Riding a Wave Rock in Hyden, W. Australia
If you are in for some wave-catching without getting wet, head into the outback in Western Australia and find one of the country's famous landforms - the Wave Rock.
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| Posing by the 2,000 million year old Wave Rock, Hyden, WA. |
The Wave Rock is a natural rock formation of pure granite shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. This was formed more than 2,000 million years ago even before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Such
natural wonder really affirms that God is indeed one master artist!
Into the bush
It is located in Hyden approximately three hundred kilometer east of Perth. We drove deep into the bush about 5 and a half hours (almost 500 kilometers) from Kalgoorlie to Hyden (it take 4 and a half or about 350 km if from Perth to Hyden).
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| Negotiating the dirt road in the Aussie outback. |
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| After about 5 hours, we arrived in the Wave Rock park. |
We arrived just before lunch and decided to grab a bite first before exploring the place. There are clean picnic sheds for sit-down eating.
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| A map of the Wave Rock Walk circuit. There are several walk circuits here but this is the most famous here. |
At around mid-day, we then headed down the Wave Rock walk circuit which is actually about 2 miles of path that takes you to the natural wonders here including the Wave Rock and the Hippo's Yawn,
Geologic Wonders
The Wave Rock looked majestic. Standing still since pre-historic times. Having existed even before the start of civilization, it stood proud enduring the harshest of elements and time.
Looking at the huge rock (measuring 110 meters long and 15 meters high) I felt so small and at the same time amazed at the geologic wonder.
You are pretty much free to do whatever you wish with the solid rock. I too tried to run up the side and pose like a surfer but not long enough that gravity would take me back to the ground again.
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| I came with my sister and her family. Here posing with the giant Wave Rock. |
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| Climb, surf, slide, run. You are pretty much free to do whatever you like with the Wave Rock. |
The rest of the trek was easy since most of the path was relatively flat. With rock formations, open spaces and clear skies, some spots here are picturesque enough for photo shoots.
Since
we visited in the summer and we trekked mid-day, I struggled a bit with the piercing
Australian sun and heat. It is best to bring sun-protective gear and
drinking water to stay hydrated. In the winter, however, we were told it could get really chilly too.
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| Vast blue skies and rock formations make for good pictures. |
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| A group of rocks aggregated together as if some giant person took them here. |
We took the rest of the trek (which took about 1 and a half hour for us) until we reached another amusing site - the Hippo's yawn. It is a rock formation that interestingly looks like a huge hippo yawning, as its namesake tells us.
I commend their local government for preserving this location, which also holds special significance for our Aborigine brethren.
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| A walk along the bush. The vegetation gave that needed cool and shade during our mid-day trek. |
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| Just some of the animals native to Western Australia that you'll meet here. |
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| The Hippo's Yawn, |
You can also have tea or a stubby and browse for souvenirs
at the Visitor Centre nearby. They also have a wildlife park inside
should you need to take that obligatory photo with the kangaroo or the
koala.
They
also have motel accommodations should you consider staying for the
night. I bet that will also be an awesome experience walking under the
star-strewn vast sky.
Cheers,
Eric
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Useful Tidbits:
- How to get here: The best way is to drive your own vehicle here as there is limited public transpo going here.
- Entrance to the park is free.
- Bring: wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, drinking water.
- It is best to bring along your own lunch, as the sandwiches in the Visitor Center are quite expensive.
For more info, you may visit their website here.
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