Full day
Day tour from Perth
Coach with a guide
- Length12.5 hours
- GuideEnglish
- PickupIncluded
Spot your stop
Where is Wave Rock located, and how far is it?
Check out 20 stops
Wave Rock and the Wheatbelt, pin by pin
Pick a route, then tap a marker or a stop for notes and a Google Maps link.
The Shire of Kondinin counts 334 km by road from Perth to Hyden.
Google MapsBy the Shire's table, Albany to Hyden is 339 km.
Google MapsEsperance to Hyden is 382 km, and a signed self-drive links the coast with the rock.
Google MapsBy the Shire's table, Kalgoorlie to Hyden is 488 km.
Google MapsThe Granite Woodlands Discovery Trail joins Hyden to Norseman, with 16 designated stops.
Google MapsThe 4WD-only Holland Track runs about 350km between Hyden and Coolgardie.
Google MapsThe Shire puts the rock 5km east of Hyden, and from the car park the wave is a 100m stroll.
Google Maps
Hyden is home to roughly 437 people and lies 340km east of Perth by the Brookton Highway.
Google MapsThe Shire puts the rock 5km east of Hyden, and from the car park the wave is a 100m stroll.
Google MapsA granite tor that once belonged to the main outcrop, on a loop track of approx 1 km from the car park.
Google MapsA clear, salty lake on a gypsum bed, one km north of Wave Rock by Wave Rock Management's figure.
Google MapsFlights from Jandakot take one hour, then it is a five-minute drive into Hyden.
Google Maps
Hyden is home to roughly 437 people and lies 340km east of Perth by the Brookton Highway.
Google MapsThe Shire puts the rock 5km east of Hyden, and from the car park the wave is a 100m stroll.
Google MapsA granite outcrop approximately 16 km north of Wave Rock; the Kalari Trail climbs to its summit over 1,670 metres.
Google MapsHand prints make up 69% of the 452 motifs recorded on the cave walls.
Google Maps
The Shire of Kondinin counts 334 km by road from Perth to Hyden.
Google MapsThe oldest inland town in Western Australia, about 97 kilometres by road east of Perth.
Google MapsA heritage Wheatbelt town on the banks of the Avon River.
Google MapsThe southern way out of Perth follows the Albany Highway through Brookton, about 3 1/4 hours to Hyden.
Google MapsCalled a Town of Windmills: nearly every house had one until 1960, when scheme water came.
Google MapsBegun in 1974 when Paddy Wright buried his dog Strike; over 200 dogs now rest here.
Google MapsA town of 354 people; Statue Lake sits 10km west on the Corrigin-Kondinin Road.
Google MapsReached 27km south of Kondinin, it is home of the Tin Horse Highway.
Google MapsHyden is home to roughly 437 people and lies 340km east of Perth by the Brookton Highway.
Google Maps
Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors
Wave Rock stands just outside Hyden, a small farming town in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, a long day's drive inland from Perth. This page pins it down: its setting, its distance from the cities around it and its granite neighbours.
Editorial team, waverocktour.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · ~8 min read
Main facts
- StateWestern Australia, in the wheat belt, 350 km south-east of Perth by the Australian Museum's figure.1
- Nearest townHyden, about 437 people; the Shire puts the rock 5km east of town.2,3
- From PerthThe Shire of Kondinin counts 334 km by road to Hyden.4
- By airOne hour from Jandakot to Wave Rock Airport.5
- Whose landNoongar country; the rock is also called Katter Kich.6
Which state Wave Rock is in, and which corner of it
Ask where is Wave Rock located and the short answer is Western Australia, which also settles which state is Wave Rock in before you have opened a map. The Australian Museum places it in the wheat belt region of the state, 350 km south-east of Perth.1 That is farming country rather than desert: paddocks of wheat and sheep, salt lakes and long straight roads between small towns, with granite outcrops rising out of the flat land here and there like islands.
The tourism region that markets the area is Australia's Golden Outback, and it treats the rock as one of its headline sights, describing a granite break 110 metres long.7 Tourism Western Australia files Wave Rock under the same outback region and gives the same 110 metres of length with a height of 15 metres.8 So when a guidebook says Golden Outback and another says Wheatbelt, they are describing the same patch of country from two angles.
The local council is the Shire of Kondinin. It collects the entry fee at the rock, which you pay at the entrance, at the meter or at the kiosk once you are inside the reserve.9 Under its 2026-2027 schedule an adult pays AUD 10 and a child AUD 5, while a car carrying no more than 2 people pays AUD 20.10 Flat vehicle rates survive on older pages, AUD 15 on the Shire's Hyden page and AUD 12 on the Wave Rock Management site, so check the machine on the day.11,9 Either way, the money goes to the Shire that looks after the reserve and its trails.
Distances side by side
Wave Rock and the places around it
| Place | Distance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hyden town | 5km east | Shire of Kondinin3 |
| Lake Magic | one km north | Wave Rock Management23 |
| Salt pool | 800m | Wave Rock Management24 |
| The Humps | 16 km north | Shire brochure25 |
| Mulka's Cave | 18 kilometres north | Golden Outback26 |
| Perth (to Hyden) | 334 km | Shire of Kondinin4 |
| Albany (to Hyden) | 339 km | Shire of Kondinin19 |
Distances as each official source gives them; road distances to Hyden are approximate by the Shire's own note.22
Hyden, the town at the foot of the wave
Hyden is the town everyone means when they say they are going to Wave Rock. The Shire counts roughly 437 residents and gives the distance from Perth as 340km, taking the Brookton Highway.2 Farming here began late by Australian standards: the earliest recorded farming was in 1922, wheat followed in 1927, and the railway from Lake Grace reached the town in 1932.14 Many of the families who farm the district today descend from those settlers.
So how far is Wave Rock from Hyden? By the Shire's reckoning the rock lies 5km east of town, with signs to follow right to the base car park.3 Wave Rock Management gives three km east of town, and Tourism Western Australia keeps it vague at a few kilometres.15,16 The difference is where you start counting in town, not where the rock is: from the main street it is a drive of a few minutes, and from the car park a walk of 100m to the wave itself.11
The town matters to a visitor for practical reasons. It has the shops, the fuel and the beds, and its mobile signal comes from Telstra alone, with no Optus coverage.17 More than 100,000 tourists pass through Hyden every year on their way to the rock and the granite outcrops nearby.18 On a busy day you will see coaches from Perth parked beside caravans and hire cars, all heading for the same short track to the wave.
How far Wave Rock is from Perth and the coast
Distances to Wave Rock vary a little by source, and it helps to know which number you are reading. The Shire of Kondinin's table gives 334 km from Perth to Hyden, and it adds that the distances are approximate.4,22 Wave Rock Management uses 340 kilometres for the rock itself, and the Australian Museum 350 km.29,1 All three describe the same journey; the spread comes from rounding and from where in Perth the measurement begins.
On time, the official answers sit just under half a day each way. The Wave Rock Management site quotes less than four hours by car, or one hour in the air to the Wave Rock Airport.30 Tourism Western Australia gives one hour from Jandakot by air, plus a five-minute drive into town.5 For the road itself, our Perth to Wave Rock road guide covers the routes, fuel stops and timing of the day in detail.
From the south coast, the Shire's table gives Albany to Hyden as 339 km, almost exactly the Perth figure.19 Anyone driving Albany to Wave Rock can therefore plan it like the Perth run, on country roads through farmland. Esperance is 382 km away by the same table, and a self-drive route links the two places for travellers heading on to the coast.20,27 Kalgoorlie, to the north-east, sits 488 km away on that table.21
Plan from where you are
Which way to Wave Rock fits your trip
Your starting point decides most of the plan, so start there.
If I am in Perth with no car
Take the day tour
The site tour runs 12.5 hours with pickup and a guide.
If I am in Perth and short on time
Fly out
One hour from Jandakot by air, then five minutes to town.5
If I am driving from Albany
Plan a long half day
The Shire gives 339 km from Albany to Hyden.19
If I am heading east to Esperance
Use the self-drive
A signed drive links Wave Rock and Esperance.27
If I am already in Hyden
Walk at sunset
A 2-hour walk with an Aboriginal guide starts at the car park.
Ways to reach it
Getting to Wave Rock without driving yourself
Half day
Flight and ground tour
Private group
- Length5 hours
- Flies fromJandakot
- ThenGuide to the rock
2 hours
Sunset walk in Hyden
Aboriginal guide
- StartsWave Rock Car Park
- Length2 hours
- StoriesKatter Kich
Reading a map of Wave Rock and its neighbours
A map of Wave Rock makes more sense once you know that the wave is only part of a bigger rock. In the Australian Museum's words, the wave is simply the north-facing side of a big granite remnant known as Hyden Rock.28 The Shire's trail brochure makes the same point: Wave Rock is the best-known feature, but the whole outcrop is Hyden Rock.51 On a satellite view, look for a pale dome of granite east of town, with the wave along its north edge.
Several of the area's sights sit within walking distance. Hippo's Yawn, a granite tor that has split away from the main dome, connects to the wave and the car park on a looping path of approx 1 km.31,32 Lake Magic lies one km north of Wave Rock by Wave Rock Management's figure; the Shire gives about 1.5km.23,52 The salt pool sits 800m away from the curve.24 Each of these spots has its own numbered pin on the map above.
Further out, the Humps rise from the bush north of the rock. The Shire's brochure gives approximately 16 km, and Australia's Golden Outback places Mulka's Cave 18 kilometres north, reached from Lovering Road.25,26 Wave Rock Management calls it a 15 minute drive.53 The Shire's brochure rates the cave's paintings highly among Aboriginal rock art in Western Australia, and the Mulka's Cave guide on this site covers the art, the legend and how to visit it with respect.
From the city to the rock
How the land changes on the way east
Perth
Climb the Darling Range
The Great Eastern Highway climbs Greenmount Hill in the Darling Range.12
Plateau edge
Grey jarrah
Grey jarrah trees line the edge of the plateau.13
Inland
York gums
Further in, the York gums take over.13
Near Corrigin
Salmon gums and mallee
Shiny salmon gums and stumpy mallee appear.13
Near Hyden
Sandplain heath
Low sandplain heath rolls out around Hyden.13
Wave Rock
The car park
A 100m walk from the car park to the wave.11
Whose country Wave Rock stands on
Before it was a tourist stop, the rock was a gathering place. The regional tourism body, Australia's Golden Outback, gives the dual name Wave Rock / Katter Kich and records strong cultural connections for the Noongar people, who used the rock as a meeting place.6 The Shire's brochure puts the Noongar presence in the district at tens of thousands of years.54 That deep history is why the name Katter Kich belongs in any answer about where Wave Rock is.
Signs of that long presence are close by. Painted hands survive on the granite of the Humps, and Wave Rock Management points to evidence of Aboriginal people living in the district.55 On the Humps, the Gnamma Trail explains the country on ten panels made with local Noongar elders and artists.56 Walking it is a good way to understand the landscape as somewhere people lived and drew water, not only as scenery.
The day tour this site books reflects that. It is a 12.5-hour day from Perth whose record names York, Corrigin, Kondinin, Hippo's Yawn, Wave Rock and Mulka's Cave, and it shares Mulka's legend at the cave itself. For travellers already in Hyden, a separate 2-hour evening walk with a local Aboriginal guide sets off from the Wave Rock Car Park and shares Dreaming stories of Katter Kich.
Video
Hyden and Wave Rock in the Wheatbelt
Western Australia Now and Then on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.
It is a curved granite cliff face, actually the northern face of a large granite erosional remnant called Hyden Rock
Before you head out
Finding Wave Rock without a hitch
Before you leave3
Roads, trails and tracks that lead to the rock
Wave Rock sits at a junction of several touring routes, which is part of why it is easy to find. The Pathways to Wave Rock drive covers 760km of Wheatbelt towns, with the rock as its goal.57 The Granite Woodlands Discovery Trail heads the other way, linking Hyden and Wave Rock to Norseman with 16 designated stopping places.45 Either trail turns the long road into a string of shorter stops.
For four-wheel drivers, the Holland Track is the rough alternative: about 350km long, accessible by 4WD only, connecting Hyden with the old gold town of Coolgardie.46 It is a serious undertaking, and anyone attempting it should carry spare fuel, water, food and parts. It is not a way to reach Wave Rock on a short visit, but it shows how far east the rock sits on the map: right at the edge where farmland gives way to woodland.
Whichever way you arrive, check for closures first. Australia's Golden Outback asks travellers to look at Emergency WA and the parks alerts for road and park closures before setting out.47 Bushfires and heavy rain can shut roads in this part of the state. Country highways here allow 110 km per hour, and kangaroos and emus move about at dusk and dawn, which is a good reason to drive in daylight.58,59
Finding your way once you are there
Signs from Hyden lead straight to the car park at the base of the rock.3 You will find toilets, bins and designated accessibility parking by the entrance.60,50 Buy the entry ticket from the machine at the base or from the kiosk; by the Shire's account it also admits you to Hippo's Yawn, and Wave Rock Management adds Mulka's Cave.48,61 Keep the ticket on the dashboard for the drive out to the Humps.
Pick up a trail map before you start walking. The Shire of Kondinin office and the kiosk by the rock both hand them out, and they show the tracks around the outcrop.49 The shortest walk, the Wave Rock Walk, hugs the base of the curve from the car park: 325 metres each way, flat and easy.62 Longer loops climb onto the granite or swing out to Hippo's Yawn, and the walks guide on this site compares them.
For a phone-free plan, remember the signal. Hyden has Telstra coverage only, so save offline maps of the area before you lose reception.17 The Wave Rock Visitors Centre is at the Wildflower Shoppe, which is also where the café and the wildlife park entrance are.63,64 Ask there about road conditions out to the Humps, and about the lake and the salt pool, before you set off, and buy water for the walks while you are at it.
FAQ
Quick answers to quick questions.
Which state is Wave Rock in?
Western Australia.
It is in the wheat belt region of the state, 350 km south-east of Perth by the Australian Museum's figure.1
What town is Wave Rock near?
Hyden.
Hyden, home to roughly 437 people, 340km east of Perth by the Shire's Hyden page.2
How far is the rock from Hyden town?
How far is Wave Rock from Perth?
Can you fly to Wave Rock?
Yes, to the airstrip.
Tourism Western Australia gives one hour from Jandakot plus a five-minute drive into town.5
What is the Aboriginal name of Wave Rock?
Katter Kich.
The regional tourism body uses the dual name Wave Rock / Katter Kich for this Noongar gathering place.6
Is Wave Rock part of a bigger rock?
Yes, Hyden Rock.
The wave is the north edge of the much bigger Hyden Rock.28
Sources
- Australian Museum · Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · How to Get Here ↩
- Tourism Western Australia · Wave Rock ↩
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Wave Rock ↩
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Wave Rock ↩
- Tourism Western Australia · Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Fees and Charges 2026-2027 (PDF) ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Tourism Western Australia · Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Travel Advice Western Australia ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · How to Get Here ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · How to Get Here ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · How to Get Here ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · How to Get Here ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Lake Magic ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock Salt Baths ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Walk trails at Wave Rock and The Humps (brochure, front and back, PDF) ↩
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Mulka's Cave ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Self Drive Trails ↩
- Australian Museum · Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Lake Magic
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Explore the Humps and Mulka's Cave
- Shire of Kondinin · Walk trails at Wave Rock and The Humps (brochure, front and back, PDF)
- Shire of York · History
- Wheatbelt Tourism (Shire of Merredin) · Pathways to Wave Rock
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Corrigin
- Shire of Corrigin · Dog Cemetery
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Corrigin Dog Cemetery
- Shire of Kondinin · Visiting Kondinin
- Shire of Kondinin · Visiting Kondinin
- Wheatbelt Tourism (Shire of Merredin) · Pathways to Wave Rock
- Shire of Kondinin · Self Drive Trails ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Holland Track ↩
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Walk trails around Hyden Rock (brochure, inside pages, PDF) ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Hyden - Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Explore the Humps and Mulka's Cave ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Walk trails at Wave Rock and The Humps (brochure, front and back, PDF) ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Indigenous Tours ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Explore the Humps and Mulka's Cave ↩
- Australia's Golden Outback (regional tourism organisation) · Corrigin ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Getting to Wave Rock ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Wave Rock and Hippos Yawn ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Explore the Humps and Mulka's Cave ↩
- Shire of Kondinin · Walk trails around Hyden Rock (brochure, inside pages, PDF) ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · Travel Advice Western Australia ↩
- Wave Rock Management (waverock.com.au) · The Wildlife Park ↩