Starting from The Humps car park off Bates Road, Hyden, this walk takes you on a circuit via the Gnamma Trail. The Gnamma Trail has strong Noongar (Aboriginal) focus to its interpretation, with ten panels consisting of words and illustrations created by Noongar artists and elders to describe this landscape, its features and the birds, animals and plants that live in it. The terrain is flat with no steps or steep sections, suitable for wheelchair users who have someone to assist them. The trail passes through a range of local vegetation rich with springtime wildflowers and numerous birds, revealing fine examples of a gnamma and a lizard trap used by the land's original inhabitants in millennia past. Gnammas are waterholes in the rocks that were formed through weathering of faults in granite which Aboriginal people then enlarged by using fire. The importance of gnammas to the survival of Aboriginal people cannot be underestimated as they retain water long after rain, providing a vital source of fresh water in the blistering hot dry summers. Let us begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we travel today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.
Turn on to Merredin - Narambeen Road then drive for 9.5 km
Turn right onto Merredin - Narembeen Road and drive for another 58.7 km
Turn right onto Latham Road and drive for another 950 m
Turn left onto Mount Walker Road and drive for another 41.4 km
Turn right onto Hyden-Mount Walker Road and drive for another 32.3 km
Turn sharp left onto Camel Peaks Road East and drive for another 1.8 km
Turn right onto Burma Road and drive for another 6.8 km
Turn left onto Lovering Road and drive for another 6.2 km
Turn left onto Bates Road and drive for another 1.5 km
Turn sharp left and drive for another 600 m
Turn right and drive for another 35 m
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Track Notes
Turn by turn instructions & maps
Getting started Starting from the car park off Bates Road, head west along the dirt track as you follow the signage for Mulka’s Cave. After you’re done with the cave, keep left at the Y intersection to continue along Gnamma Trail (clockwise).....
Turn map
Directions & comments
Start.
There is a car park (about 45 m back from the start).
After 250 m find the "Mulka's Cave" (25 m on your left).
Mulka's Cave
Mulka's Cave
Mulka's Cave is an important Nyaki-Nyaki rock-art site, with over 450 recorded stencils and handprints. Mulka's Cave is very significant in local Noongar Aboriginal culture. The name Mulka comes from an Aboriginal story related to the cave, which is depicted on the storyboard at the cave entrance. Entering the cave involves just a short walk along a flat path, then up a gentle ramp to a platform. The entrance is only about a metre high, so you have to duck down as you go in. You may not be able to see the stencils clearly at the beginning, but as your eyes adjust to the light. Artists used to put their hands on the rocks, then blow some pigment over. After lifting their hands, a negative image would remain. Although there were heaps of reasons to create a hand stencil, they were commonly made to make a mark and announce territorial ownership.
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Mulka's Cave is an important Nyaki-Nyaki rock-art site, with over 450 recorded stencils and handprints. Mulka's Cave is very significant in local Noongar Aboriginal culture. The name Mulka comes from an Aboriginal story related to the cave, which is depicted on the storyboard at the cave entrance. Entering the cave involves just a short walk along a flat path, then up a gentle ramp to a platform. The entrance is only about a metre high, so you have to duck down as you go in. You may not be able to see the stencils clearly at the beginning, but as your eyes adjust to the light. Artists used to put their hands on the rocks, then blow some pigment over. After lifting their hands, a negative image would remain. Although there were heaps of reasons to create a hand stencil, they were commonly made to make a mark and announce territorial ownership.
After another 2.5 km come to the end.
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Terrain
Know the Hills, grading & facilities
Gnamma Trail
Grading
Class 3/6
Moderate track
Length
2.7 km
Time
30 min to 1 h
Quality of track
Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Gradient
Flat, no steps (1/6)
Signage
Clearly signposted (1/6)
Infrastructure
Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
Experience Required
No experience required (1/6)
Weather
Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
Bushwalk
30 min to 1 h
30 min to 1 h 15 min
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There is a car park (about 45 m back from the start).
