Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DRYANDRA TO HYDEN
A beautiful forest, rare marsupials, stunning ancient granite-rock formations, salt lakes, in-
teresting back roads and the unique Wave Rock are the scattered highlights of this wide-
spread farming region.
WORTH A TRIP
DRYANDRA WOODLAND
This superb, isolated remnant of eucalypt forest 164km southeast of Perth, with its thickets of white-barked wan-
doo, powderbark and rock she-oak, and small populations of threatened numbats, woylies and tammar wallabies,
hints at what the wheat belt was like before large-scale land clearing and feral predators wreaked havoc on the local
ecosystems. It also makes a great weekend getaway, and there are numerous walking trails.
The excellent
Barna Mia Animal Sanctuary
, home to endangered bilbies, boodies, woylies and marl, conducts
90-minute after-dark torchlight tours, providing a rare opportunity to see these cute furry creatures up close. Book
through
DEC
( weekdays 08-9881 9200, weekends 08-9881 2064;
www.dec.wa.gov.au
;
Hough St, Narrogin;
adult/child/family $14/7.50/37.50;
9am-4pm) for post-sunset tours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday; book early for peak periods.
While you can hoist your tent at the pleasant
Congelin Camp Ground
( 08-9881 9200; per person $10) ,
Dryandra is one place you should splurge a little. The
Lions Dryandra Village
( 08-9884 5231;
www.dryandravillage.org.au
; adult/child $30/15, 2-/4-/8-12-person cabins $70/90/130) is a 1920s forestry camp in
the heart of the forest, offering fully self-contained, renovated woodcutters' cabins complete with fridge, stove,
fireplace, en suite and nearby grazing wallabies.
Narrogin
(
www.dryandratourism.org.au
) , serviced by Transwa
buses, is 22km southeast.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Hyden & Wave Rock
Large granite outcrops dot the area known as the Central and Southern Wheatbelts, and the
most famous is the perfectly shaped, multicoloured cresting swell of
Wave Rock
. Formed
some 60 million years ago by weathering and water erosion, Wave Rock is streaked with
colours created by run-off from local mineral springs.
To get the most out of Wave Rock, 350km from Perth, grab the brochure
Walk Trails at
Wave Rock and The Humps
from the
visitor centre
( 08-9880 5182;
www.waverock.com.au
;
Wave
Rock; 9am-5pm)
. Park at Hippos Yawn (no fee) and follow the shady track back along the
rock base to Wave Rock (1km).
