the coast are exposed, and wet rocks can be slippery; DBCA also warns about strong winds on those sections. Start at either car park and take your time. It’s a good short outing if you’re comfortable on rough ground, but it isn’t a casual lookout path.

The bands and blotches are red and white because iron oxides stained the sandstone. The staining can bring out old ripples and burrows in the rock, and signs along the walk explain the geology and plants. Look for those small marks as well as the big stripes; they’re easy to miss when you’re focused on the coast.

The Tumblagooda Sandstone formed from layers of sand across a coastal plain more than 100 km wide, with shifting river channels, tidal flats and a large inland sea. Trackways and burrows record arthropods moving through those old environments. The formation’s age is still uncertain: published estimates range from Cambrian to Cretaceous, with the middle Palaeozoic considered most likely. The only body fossil reported so far is an impression of Kalbarria, an extinct euthycarcinoid.

For a photo, frame the red-and-white layers with the blue water behind them; that gives you the geology and the coastal setting in one shot. The official site says the features are visible near the car park as well as from the trail, and the walk gets you closer to the rock. Pets aren’t allowed in the park, which also warns that 1080 baits are laid in or around this area.