Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located east of the small town of Hyden in Western Australia. It derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The colors of the Wave are caused by the rain washing chemical deposits down the face, forming vertical stripes of grays reds and yellows.
If you can stay a little longer, it is also worth seeing the Rock at different times of the day, as the changing sunlight alters its colors and appearance. In addition to being an impressive tourist attraction, the rock has been converted in to a catchment for the town’s water supplies, with a foot-high concrete wall around the upper edge of Hyden Rock directing rainfall into a storage dam. One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows rainwater to be collected in a storage dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks in the Wheatbelt.
