Wilpena Pound Walk- self guided hike -

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The Wilpena Pound Walk is simply gorgeous. And if you are staying at the Wilpena Pound Resort, you have easy accessibility. Take this scenic hike on your own and enjoy the sounds and sights of mother nature.

For a full itinerary of your stay – check out Adelaide to Finders Ranges Road trip.

Wilpena Pound Walk distance

The round trip walk is approximately 6 km. It is graded easy as it makes it way up to the pound along the creek bed. Expect it to take 30 – 40 minutes each way.

It is flat most the way, hence why they call it a walk rather than a hike. Alternately, there is a free shuttle that leaves from the resort and takes you to within 1 km of the pound.

The path is wide, and then tapers off to a much narrower path as you draw closer to the pound. You will notice at the 2 km marker you have two options in direction. I recommend taking the Sliding Rock track as it is much prettier. We opted to come back via the top track which joins back up again at this marker.

About the Wilpena Pound Walk

The Wilpena Pound walk is filled with an amazing array of gorgeous sights.

You will be well shaded and sheltered from the large overhang of trees that fill this area. The eucalyptus trees are a feature with some strange forming shapes and huge burl attached. Also, the native “white cyprus” pine trees are in abundance here.

The wild flowers were not in season during my visit but I imagine they would be glorious during the spring time.

During the walk you will predominately be on ground surface but occasionally cross over a short boardwalk, bridge and rockery steps.

There is a creek running and a small pond along the way but no swimming, it doesn’t look that inviting anyway.

Hills Homestead at Wilpena Pound

You have arrived when you see Hills Homestead. The building has been renovated and you can read about the early European Pioneering by the Hills Family.

There are toilets here and some seating where you can enjoy a rest and maybe a picnic you brought with you.

Viewing Wilpena Pound from Wangara Hill

From here the lookout is a short 5 minute walk. Follow the signs up to the lower lookout.

Here you get a great overview of the area and the size of the pound. It is quite expansive.

If you choose, you can go a bit further up to the upper lookout. It is another 400 metres along the same track.

Wildlife viewing

Yes, you could possibly see wildlife along the way.

We saw wild goats and the Mallee Ringneck parrot. There is always the possibility of more.

Go prepared in any weather

We did the walk in summer on a 38 degree day, so left early enough to get back before the heat really set in. As mentioned, the walk is well shaded which really helped.

Always carry water in these areas, if it is a cool day.

I found wearing sneakers was the most comfortable option. My hiking sandals would easily pick up small stones along the way.

Take your camera. I never leave home without my Nikon Coolpix. My phone camera takes amazing shots but when I see something high up in the trees or far away, I want to capture it.