29 years ago Bob and Marilyn Readhead left their pastoral property in the north west and moved to Perth. It was not long before they realised their ties with the land where just too strong to let go altogether, so a 19 seat coach was purchased to operate one day tours to the Pinnacles Desert.
Just one year later in 1980 their vision and efforts where recognised when Pinnacle Tours were awarded the Sir David Brand Award for Tourism. Since then the company has continued to grow and has pioneered tours to such unique natural attractions as the Pinnacles Desert, Wave Rock, Margaret River, Albany, the Karri Forests, the Tree Top Walk, Kalbarri National Park, Monkey Mia and Shark Bay, Ningaloo Reef, Coral Bay, Mount Augustus, Karijini National Park, Broome and the Kimberley. At the time few saw the need, nor imagined a market for tours to unique natural attractions, such a long way from Perth.
In 1984 the company continued expanding with the opening of Perth’s first independent retail “Sightseeing Centre” , Pinnacle Travel Centre in Hay Street Perth. In 1988 a competitor Pathfinder Tours were purchased and then again in 1996 another competitor Australian Pacific Day Tours Perth was purchased giving us the two premium brands in the WA market.
2003 saw the creation of our own domestic wholesale company – Australian Pinnacle Holidays. After just 18 months of operation Australian Pinnacle Holidays is fast becoming one of Western Australia’s leading wholesale brands.
Since January 2008
Pinnacle Tours is part of TUI Travel PLC, an international leisure travel company based in the United Kingdom. Other websites in the Activity Sector that you might find helpful include: Quark Expeditions, an antarctic expeditions company and Planet Tours, a company specialising in Western Australia adventure tours.
Regarded as one of the largest Tourism and Leisure businesses in the world TUI Travel saw this acquisition as key component of their expansion into the Australian Tourism Industry.
Today the entire company employs some 90 staff, has offices in Perth, Broome and Jandakot, operates 12 luxury 5 star touring coaches, 8 luxury MAN 4WD coaches, offers more than 60 different tour itineraries throughout the state carries in excess of 60,000 passengers PA and has an annual turnover in excess of $12 million PA.
Importantly though, the company continues to operate with one clear goal in mind, "to provide our customers with quality and service second to none".
