February 11, 2024
Sunday here was forecast for a 43-degree or more day so we set out at about 7.30am to drive to these two landmarks to the North East of Hyden. Around 20lkm gets you to The Humps and Mulka’s Cave with a pair of connected walking trails up and over the Rock and around the Gnamma holes at the base.
“The name Mulka comes from an Aboriginal legend associated with the cave. Mulka was the illegal son of woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden according to their law.
It is believed that a result of breaking these rules, she bore a son with crossed eyes. Even though he grew to be an outstandingly strong man of colossal height, his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter.
Out of frustration it is said Mulka turned to catching and eating human children and he became the terror of the district. He lived in Mulka’s Cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much larger and higher than that of an ordinary man.“
The interpretation of this story is to teach young children to not stray from their camp in fear of being taken; not far removed from the “Bogey Man” of white society.
The combined walk:
King Rocks:
From The Humps another drive of under 20km takes us to King Rocks, access is via a closed, but not locked, gate at the end of King Rocks Road. A surprise was to find a rather large and deep water reservoir above the carpark with a water pipe running down to a neighbouring property; there is also a circular dam nearby all of which is part of the local water supply.
We climbed past the dam to the true summit, with its’ survey marker:
..and the 360 degree views from the top:
.., and around in a loop past an interesting overhang with some fallen sections.
