MULKA'S CELLAR

18 km north of Wave Rock, the humps are another rock formation best known for their Aboriginal cultural connections. In Aboriginal legend, Mulka's Cave was home to the cannibal Mulka, a giant who devoured children. The name Mulka comes from this Aboriginal legend associated with the cave. Mulka was the illegitimate son of a woman who was in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden under Aboriginal law. For breaking these laws, it is believed that the result of this union was a cross-eyed son. This handicap prevented him from becoming a good hunter, as he obviously couldn't aim his spear very well. He was, however, an extremely powerful man of colossal height. It is said that out of frustration, Mulka became the terror of the district, catching and eating children. He lived in Mulka's cave, where his handprints can still be seen, much larger and higher than those of an ordinary man. On the ceiling of the cave, 140 handprints are stenciled, both positive and negative.

Nearby, you can see the Gnamma Holes, proof of the Aborigines' genius in the art of survival. The Aborigines have enlarged a number of holes in the flat rock to collect rainwater. To keep the water clean, the holes were covered with sand. This acted as a filter, preventing mosquitoes and larvae from polluting the water. All you had to do was dig into the sand and the water would arrive filtered.