Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located east of the small town of Hyden in Western Australia that is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave.
Wave Rock has cultural significance to Aborigines. More than 140,000 tourists visit wave rock every year.
A retaining wall about halfway up the rock that follows the contours of the wall and allows rainwater to be collected in a storage dam was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department. Such walls are common on many similar rocks in the Wheatbelt.
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Wave Rock, more than 2.7 billion years old, is composed of granite and has been shaped by chemical weathering. The total outcrop covers several hectares and is part of the Hyden Rock erosional remnant. The "wave" part of the rock is about 14 m (47 ft) high and around 110 m (350 ft) long.[1] The 'wave' formation was formed 60 million years ago by subsurface chemical weathering followed by removal of the soft weathered granite by fluvial erosion, thus the weathering occurred below ground level before it was exposed. The end result is an undercut base, leaving a round overhang.[2]
Other notable rock formations in the area include Hippos Yawn and The Humps.
The site of Wave Rock was used as a backdrop for an episode of Japan's Next Top Model in 2008. It featured some comedic bloopers containing an inebriated Australian attempting to run up the course of the rock.
In the game show "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?", one of the episodes, featured the theft of Wave rock.
Wave Rock hosts the nearby Wave Rock Weekender event, a music festival held once a year. Last year the event was held from the 25-26 September 2010.