Brookton to Karalee Rocks

6th October, 2010

We drove out of wheat, oats, barley and sheep country, past the dog cemetery at Corrogin and old homesteads to Hyden. The old tin replicas of past personalities of the town were incredible to look at, as was the experience of trying to surf Wave Rock. The water catchment area above the rock that led into a dam was massive and the granite retaining wall surrounding the area was a huge accomplishment for being built over a hundred years ago.

We visited Mulka's Cave, where a man with a few issues used to live, capture and eat small children because he was cross eyed, couldn't throw a spear straight and couldn't catch his own food.

We spent the night at Karalee Rocks, a great overnighter with a flushing toilet. This spot is part of the Golden Pipeline, a water pipe system that feeds water from Mundaring Dam in Perth to Kalgoorlie. A monumental engineering feat that brought water to the desert and made the settlement of the Goldfields possible.

The water catchment area that fills Karalee Dam, it looked like the surface of the moon.

Karalee Dam


Artwork in Mulka's Cave



Wave Rock

Catchment wall above Wave Rock

Pipe leading into Karalee Dam, forming part of the Golden Pipeline

Kids trying to surf the rock, but mainly using it as a slippery dip.

Tin Horse and sulky at Hyden