It’s another early start for my last bushwalk on our Flinders Ranges road trip; Mount Ohlssen Bagge is the shortest and easiest of of the Wilpena Pound peaks and offers some spectacular views, so it’s the best one to do if you want to catch sunrise or sunset from the top. It’s been compared to the much longer Saint Mary Peak walk as offering “90% of the views for about 60% of the effort”! Although I’m not quite early enough to reach the top before sunrise, I’m on the road for the short drive to Wilpena Pound (from Rawnsley Park Station) before the sun is up.
I’m heading down the trail by 7am, with the first section of the Mount Ohlssen Bagge bushwalk being an easy and level stroll along the Pound Gap Trail – this is the same route you take to the Hills Homestead and Wangara Lookout. Normally it would be pretty busy, but early in the morning there’s no-one around.
After 800m a sign marks the start of the Mount Ohlssen Bagge trail where you leave the old road, and after another 100m is the junction with the Boom and Bust Trail (formerly called the Drought Busters Trail). The Boom and Bust Trail is short, shady and loop trail with interpretive signage that describes the natural vegetation of the area.
The trail now starts to ascend – and doesn’t stop ascending until you reach the saddle on Mount Ohlssen Bagge – with the long mountain summit looming ahead. The usual Danger Signs warns you not to continue if it’s very hot or past 1pm – although this Mount Ohlssen Bagge is a good bushwalk for late afternoon as the trail will be mostly shaded.
As the trail gains elevation there are some views out to the east towards the ABC Range, which is partly covered by clouds.
As the trails winds up the side of Mount Ohlssen Bagge, it offers a view of Attunga Bluff and Mount Boorong.
After about 1.4km there is a relatively easy scramble up some large, exposed rocks. (It’s the only scramble along the entire trail.)
From here there’s a view of Attunga Bluff (meaning (“high place”) and Mount Boorong to the west, and the rocky summit of Mount Ohlssen Bagge above to the south.
The original trail blazed by the Adelaide Bushwalkers in 1959 went directly up the spur at the northern end of the summit, but at some point it was re-routed so that it now skirts around the base of Mount Ohlssen Bagge. What would have originally been a relentless climb is now broken up this section which has a very gentle ascent along the base of the long peak.
There is one last, steep-ish section up to the saddle (it’s technically not a saddle, just the lower part of the summit ridge).
From here it’s 400m to the true summit of Mount Ohlssen Bagge, which is only only about ten metres higher in elevation. It’s an easy walk along the thin summit ridge, with great views on both sides. Originally named Mount Ohlssen Bagge, the mountain was also known as Mount John (and still appears with this name on some maps):
For a brief period, Mr C.H. Ohlssen-Bagge, an engineer, was a partner of the surveyor Frederick Sinnett who, in 1851, named the peak near Wilpena Pound. It fell into oblivion and, for many years, was known, unofficially, as ‘Mount John’. In 1964, Mrs Dora Stanford, the granddaughter of Mr Ohlssen-Bagge, with the assistance of Mr Hans Mincham, succeeded in having the name restored to the map.
A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia
The views from the Mount Ohlssen Bagge summit are pretty spectacular, with a 360-degree panamora of the surrounding peaks.
This is one of the best views of Wilpena Pound and the Wilpena Pound Range to the south and south-east.
Along the Wilpena Pound Range (which forms the “wall” of the pound) is Binya Peak, Mount Karawarra and Point Bonnbey – the three closest peaks that jut up to the south east.
To the west across Wilpena Pound and beyond the Wilpena Pound Range is Mount Aleck, the tallest peak in the Elder Range.
Even without the magnificent views, the rocky summit is covered with grass trees, some of which are flowering (their Latin name Xanthorrhoea comes from the Greek xanthos, which means ‘yellow or golden’ and rhoea which means ‘flowing or to flow, refering to the yellow gum or resin that flows from the stem).
I still haven’t seen anyone as I head back to the “saddle”; it’s worth continuing beyond sign to the far end of the summit plateau for the best views over the northern end of Wilpena Pound. Directly ahead is St Mary Peak and the Wilpena Pound Range, and the Elder Range beyond. To the right of St Mary Peak is the start of the ABC Range, and in the far distance The Bunkers, Grindstone Range and Jubilee Range.
The mountains below are those of the Wilpena Pound Range, with Saint Mary Peak directly ahead, on the opposite side of Pound Gap.
It’s been almost exactly 20 years since my last ascent of Mount Ohlssen Bagge, and comparing my photos I note I’ve captured the same grass tree (Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata or Mount Lofty Grass-tree) – which doesn’t seem to have grown much over two decades. But they do only grow about 1cm per year…
I return the same way down the mountain; if I had a bit more time I’d try and find a route straight down the ridge that follows the original trail.
I’m starting to meet a few more people coming up – not surprisingly, as this is a popular trail.
Most of the trail is exposed to the sun, so on a warmer day start early – or go late afternoon. Or start before dawn to watch the sunrise from the top. The trail is very well marked, except for one short but steep scramble that might be a bit challenging for children – or adults with short legs!
Getting to Mount Ohlssen Bagge
The Pound Gap Trail – also called the Outside Trail and the Scarp Trail which continues past the Hills Homstead to the Tanderra Saddle on Saint Mary Peak – starts at the Wilpena Pound carpark. Or you can pick up the trail from the bottom of the Wilpena Pound Resort Campground, but there’s very limited parking here. 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]
- Geoffrey H. Manning – A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia
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