Mulka's Cave, Hippo's Yawn and Lake Magic

What is there to see near Wave Rock?

Hippo's Yawn, The Humps and Mulka's Cave, Lake Magic, the salt pool, the Wave Rock Wildlife Park and three small museums in and near Hyden.

Everything here is a short drive or walk from the rock. The table shows the costs as published by the Shire of Kondinin and Wave Rock Management. Fees can change.

What is Hippo's Yawn?

A granite tor near Wave Rock that looks like a hippo with its mouth wide open. It is about 1 km from the rock and covered by the entry fee.

The Shire of Kondinin says it was once part of the larger outcrop and is the second most visited site in Hyden. The loop track links Wave Rock, Hippo's Yawn and the car park, and you can also drive there. Step inside the mouth for the photo everyone takes: looking out through the curve to the bush.

Every Wave Rock day tour stops here, including the fly-in tour, which pairs it with Wave Rock on its morning ground tour.

What is at Mulka's Cave and The Humps?

A granite outcrop with two short trails, and at its foot a cave with hand stencils and ochre paintings, one of the rare rock art sites in the south-west.

The Humps is about 15 minutes' drive north of Wave Rock. Wave Rock Management describes two trails: the Gnamma Trail (1,220 m), with ten panels by local Noongar elders and artists, two gnamma rock holes and a lizard trap, and the Kalari Trail (1,670 m), a steady climb to the summit with views over the farmland. There are toilets and bins in the car park.

Mulka's Cave holds hundreds of hand stencils and ochre paintings. It is protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, is a Protected Area, and is listed on the Register of the National Estate. Finds on the cave floor near old campfires have been dated to about 400 years ago. Visit as you would any sacred place: look, take your time, and don't touch the walls.

The coach day ends at Mulka's Cave, where the guide tells the legend of Mulka, after Wave Rock, Hippo's Yawn and lunch. Entry fees included.

★ 4.6 · 12.5 hours · from $188

Explore the Wave Rock coach day tour → Tour details

What is the legend of Mulka?

It is a Noongar story about Mulka, a man of great height with crossed eyes who could not hunt and came to be feared.

The cave takes its name from this story. In the version shared locally, Mulka's crossed eyes kept him from hunting, and he grew into a figure people feared. It is told as a warning and carries meaning for Noongar people, so it is best heard in full from someone who knows it.

Both road day tours include it. The coach tour's listing says you learn about the legend at the cave, and the private tour spends about 20 minutes at Mulka's Cave. The private listing describes more than 425 rock paintings, which it estimates at 2,000 to 3,000 years old.

What is Lake Magic?

A salt lake about 1.5 km north of Wave Rock, with clear water over a gypsum bed that shifts colour at sunrise and sunset.

The Shire of Kondinin describes clear but salty water, a gypsum base and a beach-sand shore, and says the water can turn from green to pink. Go at sunrise if you are staying over; it is the best hour of the day here. The Wave Rock Resort's villas sit on the edge of the lake.

Park on firm ground and don't drive onto the lake edge. Wave Rock Management warns that vehicles get bogged, and recovery costs around $500.

Can you swim at Wave Rock?

Yes, in the salt pool next to Lake Magic: a man-made gypsum pond about 20 m across and 6 m deep, A$10 for adults and A$5 for children.

Wave Rock Management calls it the Wave Rock Salt Baths. It was built by Denis Collins, and the operator says its buoyancy is greater than the Dead Sea's. Tickets are sold at the Wave Rock kiosk. Bring swimmers and a towel, and rinse off afterwards.

The caravan park and the hotel in Hyden both have their own swimming pools for guests.

What animals can you see near Wave Rock?

At the Wave Rock Wildlife Park: kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats and possums, plus camels, alpacas and birds, open 9am to 5pm daily.

The park covers three hectares of bushland and you enter through the Wildflower Shoppe. Entry is A$15 for adults and A$7.50 for children. The Gold Pass at A$20 adds the Lace Place, the Toy Soldier Museum and Pioneer Town. Around the rock itself, look for native birds and, in spring, orchids under the sheoaks.

The Lace Place holds lace from as far back as the 1600s, including an offcut from Princess Diana's wedding veil, per the Shire. The Miniature Soldier Museum shows about 10,000 figures, and Pioneer Town at the kiosk covers life from the 1870s to the 1930s. On the coach day you choose one of the park, the lace or the soldiers after lunch, and on the scenic flight there is time for the park or the Toy Museum before the flight home.

Where can you stay near Wave Rock?

The Wave Rock Hotel in Hyden, the Wave Rock Resort villas on Lake Magic, the Wave Rock Caravan Park at the base of the rock, or camping.

• Wave Rock Hotel, 2 Lynch Street, Hyden: rooms with air-conditioning or an open fire, a guest lounge and a pool.
• Wave Rock Resort: 14 self-contained villas on the edge of Lake Magic, next to the salt pool.
• Wave Rock Caravan Park, 1 Wave Rock Road: powered and unpowered sites and three air-conditioned cabins, with a pool, barbecues and a shop. Pets are allowed on sites.
• Camping and backpackers: unpowered camping near the rock and a backpackers option, both listed by Wave Rock Management.

One night is enough to see everything on this page. For the drive and the stops on the way, see our Perth to Wave Rock driving guide.

Frequently asked questions