The
Hyden-
Norseman road is an excellent alternative to travelling the Great Eastern Highway if you wish to travel between
Norseman &
Perth because you'll get off the tar and away from the trucks. In fact you may not encounter any other traffic, making this a relaxing drive indeed. There is plenty to please the senses along this route - infact it is a tourist route all unto itself, being marketed as "
The Granite &
Woodlands Discovery Trail".
The route is mostly gravel, wide and easy travelling at close to highway speeds so generally it is suitable for all vehicles, including those towing caravans. Wet weather however can cause the road to be closed.
Travellers will find interpretive "sites" and stopping
places along the way, as part of
the Granite &
Woodlands Discovery Trail. These are signposted in numerical order from 1 to 16 from the
Hyden end. It is worth picking up a copy of the free trail guide brochure at the
Hyden Truck Stop or just download this trek note to know what to expect at each site.
We suggest this is a 2 day route if you are here to explore as it is still a 3-4 hour drive across without stopping.
How to Use this Trek Note
- Purchase our app ExplorOz Traveller. This Australian-made GPS & Navigation app will allow you to download all the ExplorOz Treks to your GPS enabled smartphone/tablet/iPad or laptop and enable active route guidance along the route as per the Directions shown on this page. The app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. The app also allows you to edit/customise the route. Viewing the Trek in the Traveller app also includes all the words, images and POIs exactly as on the website (excludes Wildflowers). For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage.
TIP | To purchase our maps for offline use, you will need to purchase the EOTopo 2021 map licence. To install the maps you will need the ExplorOz Traveller app. |
Environment
This route lies amongst temperate
woodlands on the edge of the wheat belt, where 80 different varieties of eucalypts grow. Across the 300km of this trek you'll also see sandy heathlands, distinctive
granite outcrops, salt lakes, & claypans.
Wave Rock in
Hyden is the most visited of
the granite outcrops in the area, however there are many other rocks noted in this trek that are worth exploring.
Amongst this diversity, are two massive nickel mines, Emily Ann and Maggie Hays and associated processing plants &
infrastructure. No doubt the reason the road is so
well maintained is to cater for the mine trucks.
Birdlife in the area include mallee fowl, bush turkey,
grey currawong, numerous parrot species, cockatoos, and lorikeets including the tiny purple crowned lorikeet.
History
Whilst both
Hyden and
Norseman have significant historical beginnings, the region of woodland between the two was very much ignored by both aboriginals and Europeans and remains an area of no agriculture or pastoralism today.
Sandalwood cutters are believed to have been the first white men in the area and early attempts at pastoralism were unsuccessful, mostly due to a lack of readily accessible underground water. 11 trial plots (10 acres) were established at Forrestonia in 1959 but did not lead to take up by permanent settlers and were abandoned in 1966.
The Wudjari and Ngadju people would only pass through the area if water and food permitted, and doggers would utilise the shed at
Forrestania Plots whilst hunting feral dogs and dingos.
Of most significance was the discoveries of gold and nickel, with a few large mines in current operation.
TrekID: 338