At an elevation of about 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level,[citation needed] the isolated peak is a prominent landmark from the gulf.

[4] It was named Mount Hill on or about 20 April 1840 by Governor George Gawler when he was exploring this coast northwards on horseback from Port Lincoln accompanied by explorer and landholder John Hill and Deputy Surveyor General Thomas Burr.

For the purpose of gaining a better view of the unexplored interior of Eyre Peninsula, Gawler and party ascended the peak, at which time it was named after John Hill.

On 28 April 1840 near Point Riley Hill and Burr disembarked, the pair returning overland on horseback to Adelaide, thereby being the first Europeans to traverse northern Yorke Peninsula.

[10] A book titled In the Shadow of the Bluff gives a detailed account of the history of Mount Hill and the Hundred of Butler.