Walls
of Jerusalem
National Park
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Introduction
The Walls of Jerusalem is part of the extensive central plateau of
Tasmania.The plateau is covered with thousands of lakes which are
depressions that were gouged out by an ice cap during recent
glaciation. The Walls are a series of higher craggy hills on
the
western side of the plateau and are a significant feature of the area.
Externally the higher peaks seem to be the feature but once in the
Walls you quickly realise the major features are the u shaped glacial
valleys and the pretty lakes.
A good track is provided from the closest road and the main valley of
the Walls around Lake Salome can be visited as a day walk. Most prefer
to explore further and two day walks with an overnight campsite is the
most popular trip. Camping platforms have been provided at Wild Dog
Creek in the entrance
to the Walls below Herods Gate.
This is also a good area for experienced walkers as there are multiple
multi-day approaches across the Central Plateau to the Walls. It can be
approached from the Great Lake in the west, from the north by several
routes and from the south from the Traveller Range. Descriptions of
these routes are in the guide book below.
History
Aborigines regularly visited the area and probably lived here only
during summer. The first europeans to the Walls were shepherds who
grazed stock on the
high grassy valleys for over 100 years from the 1820s to the 1920s.
After them came trappers who hunted native animals for fur. With the
often harsh weather they spent minimal time here and apart from leaving
some huts they made minimal impact on the area. In the 1920s Reg Hall
is credited with being the first to visit for recreation by following
shepherds tracks to the Walls across the Central Plateau. He introduced
others to the area and slowly the Walls became more popular with
walkers. For many years the Walls could only be visited on extended
trips but the construction of Lake Rowallen and forestry roads into the
Mersey valley in the 1970s created todays easy access.
Location
The Walls of Jerusalem is located on the western side of the Central
Plateau and this is roughly in the centre of Tasmania. This is to the
east of the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park and there are
several tracks that link the two parks (these tracks are only suitable
for experienced bushwalkers).
Access
The Walls are accessed from the Mersey Forest Road - this runs from
Mole Creek or Sheffield south following the Mersey River past Lake
Rowallen. It is a dead end road and has little traffic apart from
walkers. There are no bus or other scheduled services into this valley
so all access is by private transport, taxi or bus charters. Dont leave
valuables in parked vehicles as breakins have occurred at the Walls of
Jerusalem car park.
Maps and Track Notes
Descriptions of the Walls and all major access tracks and routes are in
the guide book Cradle Mountain and
Walls of
Jerusalem National Parks. The best map is TASMAP 1:25,000
'Walls Of
Jerusalem', TASMAP also produce an excellent series of 1:25,000 maps
which cover all of
the Central Plateau around the Walls area.
Permits
A general entry permit to a Tasmanian National Park
is required. The best value for bushwalkers is the 2 month Backpacker
Pass for $30 which provides entry to all national parks. There
are no bookings or quotas on numbers of bushwalkers visiting the
park.
Snail Mail Address
John Chapman, PO Box 5042, Laburnum, 3130, Australia
Photographs and text are copyright © 2000-2015 John Chapman.
Last updated : December 8th 2015