| ABORIGINAL SITES - Western Australia |
Mulka's Cave, Hyden, WA
Bates Cave, also known by its Aboriginal name of Mulka's Cave, contains Aboriginal rock engraving dating some 30,000 years old. The engravings give an insight into how different the landscape was back then, with depiction of a sailfish and revealing tales of catching fish. The cave is also the site of a rather morbid and fascinating Dreamtime story of Mulka the Terrible who lived in the cave. The site was declared as taboo for local Aboriginals due to the terrifying nature of events that occurred in the cave.
 According to Aboriginal Legend, Mulka was the illegal son of a woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden. 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, Mulka turned to catching and eating human children, and he became a terror of the district. It is said he lived in Mulka's cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much higher than that of an ordinary man.
When his mother scolded him for his anti-social behaviour, Mulka turned on her and killed her. This disgraced him even more and he fled south. All the people of the district set out to track him down, finally catching him near Dumbleyung and spearing him. Because he did not deserve a proper burial ritual, they left his body to the ants, a grim warning to those who break the law.
Mulka's Cave is near Hyden, an agricultural township located in Western Australia's Central South region. The town derived its name from Hyde's Rock (Wave Rock). As the story goes, there was a sandalwood cutter living near Hippo's Yawn whose name was Hyde. The rock was named Hyde's Rock after him, but when the Lands Department printed it out, it became Hyden Rock.
 Right: Hippo's Yawn
Wave Rock is the town's main claim to fame. This incredible granite cliff reaches 15 metres in height and is formed in the shape of a wave frozen at the point of breaking. The 'wave' formation has been created over 2700 million years by the weathering of the rock face. The colours streaking the rock, simulating the rolling motion of the sea, are the result of dissolved minerals seeping through the granite. The Humps (a rock formation resembling camel humps), near the town of Hyden, is 20 kilometres from Wave Rock, which is another of the four granite outcrops in the region. Many stone tools used by the Aborigines have been found and painted hand prints can still be seen on rocks at The Humps. Also in the area are The Gnamma Hole (Aboriginal water reservoirs), just north of Mulka's Cave. Hippo's Yawn is an unusual natural rock formation shaped like a yawning hippopotamus. It is regarded by the local Aboriginal people as a special women's place. King Rocks, to the north-east of Hyden, are an outcrop of granite rocks that provide good views of the surrounding area.
The Gnamma Hole
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