Australia here we come!

2/9/12

It was with regret that we left Lake Grace this morning. On the way out of the caravan park Mary-Anne got disorientated, as usual, and turned right instead of left. We followed her on her way back to Perth until the Lake Grace South Lookout. A quick call over the two-way halted her westerly course and we stopped at the lookout and adjoining cemetery for a few minutes and gazed out over the lake and walked around the gravestones. Then we did a 'U' turn and got back on course with Mary-Anne following! On the road to Wave Rock we had to stop a number of times to let small rough scaled lizards have right of way and to take photos of the canola fields.

We stopped at Hyden for lunch and the girls found their first wild flowers amongst metal sculptures setup in the park. Then we drove a short distance to the Wave Rock Caravan Park and set up camp.

We went for a walk to Wave Rock but missed it and found Hippo's Yawn instead. Hippos Yawn is a large piece of granite that has been weathered by wind and rain toform a cave like structure in the rock. It was very impressive but we wanted to see Wave Rock. We followed an unsigned walking track and, as luck would have it, we found Wave Rock and 15 stupid Japanese tourists. We waited for 10 minutes for the idiots to stop running up the wave so we could take some photos but they wouldn't stop. In the end I grabbed Mary-Anne's camera and walked through them onto the rock so they couldn't take any photos. I stood there for a minute and the penny dropped. They packed up their gear and walked off. We then took some photos in peace and quiet.

The wave effect on the rock was formed by water eroding the granite while the rock was underground. Over thousands of years the soil has been washed away to expose the wave. Mary-Anne and I took the short walk over the top of Wave Rock while Karen took the extended hiking track. The view from the top was quite spectacular. Because of the size of the granite outcrop and the amount of water that runs off it when it rains it is used as a large water catchment for the town of Hyden. A small wall has been built around the edge of the rock that channels water into a dam built between Wave Rock and its closest neighbouring rock. Very ingenious!

In the afternoon we went for a drive to the Humps and Mulka's Cave. The Humps is another giant granite outcrop which is supposed to hold aboriginal rock art. Thankfully, most of it has disappeared. Then we went back to the caravan park and the girls walked across the road to the kiosk and information centre.