Wave Rock, Wildflowers, York & Aboriginal Culture with Lunch

Take a day tour from Perth to see the astounding gelogical rock formations of Wave Rock and The Hippos Yawn, along with Aboriginal art sites The Humps and Mulka's Cave. Learn about Gnamma Holes, visit an unusual Dog Cemetary and see profusions of Wildflowers in season (September to November) .

Departing from Perth's Crown Hotels & Casino Complex or a selection of Perth City hotels by 8am, you will journey eastward through the Darling Ranges, before stopping in historic York for morning tea (own expense). The first inland township of Western Australia, situated in the Avon Valley, York offers a delightful insight into the days of early European settlement, with many of the Victorian and Federation buildings well preserved and still in use today.

Travelling further east through the wheat belt region, you will make a stop at the Dog Cemetery in Corrigin. A tribute to the working dogs of the area, this stop makes for some interesting discovery and reading to the touching messages and elaborate headstone for 'man's best friend'. Continue on to the town of Hyden, the home of Wave Rock and the Hippos Yawn.

You'll first visit the Hippo's Yawn, a 13-metre rock formation so named for the gaping cavity that looks just like a yawning hippopotamus. We then take a break for a delicious Aussie country-style lunch at the Wildflower Shop.

Next on the agenda is the much anticipated visit to Wave Rock, a flared granite slope, 15 metres high and 110 metres long, with the appearance of a giant breaking wave. Considered to be at least 2,700 million years old, this site is of significant cultural importance to the local Aboriginal people and features in their Dreamtime stories. Your Guide will explain some of the history and cultural aspects of Wave Rock to you. Whilst in the area, if time permits, you'll also have the opportunity to visit a small Wildlife Park, or view an Antique Lace Collection (entry fees at own expense).

Leaving Wave Rock, you will head off to visit The Humps and Mulka's Cave, both nearby rock formations and show examples of Aboriginal Art. Your guide will talk about the cave paintings at Mulka's Cave that describes the legend of Mulka the Terrible, an Aboriginal outcast. Interpretive signage in the area also utilises drawings by the Aboriginal elders of the region to tell the stories of the area. You'll also see and learn about Gnamma Holes, rock holes used for centuries by the local people as a reliable source of water.

A stunning array of wildflowers carpet the back roads of the wheat belt (September to November). The unique and very rare Western Underground Orchid grows in the area and will make a wonderful photo opportunity if you see one. Roadside stops will be made to view and photograph wildflower blooms in season from September to November.

As the afternoon begins to lengthen, you will return to Perth via a different route, stopping in a quaint country town for Afternoon Tea (own expense) and some country hospitality. After waving goodbye to the townsfolk, you will return to Perth's city lights through the stunning Darling Ranges, returning to your original pick-up point at around 8:30pm.