Enjoy a great 7 to 8 day hiking trip in some spectacular Tasmanian Wilderness with some luxury accommodation at the end?

We leave tomorrow to walk from the Walls of Jerusalem to Lake Adelaide, Junction Hut, across the Never Never and then onto the Overland Track. We join the Overland Track at Hartnett Falls and then head north to Pelion Hut, Windemere and Scott Kilvett Hut.

This walk is a great way to enjoy some time away from the sometimes busy Overland Track, get into some “off track” bushwalking and combine the beautiful Walls of Jerusalem area with , what we believe, is the best end of the Overland Track – the north to Cradle Mountain.

We did this same walk in July last year and really enjoyed the snow and fantastic scenery. This time, longer days and warmer weather, should also give us all a great experience.

Below is a screen shot of the whole track we have planned. It is displayed via Mapsource but overlayed on a Shonky map. Click on the map to enlarge it (and make it readable!!)

Please note: During the booking season (October 1 to May 31) walkers must walk north to south. The route on this map is only suitable for out-of-season walks.

There will be six in the party Sue, Frank and Tom on his first Tassie hike. Colin, Alex and Paul make up the rest of the group. Paul and Alex have not hiked in Tasmania but have in New Zealand.

This trip is planned to be quite leisurely with the maximum day around 15km. The whole trip will be about 84 km and we plan to be out 7 nights.

The logistics are very similar to planning the Overland Track and many of the principals we applied to meal planning, transport, clothing and our gear list are straight out of our Planning the Overland Track downloadable eBook.

Remember, this trip is NOT a substitute for walking the whole Overland Track, end to end, and should only be completed by bushwalkers who are experienced in Tasmanian conditions.

Looking for a video showing the spectacular scenery in this World Heritage area?

What are hiking conditions like in the Walls of Jerusalem? 

We love the Walls of Jerusalem area in Tasmania, and hiked there twice last year for a lazy break and as the starting point of our winter Walls of Jerusalem to Cradle Mountain walk .

We discovered this great video made by brucinoz on YouTube recently. He has put together some terrific vision of the area and we recommend you check it out and wet your appetite to explore this beautiful place.

Our group of six had taken an early flight from Melbourne and after some provisioning of fresh supplies and gas bottles we were off with our trusty tour guide, Simon.

The plan was to walk into the platformed camping area at Wild Dog Creek for the first night, and then continue on, camping around Dixon Kingdom Hut for two nights. We would then retrace our steps, returning to the car park for our pick up and return to Launceston on Day 5.

Below is a picture looking back to Herods Gate with Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff in the distance

The walking from the car park to Wild Dog creek commences with a serious “up”. We were completely overloaded with unnecessary luxuries such as wine and nibbles for each night, as we were effectively base camping in the area. We knew while our packs would be heavy but the rewards of a nice red and cheese each evening would be worth the initial pain.

Simon and Rhona getting organised before the first “up”

The party spread out as we grunted up the 400m over 2 km’s, regrouping at Trappers Hut for a quick snack and break. Everyone was coping well (well, some better than others) and we knew there were only about 200m over 1km more elevation to conquer.

This section of the walk is delightful as the path begins to enter the plateau and we were rewarded with the first of many of the small lakes that make this Park so spectacular. The views across to the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park and some of the landmark mountains of the Overland Track were also excellent.

The packs were beginning to take a toll as the temperature and mid afternoon sun belted down upon us so we had several breaks, enjoying the view and starting to relax into the area.

Helen had “strolled” ahead and arrived at Wild Dog Creek well before the rest of us. This area has platforms for at least 20 tents and is a great spot to camp just outside Herod’s Gate, the entry to the Walls of Jerusalem. There is a composting toilet and water taps. A school group and 3 other tents were already set up but Helen was able to find a great spot for us to camp.

The Wild Dog Creek tent platforms and composting toilet in the distance

That evening we had a long chat with two terrific local fellows. It was two days before the Federal election and politics, environment and social justice were all hotly discussed until the chilly evening sent us to out tents. Many thanks to Paul and Grant, you two blokes gave us renewed hope in humanity!
Tent platform at Wild Dog Creek. Sue, Helen and Deb getting organised

It was a very cool night and we awoke to a covering of frost on our tents. A short day was planned so a leisurely breakfast and pack up was in order and we departed for Dixon Kingdom about 10:30, covering the short climb to Herods Gate in quick time. The reward was a spectacular view back to Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff.

When we were here in July the views were hampered by low cloud and haze so this was a special treat. We sighted our first tiger snake near Lake Soloman and enjoyed watching it explore it’s habitat. It was one of about 10 different snakes we saw over the 4 days and this reassured us that our gaiters were a “good thing” to wear!

The walk around Lake Soloman up to Damascus Gate was delightful. We had fantastic weather and the skies were blue with little wind in the valley. Upon reaching Damascus Gate the view back to Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff was even better and we stopped to enjoy it and regain our breath. The section from here to Dixon Kingdom is quite easy with lots of duck boarding and formed stone tracks. Within 20 minutes we were at the Hut and setting up our tents. It is suggested that you don’t camp around the Hut here so it does not “ruin the vista for other campers” so we camped well away on slightly slopey, rather than flat sites.

NB, there are NO toilet here and you must follow the rules regarding human waste disposal so that you or others camping in the area don’t get gastro. This link from the Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania – How not to get ‘Gastro’ – the art of bush toiletry has the correct information.

Having a quiet drink at our campsite at Dixon Kingdom.

Dixon Kingdom’s Hut looking across Jaffa Valley. Mt Jerusalem is to the left out of picture

That afternoon most of the group climbed Mt Jerusalem. This is a highly recommended side trip and not too difficult. The track is clearly marked and the views excellent of the whole Walls of Jerusalem area. The highlight was the fantastic vista of the whole Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Mt Olympus (and beyond)

Below, Sue bags her first peak, Mt Jerusalem! (she really hates heights)

We were able to identify Mt Ossa, still flecked with some snow and many of the other landmark mountains of the area. Highly recommended on a clear day, especially if you have completed the Overland Track and want to see the whole route from one spot, or just love the thought of seeing the 100’s of lakes that surround this peak.

The rest of the trip was made up with relaxing, trying to catch fish in Lake Ball (unsuccessfully) and exploring the general area. We allowed three and a half hours to walk from Dixon Kingdom’s Hut back to the car park for our ride back to Launceston. This was generous but with our failing knees that lack of time pressure was appreciated on the last 2-3 km of “down”.

Below is Helen at the Pool of Bethesda.

“Our” Tiger snake. She liked to explore near our camping area but was easily frightened off by tapping your foot on the ground and sending her “bad vibrations”

“Our” quoll, it would visit each evening at sunset to look for any food scraps we had dropped. Great fun to watch, like a cat on speed!

In summary, this is a great trip that can be done in one very long day (as several groups we met can testify to) but is well worth the time to explore the area at your leisure and just relax in this pristine wilderness over a few days. It is certainly not isolated or difficult, so would be a great first trip, or one where you might want to introduce older children to bushwalking.

Just remember, the weather can change at any time so be prepared for rain or snow or any other form of weather this area can throw at you.

Inside the Hut , probably about 6pm

Lots of ice, everywhere…..

A lot of the walking on the last day or two was pretty difficult, icy, slippery and slow
In the “Never Never” early in the morning

The Never Never to a snow capped mountain on the Overland Track

Today’s plan was to get away early and walk from Meston Hut to Junction Lake Hut , across the Never Never to Hartnett Falls and then join the Overland Track and head north to Kia Ora Hut. The area marked in red on the map is the route we took in the “Never Never”

We had stopped early the day before and spent the night at Meston Hut so time was of the essence as it was to be a long day, particularly as this was unexplored territory for all of our party. The track from Meston to Junction Lake was not very clear and we discovered that we had missed a turn and had to moss, bog and bush bash the last kilometre or so to Junction Lake Hut. Even though Colin had carefully plotted our route on our GPS’s (we had two between the 5 of us) it was still a bit tricky navigating and the terrain occassionally difficult. We (well I was anyway) were glad to reach Junction Lake Hut.

From Junction Lake Hut we worked our way around the Lake to the west and headed to the Never Never. According to Chapman, we then had to follow the Mersey River and find a log to cross the river before McCoy Falls. This meant that we did a LOT of bush and tea tree bashing along the river trying to find a suitable log. Combined with several open areas of mossy, boggy, wet areas, the walking was interesting and varied. The track WAS marked here for about the first one or two km and then the markers seemed to disappear, other than an occasional tape tied to a tree.The problem with these tapes is that they were intermittent and you just could not trust them……

On the Never Never ,crossing yet another section of boggy ground. Lots of ground water, holes and spagnum moss. The Mersey River is to the right of picture.

The only log we could find that was suitable for us to use to cross the Mersey River. Colin, with his ice axe, was able to make the top of the log less like an ice skating rink (with curves) and more like just a very slippery log. We all struggled a bit to hold our footing but got across without incident (or drowning)

The GPS point for the river crossing tree is S41 55.264 E146 08.980 (all care , no responsibility my friends).Next time we go through the Never Never, we will keep well north of the Mersey River i.e. to the right of the valley, closer to Convent Hill. This looked looked a LOT DRYER and with less dense tea tree. We will then use the GPS waypoint to cut straight across to the log (hopefully it will still be there) and save about 1-2 hours of bushbashing and very wet feet!

Once across the Mersey River it was a simple matter of following the river downstream , past McCoy Falls to Hartnett Falls. Well, unfortunately, it was not THAT simple a matter. The tracks here vary from wonderful (see picture below) to non existant or basically animal pads that go UNDER the tea tree. Bush bashing was at the fore again and we finally made the Hartnett Falls track.

Some really nice track along the Mersey River heading towards Hartnet Falls. None of us stopped in the tea tree to record the fun we were having digitally!

At this point I discoved my much loved and very necessary Gortex hiking raincoat was missing from the back of my pack (where I had tucked it between the compression straps) . I was not just pissed off about losing my very expensive jacket AND my waterprooof mittens, safely zipped in its pockets. I was REALLY pissed off about having to backtrack through the mud and very thick tea tree to find it! I was also very cross with myself as I am not usually in the habit of tying gear all over my pack FOR THIS VERY REASON.

Colin (my hero) and I set off , using the Track Back function on our GPS’s, and within 20 minutes had found the jacket, undamaged, just swinging in a tree. Thank you to the GPS gods. We set off back to Hartnett Falls and ,following a quick look, headed up the track to the falls / Overland Track junction to catch the others who had gone ahead.

The rest of the day was a sprint to Kia Ora Hut, with a quick rest at Du Cain Hut. We walked the last 30 minutes or so as darkness started to descend on the Overland Track. We were thankful that we had been in the area before and were happy to press on , headlights dimly showing us the way. Clare, Sue and I were VERY happy to reach Kia Ora Hut about 6pm and catch up with Colin and Gary, who had arrived some time before. Surprisingly, there were about 12 others in and around the hut that night. About 6 or 8 were heading south after doing the Overland from Cradle Mountain and two other would be heading in our direction, to Pelion Hut the next day.

Sue and I set up the tent in the rain as we decided to enjoy a snoring and humidity free night. A great meal was enjoyed followed by a very early night , as we had been walking for around 10 hours that day and sleep was a really high priority

We continued to the western end of the lake which was covered in a layer of ice, beautiful spot with super clear water. Here the track crosses an opening onto a broad saddle and the continues to eucalyptus forest. The track then decended on steep rocky track to the open plains at the northern end of Lake Adelaide. Here we stopped for a quick bite and lucky old Simmo found a compass. A nice one too!

Inside Meston Hut – great old fashioned fireplace, just some confusion from us re “Fuel Stove area ” and the piles of dry firewood stored in the lean to next to the hut.

Sleeps four, with room for a couple more on the floor!

Simmo and Sue looking, somewhere

Simmo looking somewhere, probably thinking of other cold things , far away – oh to be a small business owner!

Me , walking on water.

In the afternoon we did a reconnoiter to find the track we needed to take the next day down to Lake Ball. We tried out our snow shoes again and were very impressed by the Yowie Snowshoes in the mixture of snow, ice, wet boggy patches and low bushes. By having excellent grip and a greater surface area than boots we were able to go anywhere without falling over and with fairly dry feet.

Below is the elevation of the first day. We started at about 700m and ended up at the Hut at 1300m. Trappers Hut is at about 1000m.

The walking track heads south east into forest and climbs gently past the information and registration shelter. After registration, we headed south east through tall forest climbing steadily to Trappers Hut. The “grunt” up to Trappers Hut soon got the blood rushing and all of us warmed up. It was great to see the beginnings of a light snow cover and we were looking forward to more of the same as we got to the higher elevation of “The Walls”.

Trappers Hut – a good lunch spot and OK for an overnighter if you were stuck!

From the hut the clearly defined track heads south up the hill. This climbs 200m to a track junction and keeping to the left we continued to climb south east up a rocky track to the plateau. We then went southeast across the plateau, to the south east, King David peak came into view as the track heads directly towards it. It soon meets the shore of the main lake in the Solomons Jewel’s area. As the track starts to rise towards Herods Gate a number of timber platforms can be seen. This is the main camping area Parks suggests people use. It also has a great toilet! We were greeted with great views of Lake Salome with peaks and cliffs on either side. We all wondered when the dinosaurs would wonder across the plateau.

Below is a picture of the area before we reached the Walls. Every little tarn or lake we saw was frozen over……

There was a lot of snow on the track at this point and it was treacherous , especially on the timber boarding where previous walkers had compressed the snow into ice. From Herod’s gate we continued along the well marked track south-east along the southern side of Lake Salome. A climb of about 500 metres to a four way track at the saddle of Damascus gate. From Damascus Gate the track goes south east. Sidling the Temple before entering a extensive forest of pencil pines. We continued though the top edge of the forest descending to Dixon Kingdom hut. Dixon Kingdom Hut is a low hut built by Reg Dixon as a based for cattle grazing

Us looking like we had won the jackpot! Well we had, great place, no one else around, excellent company. What more could you ask for….mmmm maybe warm feet!

Dixon Kingdom Hut with Colin and Gary enjoying the view