Wave Rock
Wave Rock looks like an actual wave! Its shaped this way by heaps of weathering and erosion from the rain, wind and sun. It is one of the oldest rocks in the world. There are Wave Rock walks you can take or you can just take your own walk and you can stay in Wave Rock Hotel so your just minutes away!
1. Where is Wave Rock and what does it look like?
Wave rock is in Hyden, which is 3 40km east of Perth, Western Australia. Wave rock is a giant surf wave of multi-coloured granite about to crash onto the bush below. It is 14 meters high, and 110m long, the face of Wave Rock appears ready to crash onto a pre-historic surf, now frozen. It is believed to have formed 2700 million years ago.
2. what rocks or rock type/s is Wave rock made of?
Wave rock is made of granite inselberg and coarse-grained porphyritic granite which has been weathered over millions of years by wind and rainwater. The colours of the Wave are caused by the rain washing chemical deposits.
3. How do scientists believe that it formed?
The shape of wave rock was formed by gradual weathering and water erosion of the softer rock beneath the upper edge, over many centuries. The distinctive shape has been caused by erosion of the softer rock, which has undercut the base and left an overhang.
4. How do indigenous Australians believe that Wave Rock was made?
There are many Aboriginal paintings on wave rock and one of them tells a story about what the aboriginals thought the rock was not so much how it was formed.
Mulka was the illegal son of a woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden according to their law. It was believed that as a result of breaking these rules she bore a son with crossed eyes. Even though he grew to be an outstandingly strong man of colossal height, his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter.
Out of frustration it is said Mulka turned to catching and eating human children, and he became the terror of the district. He lived in Mulka's cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much larger and higher than that of an ordinary man. Apparently, his mother became increasingly concerned about him. When she scolded him for his anti-social behaviour he turned on his own mother and killed her. This disgraced him even further and he fled his cave, heading south. The Aboriginal people of the area, outraged by Mulka's behaviour, then tracked down this man who had flouted all the rules. They caught him near Dumbleyung, 156km south west of Hyden, where they speared him to death. Because he did not deserve a proper ritual burial, they left his body to the ants: a grim warning to those who break the law.
The Mulka cave was part of Wave Rock and from then on was left alone as they feared the terrible spirit of Mulka.
Mulka was the illegal son of a woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden according to their law. It was believed that as a result of breaking these rules she bore a son with crossed eyes. Even though he grew to be an outstandingly strong man of colossal height, his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter.
Out of frustration it is said Mulka turned to catching and eating human children, and he became the terror of the district. He lived in Mulka's cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much larger and higher than that of an ordinary man. Apparently, his mother became increasingly concerned about him. When she scolded him for his anti-social behaviour he turned on his own mother and killed her. This disgraced him even further and he fled his cave, heading south. The Aboriginal people of the area, outraged by Mulka's behaviour, then tracked down this man who had flouted all the rules. They caught him near Dumbleyung, 156km south west of Hyden, where they speared him to death. Because he did not deserve a proper ritual burial, they left his body to the ants: a grim warning to those who break the law.
The Mulka cave was part of Wave Rock and from then on was left alone as they feared the terrible spirit of Mulka.