Wave Rock
Western Australia, Australia · 32°26′37″S 118°53′51″E
A 15 m granite wave frozen mid-break in the Western Australian wheatbelt, streaked in rust and grey, on the flank of a rock older than most continents.
Wave Rock is the northern face of Hyden Rock, a granite inselberg some 2.7 billion years old. The overhang formed by chemical weathering below the soil line, which rounds the base of the rock while the surface above stays hard; erosion then stripped the soil away and left the curl. The colour bands are algae and mineral run-off. The whole outcrop is 100 m long; a walk over the top passes a 1920s wall built to divert water into a reservoir.
The Humps and Mulka's Cave, with Aboriginal hand stencils, are 18 km north.
Why it stays quiet
It is half a day from Perth, so coach day-trips arrive mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon. Camp or stay in Hyden and you have it at dawn.
Where it is
Before you go
Small vehicle fee at the car park. Spring wildflowers (August to October) are a reason in themselves. Summer is very hot.
Updated 2026-09-06 · Suggest a correction
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