Mount Hagen

Mount Hagen, the capital of the Western Highlands Province, celebrates the famous Mount Hagen Festival every August. The township is named after an extinct volcano in the northwest, which is said to take its name from a German Colonel Officer Curt von Hagen. The highlands was only recently developed in the 20th century with some conjecture about who was responsible for first opening up the area. While Australian Mick Leahy had previously been prospecting for gold in the region, in 1933 he and his brother trekked extensively throughout the Wahgi Valley in search for more gold. An Australian Patrol Officer by the name of James (Jim) Taylor embarked on the same patrol with the brothers. Some reports state that the Leahy brothers led the expedition, while others suggest Taylor led the patrols. In 1936, Mick