We started the day with a relaxing communal brekkie of bacon and eggs etc as the campsite had great BBQs and undercover seating areas…..

There were plenty of walk options around the Wave Rock area and we had decided to do a few as the next few days we will be just travelling back to NSW with not many opportunities to exercise!!

The first walk was out to Wave Rock itself – it was close by – and was just as spectacular as described….

Wave Rock is 15m high and 110 m long. It is just one face of Hyden Rock, a 100ha rock formation. The shape has been carved out of Hyden Rock by the weathering action of water in soil that abuts the rock.

It is hard to get perspective on the size until you see a human standing next to (or riding) it!!

The colours in the rock were incredible in the morning light…the colours are caused by rain washing chemical deposits (carbonates and iron hydroxide) down the face forming the stripes of greys, yellows and reds…. and photo opportunities abounded 😊

As we walked along, we noticed a small man-made wall running along the edge of Hyden Rock – this had been built in as a wall to channel water running off the rock into a dam that locals had created on the edge of Hyden Rock to use as the town’s water supply. These catchment walls were constructed in 1951 – extending the earlier ones built in 1921 – they catch almost 45% of the water falling in the 66 acres that they enclose – and the water is funnelled into the dam which is still in use.

As we climbed up the rock you had a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside…..

…farmland that was verdant,

the township of Hyden to the west,

the golf course,

and the multitude of lakes and clay pans to the north including Magic Lake – a large round and (apparently) very salty lake…

Rose worked the camera while Trev photobombed…. And then took a “dive”….

Klaus was absorbed taking pics….

The walk across the top of Hyden Rock was really interesting… the rock face itself was a granite conglomerate and easy to walk on – not at all slippery…

There was a multitude of rock holes filled with water… often interconnected by small rivulets of water… these rock holes are known as “gnammas” and they stay wet long enough to sustain many types of small plant and animal life in them… in the larger holes and crack small shrubs can also be seen….

Bright green moss, small daisies and a carnivorous strikingly red plant (Drosera Bulbosa which uses its sticky tentacles to trap small insects) were among the many small vegetations on the rock….the eggs and spores of the plants and animals that inhabit these ponds can stay dormant during drought then spring to life again after rain…

On top of the rock was another mini- wave rock 🙂

At one part on the top of the rock, there had been an old quarry where stone was taken to use to floor one of the local shops….

There was a rocky outcrop reminiscent of Karlu Karlu (Devil’s Marbles) – the tafones (large hollows in the boulders) made for interesting sculptures… and pics!!

We climbed down the rock to the base – it was not too difficult….

and Wave Rock now looked a different colour in the middle of the day….

…. and then headed along the “Hippos Yawn” track around the base of the rock….

The rock surface was very sheer and steep in places, with large cracks… and a hole that looked like a cave opening so Trev had to do some rock climbing antics to get up and inspect it – yes it was a deep hole when you got up there!!

The walk through the bush was easy and we reached the Hippos Yawn – another tafone which looked like a huge hippo with its mouth open – a human in the mouth gave perspective as to how large it was…

deep in the hippo’s mouth was a small cave that exited up the top – sunlight could be seen up through it  – and it was obvious just how small the rocky base of the hippo “jaw” actually was…

nearby was “Bum Rock” or was that “Bumfloss Rock” (as Gordie would say)???

We walked back to the café near the caravan park – passing some salt pans on the way – the salinity of the lakes and clay pans in the area has killed some of the shrubs growing in and around them….

A big rig was parked in the visitor carpark… some people have all the toys!!!

After coffee and lunch, Trev was keen to go out to Magic Lake and the “thermal salt pool” that an old mate at Kalgoorlie had told him was great for a swim… we drove out and found the lake and pool – part of “Wave Rock Resort” which looked deserted, and half developed….

The pool itself was not fully completed but it was able to be swum in – however the “old mate’s” definition of thermal was incorrect – it was not a thermal pool – the water was quite cold. There was a sandbar in the middle of the natural pool and you could imagine on a warm sunny day that the water there would feel warm…. There was no appeal today and so no one went in…

We drove into the little town of Hyden to get fuel, and stopped at the bakery for afternoon tea 😊…

That afternoon Trev, Dave, Rose and I walked up the rock to watch the sunset.. the colours on Wave Rock were different again…

Sunset from Hyden Rock was lovely looking across the countryside and lakes….