Beringbooding Rock has the largest rock water catchment in Australia. Built in 1937, for the princely sum of £10,000, the tank holds more than two million gallons of water.
It’s a fifty-minute drive from Mukinbudin and some of the red dirt roads create a lot of dust so it’s advisable not to drive too closely behind another car.
Climbing the rock requires a moderate level of fitness. There is an easier path around the rock wall – a circuit of 2.3kms but walkers should allow a minimum of one and a half hours to complete the route.
There is a cairn at the top of Beringbooding – a natural stop for a rest and a good place to take photos. There are also paintings by the Kalamaia tribe in a cave on the northeastern side. Several people told us that the cave is difficult to find, as there are no signposts and this proved correct – we missed out on seeing the paintings.
There are some interesting deep holes, gnamma holes to give them their correct names. Gnamma holes were main sources of water for indigenous Australians and are found in hard rock, particularly granite outcrops. Gnamma holes are replenished from underground stores and rainwater run-off. The largest one at Beringbooding Rock is called the Kangaroo hole. There are also two wells and a sheep dip to the south of the water tank. These wells were very important to the survival of pastoralists in the late 1800s.
Beringbooding Rock is a popular stop on the Wheatbelt Way tourist map. Free camping is available in the ample car park and toilets are close by. There are a couple of picnic tables but they were occupied by the time we arrived, however there are several large boulders around the site that were fine to sit on while we enjoyed our picnic lunch.
