It’s my first (and longest) of a few early morning bushwalks on our Flinders Ranges road trip, as I set off just before dawn for St Mary Peak (Ngarri Mudlanha) – the highest peak in the Flinders Ranges and the eighth highest peak in South Australia.
The sun is up by the time I’m on the trail, and there’s a handful of other walkers undertaking this fairly popular Flinders Ranges bushwalk. I’m taking the shorter and more direct Outside Trail or Scarp Trail to get up to Tanderra Saddle and then onto St Mary Peak. The trail starts at the Wilpena Pound carpark and passes the Wilpena Pound Resort Campground (if you’re starting early you can find a parking spot at the bottom of the camping area).
Outside Trail / Scarp Trail (6km one-way)
The Outside Trail initially climbs very gradually from the information board and interpretive sign, through cypress and acacia forest.
The track is very well marked by blue arrows and reflectors, and as with most Flinders Ranges bushwalks there’s a post every 200m showing the remaining distance.
There are occasional views of Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak directly ahead, which is glowing in the morning sun. (Even in winter, an early start is recommended as there’s not much shade for most of this bushwalk.)
After about 4.6km the track starts to climb a little more steeply and quickly ascends above the trees, offering increasingly spectacular views over the Flinders Ranges.
There are a few (easy) scrambles as the Inside Track climbs up the ridge, traversing large rocks and boulders.
Just below the Tanderra Saddle is the steepest scramble, where the trail goes up a slot between two large boulders.
There are some great views from the Tanderra Saddle: the Heysen Range and ABC Range can be seen to the north, to the south-west is Pompey Pillar (the second-highest peak of the Flinders Ranges) and almost directly west is Ngarri Mudlamnha / St Mary Peak.
St Mary Peak Summit Trail (3.2km return)
From Tanderra Saddle it’s 3.2km return to the summit of Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak. I discover later that Ngarri Mudlanha is culturally significant in the creation story for the Adnyamathanha people, who ask that you don’t climb to the absolute summit – but there is no signage on the track itself. Two Akurra (dreaming serpents) entwined to form the amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound, with this peak formed by one of the Akurra heads.
Ngarri means ‘mind’, Mudlanha means ‘waiting’. We’re never allowed to go up there because it’s Ngarri-Mudlanha – ‘waiting to take your mind’. The elders were warning us that it was high, that we’d get dizzy and disoriented and we’d be lost.
The peak juts out from the ridge directly ahead, and at a height of 1,771m it’s about 200m higher than the saddle.
The trail continues along the saddle, and offers a spectacular outlook, especially of the ABC Range and Heysen Range which stretch northwards in parallel, and the Bunkers Range to the east. Even if you’re not continuing to the summit, it’s worth going a couple of hundred metres along the summit track for these views.
I haven’t encountered any native fauba so far, but I am startled by some inquisitive goats: feral goats were introduced into the area by explorers in the 1840s, and became a major problem after dingoes were removed in the 1940s. (The Dog Fence – the longest barrier fence in the world – was started in 1946 and completed during the 1950s to keep dingoes out of grazing lands.)
I continue along the narrow saddle, with Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak ahead of me and Mount Boorong behind me.
As the summit trail climbs up from the saddle around the southern side of Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak, there’s a fantastic view of Mount Boorong and the Inside Trail. The mountain is a great example of the layered syncline (a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure) that’s typical of this area.
At about the halfway mark, the trail starts to ascend more steeply, with a small scramble up a narrow slot.
There are some spectacular views just before the base of the Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak is reached, as the track winds is way up through the rocky peak.
An easy scramble takes you to the summit of Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak, where the views are spectacular in every direction…
You can clearly see the Heyson Range stretching all the way from Mount Abrupt at the southern end to Mount Falkland at the northern end, and the ABC Range to its right with the long and open Aroona Valley in the middle.
On the horizon, beyond the Heyson Range, is the Red Range (Beltana Hill) and the Mount Bayley Range.
To the south is Mount Ohlssen Bagge, and beyond it is Binya Peak, Mount Karawarra, Tumburru Peak and Point Bonney – a little further south along the same ridge is Rawnsley Bluff.
To the south is Wilpena Pound, with the Wilpena Pound Range – which includes Walter Hill, Dick Nob (yes, really) and Snave Hill – on the opposite side.
I head back the same way after enjoying the view; a couple of people arrived at the summit just after me, and I’m encountering a few people making their way up St Mary Peak as I descend.
I make a small off-track detour on the way down, climbing back up a small hill that’s just above the trail.
It offers a nice nice view of Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak to the north, and Mount Boorong to the south.
Inside Trail / Pound Trail (12km one-way)
Instead of returning the same way on the shorter Outside Trail, I’m going back via the Inside Trail (or Pound Trail) which forms a loop walk. It heads directly towards Mount Boorong, before turning sharply to the west and following the base of the cliffs.
Unlike the more direct Outside Trail, the Inside Trail descends very gently – if you want to avoid steep scrambles, this longer route is the way to go…
…but at twice the distance of the Outside Trail and with the day getting warmer, it’s also becoming a bity of a tedious walk back.
About 4km from Tanderra Saddle, the trail passes the Cooinda campsite, which was closed in April 2020. Just after the old camping area is an informal viewpoint over the Wilpena Pound Range. (There’s also a junction here with a route that descends a to Malloga Falls.)
From the old campsite, the walking track soon enters a cypress forest as it follows an old vehicle track, which makes it even easier walking – but also a little boring.
Just before reaching the Hills Homestead, the Outside Trail merges with the Bridle Gap Trail, which forms part of the long-distance Heyson Trail.
Hills Homestead to Wilpena
After seeing only a handful of people since setting out four hours ago, the Hills Homestead is a hive of activity (the Hills Homestead Walk is said to be one of the most popular walks from Wilpena Pound). The homestead was built by the Hill family who leased the land from 1899 to 1914 to grow wheat, before a devastating flood led them to abandon the area. The Hills Homestead was restored in 1995.
A short and popular trail goes up to Wangara Lookout, which offers a nice view over Wilpena Pound – but after the vista from St Mary Peak you can probably give this a miss!
From Hills Homestead the Inside Trail / Pound Trail continues along the old vehicle track along the edge of Wilpena Creek and through the Pound Gap – the only entrance to Wilpena Pound. There’s a number of interpretive signs along the trail which explain the colonial history of the area.
The track soon splits with a choice of “Wilpena via Sliding Rock” and “Wilpena via Top Track” which follows the old dirt road; both trails re-join after a short distance (I take the lower track).
After photographing a small mob of emus, I pass the base of Sliding Rock, where Wilpena Creek has a few pools of water.
The trail passes a shuttle stop; last time I was here you could drive down this road, now it’s walking access only or you can take a shuttle from the Wilpena Pound Visitor Centre.
With the old road shaded by enormous eucalypt trees that rely on the Wilpena Creek for waters, it’s a pleasant walk back to the Wilpena Pound Resort Campground to complete the Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak loop.
I’d recommend getting an early start for the Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak bushwalk, especially if you’re planning to do the Outer Trail and Inner Trail to form a loop, as there isn’t much shade along the trail. The much longer Inner Trail isn’t really worth the extra time and effort – other than the interesting Hills Homestead, it’s not a particularly interesting route and you won’t miss much returning via the Outside Trail. Although there is a bit of scrambling along the Outer Trail, it’s not a particularly challenging bushwalk and the trail is very well marked.
Getting to the Ngarri Mudlanha / St Mary Peak loop bushwalk
Both the Outside Trail (Scarp Trail) and Inside Trail (Pound Trail) start from either the Wilpena Pound carpark or the Wilpena Pound Resort Campground, and both are well sign-posted. Wilpena Pound is a 55km (40min drive) from Hawker and 440km (5 hours) from Adelaide.
More information
- Best Walks of the Flinders Ranges – purchase book
- Ikara – Flinders Ranges National Park [PDF]
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