Walls of Jerusalem suggestions

[JulianS]

Hi all,

Have earmarked 4 days in the WOJ next week with my partner - this will be our first visit.
Have been reading a lot of advice on other topics on the site, and a consistent theme seems to be that route options abound. This is obviously a good thing, but can also be paralysing when it comes to decision-making.

In any case, what I was wondering was whether anyone could give some recommendations on some of the less-frequented areas/tracks. We are keen on an escape and some solitude.

Be assured we know what we're doing (map & compass nav etc) and will be well-equipped. Only caveat is accessing a start point via hire car from Launceston.

Very happy to receive a PM if (like me) you hesitate to commend your favourite place on a public forum

Many thanks,

Julian

[philm]

You could go in on the Lake Myrtle track (7km down Mersey Forest road from main walls car park). Then walk to Lake Meston (summit Rogoona on way). Camp Lake Meston northern end fantastic spot. Then travel up Lake Adelaide to Lake Ball (cam at ball or Norther end of Adelaide), then travel to Dixon's Kingdom and camp around Dixons or further North. Summit Mt Jerusalem, King Solomon's Throne. The last night head over to George Howes Lake or around that area (off track) then last day hike back to WoJ car park and walk down to get car or maybe get a lift.

[Mark F]

I'll be there next week as well. Loop from Lake McKenzie, Blue Peaks Track, Turanna Bluff, Dixons Kingdom etc, and back out along Ritters Track (route) and Explorers Creek Track.

[JulianS]

Thanks Phil and Mark for the replies, much appreciated.

Just a couple of quick follow-ups...

1) Would you be able to estimate the distance from the Mersey Forest Rd/Lake Myrtle track junction to Lake Meston nth campsite? Currently only have the Walls Tasmap, and it lies off the edge.

2) Is there (and would it be worth) an alternate route from Lake Meston that heads east into Chinaman's and then north to Dixon's? (thought it might offer a bit more seclusion compared with via Lake Adelaide)

The Tasmap seems light on for tracks/routes... for example, I can't get any sense of the route Mark described, as Blue Peaks/Ritters etc aren't shown. Is there a more detailed map that we'd be able to acquire from somewhere in Launceston?

Many thanks again

[L_Cham_67]

1) Would you be able to estimate the distance from the Mersey Forest Rd/Lake Myrtle track junction to Lake Meston nth campsite? Currently only have the Walls Tasmap, and it lies off the edge.

The Tasmap seems light on for tracks/routes... for example, I can't get any sense of the route Mark described, as Blue Peaks/Ritters etc aren't shown. Is there a more detailed map that we'd be able to acquire from somewhere in Launceston?

The 1:50000 topo map "Jerusalem" covers most of the tracked areas of the Walls of Jerusalem (the far southern areas are cut off from memory), but Lake Myrtle, Meston, plus Dixon's Kingdom and further north are on it.
My memory is a little fuzzy on time distances from the road to the northern end of Meston as I made sidetrips along the way and camped at Lake Myrtle and was doing it in reverse. Maybe about 4-6 hours? I guess it depends on how quickly you walk. It's a fairly steep climb up from the road onto the Blizzard Plains.

[Hermione]

If you don’t have access to relevant paper maps you could try using Listmap for planning. It’s pretty handy for that sort of thing.
https://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/app/list/map

[philm]

Its about 9km from the road to the Lake Meston Hut then you need to travel up the lake NE another 2km to get to the Northern end of the lake. If you don't rush I'd suggest about 6-7 hours and a little longer if you decide to summit Rogoona on the way (allow about 1.5-2 hours return). I have not been through Chinamans Plains but others on the forum have and if you do a search you can find some details. I understand some parts are very scrubby. I think the tip is to stick to the white sections of the topo map on LST map online referred to. You may be pushing it to go this way in only 4 days total. Depending on the time of year you are going once you leave Dixons Kingdom and the main loop around to the Northern end of Lake Adelaide you are not likely to see crowds of people. Maybe a few South of the Lake Adelaide track to Meston. Generally this area is fairly quiet.

[Mark F]

You can see more tracks on List using the topographic overlay. https://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/app/list/map.

Blue Peaks Track runs south from Lake Mackenzie to Middle Lake. Then its cross country ssw to Turanna Bluff and along the escarpment to Long Tarns to pick up the Little Fisher River Track then cross country to Zion Gate and Dixons Kingdom. Ritters track is an historic route marked by cairns many of which are missing/hard to find. It is really a cross country walk but I want to see some of the cairns. The route heads east from Zion Gate and the curves north east to Lake Nameless where it becomes Higgs Track. From Lake Nameless I will head nw to Explorer Lake and the track which takes me back to Lake Mackenzie.

[JulianS]

Thanks again everyone for the responses and advice.

We finished our walk a few days ago. Lake Myrtle/Bill track to north Lake Meston -> Lake Ball -> Dixon's -> back via Trapper's and the road. Lucky enough to get up to Solomon's / King David's in good weather. Experience was definitely consistent with the advice above, with fewer people south of Lake Adelaide. Walking times were dependent more on levels of scrub & mud than fitness - but I guess that's Tassie! Looking forward to getting down there again to walk some of the other routes mentioned

[philm]

Good to hear that is a nice trip and very doable in your timeframe. South of Lake ADELAIDE the crowds thin out rapidly which makes for a nice trip!