Malloga Falls Hike

Malloga Falls Hike is a 23.2-kilometre out-and-back from the Wilpena Visitor Centre bushwalking trailhead, crossing Wilpena Pound to Edeowie Gorge and its twin falls. The return is about nine hours, and the falls are often dry. This is a serious full-day walk for people comfortable with long distances and navigation; the payoff is reaching the rocky gorge at the far edge of the Pound, not a waterfall that is always flowing. You take the same route back, so save enough time and strength for the return rather than making the falls your only timing checkpoint.

From Wilpena, follow the track through Pound Gap and past Hills Homestead, an old stone dwelling tied to the area's pastoral history. The crossing changes from the gap to the broad Pound floor, where the route heads west across open ground inside a ring of rock walls. The floor is long and mostly flat, with repeated undulations rather than one sustained climb. The hard part is the cumulative distance. Hills Homestead is a useful landmark, not your turnaround; the route continues toward Cooinda Camp before leaving the main St Mary Peak trail.

A little beyond Cooinda Camp, the Malloga route turns toward Edeowie Gorge. The junction can be easy to miss. Keep a map ready and talk over the route with Wilpena Visitor Centre staff before leaving; the park expects experienced hikers with navigation skills for this hike.

Past the turnoff, the track becomes rockier and less clearly defined as it enters Edeowie Gorge. The gorge drains Wilpena Pound toward the plains at its northwestern edge. Malloga Falls is a pair of adjacent drops that are usually dry, and getting to the bottom involves scrambling over rock. Allow energy for this rough finish, then return by the same corridor. The draw here is the enclosed gorge and its twin rock chutes, not a dependable flow of water.

When the falls are dry, frame the two chutes with some of the gorge wall so the photo still shows their setting. A close view of the channel alone can look like a dry creek; the surrounding rock is what makes the destination legible.

Plan around the park's nine-hour return estimate and carry at least four litres of water per person. No water or toilets were verified on the route. The Wilpena Pound Resort near the trailhead has a general store and restaurant, but those are a separate stop, not supplies along the walk. The hike closes seasonally from December through February; check in with Wilpena Visitor Centre staff before departure as required. Dogs are not allowed on park trails except assistance dogs. Start at the Wilpena Visitor Centre bushwalking trailhead and follow the mapped line through Pound Gap; parking is at the visitor centre.