WAVE ROCK

3^rd April, 2012

With Easter fast approaching it was time to find somewhere to stay far away from the madding crowds.  Out came the maps and a general area was chosen and then we rang a couple of caravan parks to check on occupancy.  When we rang the Lake Yealering Caravan Park, a barmaid at the hotel answered and said come on over as the lake was in drought conditions and wasn’t suitable for swimming or boating, so there were virtually no people camping over the holidays.  We decided to go and stay for two nights and if it was OK then stay until the Wednesday after Easter.  We left Fremantle and drove east through the heavily wooded Darling Range and then past beef and sheep farms.  As we drove further east fields of harvested wheat were the order of the day.  Oh no we thought …. Grasshoppers!   We were more than pleased when we reached the town of Yealering that we had not been hammered with pesky grasshoppers.  Check in for the caravan park was at the hotel and 500 metres away next to the sports oval beside the receding lake was the caravan park.  With only one permanent resident we had the whole caravan park to ourselves.  We settled on a site with a slab (which is the first slab site we have had since leaving the Sunshine Coast) and hooked up to the power and water.  There was a small but clean amenities block, a free electric barbecue and a washing machine in the laundry that was free to use.  At $20 a night it was a bargain. Although we were right next to the main road and a railway crossing there was very little traffic on the road during the day and at night it was dead quiet.  The next morning we hopped into Mitzi and headed off on a day trip to Hyden which was 150 kms east.  We drove through wheat fields for most of the way and at Hyden continued east for about 3 kms until we arrived at the entrance to Wave Rock.  We then drove 1 km past the Wave Rock parking area to Hippo's Yawn.

Hippo's Yawn

This unusually shaped granite tor was formerly part of a larger outcrop and it is easy to see why it was named Hippo's Yawn.  We parked Mitzi and walked along the loop track towards Wave Rock.  We followed a granite cliff about 15 metres high that had interesting formations caused by weathering and water erosion.

The Teardrop at Wave Rock

We came around a bend and there in front of us was Wave Rock.

Wave Rock

Wave Rock has been undercut at the base by water and weathering which has left a rounded overhang.

OK Wok ... let's see you surf down that wave !!

Water running down the rock during wetter months has dissolved minerals and added to the colouring of the wave.

Nope ... not good enough !!  You will have to strike a better surf pose Wok  ...

Of course visiting this 2,700 million year old granite cliff would not be complete without striking a surfboard riders pose and Wok was more than happy to oblige.

Ahhh!  That's more like it  .....

We continued on our way on the loop track and then drove a further 18 kms to Mulka’s Cave where we had a picnic lunch before taking a walk along the track.  The name Mulka comes from an aboriginal legend about a woman who fell in love with a man to whom marriage was forbidden.  The lovers had a son and as a result of breaking the rules he was born with crossed eyes.  The boy called Mulka grew into an outstandingly large strong man but his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter.  Out of frustration Mulka turned to catching and eating children and became the terror of the district.  It was said he lived in Mulka’s Cave where his hand stencils can be seen high on the cave walls.

Wok checks out the hand stencils in Mulka's Cave

Mulka was eventually hunted down and killed but one wonders if the story was made up to scare the children into keeping close to the campsites.  What better way to keep them from wandering away than to make up a story about a cross eyed giant who captured and ate children!

Then it was back to Hyden for a look around.  We were intrigued by the sculptures in the Pioneer Park.

Loved the spring seat under the driver

There had been a lot of thought and humour put into these imaginative sculptures.

Hyden's First Power Station  ...  probably not too far from the truth

And a donation box had not been forgotten.

Very ingenuous use of old spark plugs

It was late afternoon when we arrived back at Lake Yealering but we had enjoyed our day’s outing.  We decided that the campground was a perfect place to hole up for Easter and checked in for a further seven days.  We were quite happy to pay the $20 per night site rate but Peter (the Hotel Proprietor) said No!  The weekly rate is $95 …!!!   That means we will be getting a powered slab site with water and sullage for under $14 per night.  It is more than a bargain.  It’s a miracle!