Wave Rock

About this place

Wave Rock is a natural rock formation shaped like a tall ocean wave about to break, in Western Australia, about 3 km east of the small town of Hyden and 296 km east-southeast of Perth. The Noongar people call it Katter Kich. The «wave» is about 15 metres high and around 110 metres long, and forms the north side of a solitary granite hill called Hyden Rock. Both lie in a 160-hectare nature reserve, and more than 100,000 visitors come every year. A wall built above the wave in 1928 collects rainwater into a storage dam, and some locals believe it has helped change the rock's colour over time. The smooth face of the rock curves like a frozen wave, streaked with vertical bands of orange, red, grey and black, with green shrubs shading its base. From the top of Hyden Rock the view opens over the plains and low woodland to the horizon. Visitors walk along the base of the wave and take photos beneath it, then climb a short trail to the top of the rock. Avoid the middle of the day in summer because of the heat.