Stirling National Park - Wave Rock

Bluff Knoll Stirling National Park

The Stirling Ranges and National Park was another short drive north from Esperance. We stopped in a campground called Moingup Spring which is another park administered by the state's DEC. No power but at $10.00 per night with free gas BBQ, good amenities and nice peaceful environment - hard to beat that! The camp host was a very helpful older gentleman who insisted on taking me into the bush to see some wild orchids he had found. A picture of one of them is below. I think it's called a spider orchid.

Wild Orchid in Stirling Ranges

The rugged peaks of the Stirling Range rise from the lowlands much of which has been cleared for agriculture. The range stretches east to west for about 65 Km and is characterised by stark cliff faces, great views and coloured flowering plants. These plants are in bloom year round and we were fortunate to see and photograph some of them at Bluff Knoll lookout. The photo below was taken in poor light but the effect of the mountain silhouette against the colourful bushes in the foreground was spectacular

Stirling Ranges

Bluff Knoll is 1,099 metres above sea level and is one of only a few places to experience regular snowfalls in Western Australia, with some snow reported in most years. The last heavy snowfall was in  1992 when 20 cm of snow was recorded. The mountain is often shrouded in a mist which curls around the peaks and floats into the gullies. 

Bluff Knoll from Carpark

There is a track to climb the peak which is 3.7 Km each way from the carpark. It's a level 4 track and would take about 3 hours to climb and return. As we were running a bit short on time, I walked along the track for about 35 minutes to get and appreciation of the area. The photo above was taken from the track about 1 Km from the carpark.

Wildflowers at Bluff Knoll

The view from the summit encompasses the Stirling and Porongorup mountain ranges, as well as the coast near Albany. The WA tourist literature lists the walk to the summit among Australia's 25 best hikes and with views like this it's easy to see why. The authorities have regognised the popularity of this place and have constructed a great facility at the carpark comprising covered viewing platforms, amenities, walkways and information boards. They really do look after the tourists over here.

Pink Salt Lake near Lake Grace

From the national park we drove up to Lake Grace which is a small town of about 1400 people. not much here but  convenient place to stop before driving on to Hyden and Wave Rock. We `stayed in the local van park and were the only guests - that's how busy they were. One of the unique things about the Lake Grace area (called wave area) is that everyone waves to you. Not just passing motorists but people on the street, in their yards, everyone. They seemed to be a happy bunch.


Around this area there are a lot of salt water lakes. They are formed by salty water coming up out of the ground and settling in these lakes. Lake Grace is named after a large one of these lakes near the town. Some of the lakes have a distinctive pink colour caused (somehow) by the salty water or algae growing there. Its hard to see from the photo above but the appearance is a vivid pink.

Diane at Wave Rock near Hyden

On to the town of Hyden which is home to the famous Wave Rock. Hyden is a small town of about 250  people located 340Km east of Perth. Without doubt the town exists on the popularity of the Wave Rock and surrounding attractions. They get conservatively 140,000 visitors each year. It is the colour and shape of the rock and the colours of the wildflowers that attract the visitors. The rock and surrounding park and walking tracks are about 4 Km out of the town.

Wave Rock

The rock itself is a granite formation reaching 15m high and thought to be over 2,700 million years old. The wave rock is about 110m long on the northern side of a granite outcrop called Hyden Rock. It really does look like an enormous wave ready to break. It's colour of rusty red streaks and ochre and sandy grey make it truly spectacular. It also has a particular resonating effect where you can hear people talking from one end to the other, some 100 metres away.

Wave Rock Dam

The authorities have constructed a water catchment barrier along the top of the rock to catch rain water falling on to the main body of the rock area. This water is directed into a dam and is used as the main supply for the tourist park area and also for Hyden township. This is a great idea but it does take away from the appearance of the wave rock itself.

Wave Rock from Above

The wave rock formation has been caused by weathering and water erosion which has undercut the base and left a rounded overhang. Water from the local springs running down the rock during the wetter months deposits minerals onto the rocks surface adding to the unique colour pattern of the rock. In 1960, crystals from Hyden Rock were dated as being 2,700 million years old, amongst the oldest in Australia.

Peter at Hippo's Yawn

There are a couple of nice walks around the Wave Rock precinct, a short one of 3 Km out to Hippos Yawn and a longer one of about 7 Km. Both are flat and easy walking. Due to time constraints (we had to travel on to Ravensthorpe that afternoon) we decided to do the short walk. This walk took us along a pleasant path with the base of the rock formations on one side and native flora on the other. The walk ended at the place called Hippos Yawn and you can see why by the photo above. There are other unusual rock formations in the area such as the Humps, the Breakers, the Falls and the Mulka's Cave.
Also near Hyden is the State Barrier Fence. This was previously known as the Rabbit Proof  Fence and was constructed in 1907 in a bid to hold back the invading rabbits which were spreading across Australia from the east. It used 8,000 tonnes of materials but unfortunately it was a bit of a failure and didn't keep out all of those rascal  rabbits.
We thought the diversion up to Wave Rock was definitely worth it, although some of the local people thought otherwise. We headed back to the coast and towards Esperance where they say they have the best beaches in Australia. (Big Call!)