The Overland Track and Walls of Jerusalem

Discovery Lodge

 I planned this trip to explore the central highlands as well as to enjoy what Tassie is like in the winter time. The original idea was to try and climb as many of the mountains around the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair and Walls of Jerusalem National Parks in 20 days as I could. I was expecting cold, snow and bad weather and had the equipment to stay relatively comfortable in those conditions. I did have a few problems with gear along the way and was still recovering from the flu when I departed so as it turned out I didn't quite blaze up every peak but instead had quite a good time visiting all the interesting and beautiful areas of the park.

Cradle Mtn from Dove Lake

August 4 - Food Drop and 4WD at the Walls
On a Saturday morning I threw my gear in the 4WD and drove from the Huon Valley  to the Mersey Valley via Queenstown.  I planned a food drop at the Lees paddocks track head and drove along the western side of Lake Rowallan towards Pine Hut to get there. In hindsight  I should have left my drop at the Walls of Jerusalem track head but by the time I realised it was getting late. I ended up getting my ute stuck on a rutted track in the dark with only myself to dig, jack and crib my ute out. I left my drop on the shores of the lake some distance from Pine Hut and barely had enough fuel to get out of the park. I was covered in mud and hadn't even started my walk yet. I refuelled at Deloraine just past 9pm and made my way down to Lake St Clair via Bronte Park.  It snowed for the latter part of the trip and I arrived at the visitor center at midnight and slept in the ute.

Scott Kilvert Memorial Hut

August 5 - Hitchhiking Lake St Clair to Cradle
On the Sunday I grabbed a coffee at the visitor center lodge before leaving my ute and hitchhiking back up to the Cradle Mountain end of the Overland Track. I went via Bronte Park again rather than Queenstown banking on the tourists on the east rather than mine workers heading west on a Sunday. It took me five separate cars to get there and I experienced sun, rain and snow along the way  but thanks to some much appreciated locals I found myself at the cradle visitor center by 5pm. I slept in a bunk at the Discovery Lodge which was covered in about 10cm of snow.

Unstuck Exped Mat

August 6 - Cradle Visitor Centre to Scott Kilvert Memorial Hut
On the Monday I finally starting my walk! It had snowed most of the night and there was another 10cm on the ground. I anticipated that the shuttle bus wouldn't be running in the conditions and so headed out at dawn on my own steam. I followed the road and then the Cradle Boardwalk to Ronnie Creek. This was a decent section of walking in the snow although visibility was limited. I got glimpses of Cradle Mountain through the clouds as the sun came over the horizon. I was feeling the effects of the last of my flu and I was already buggered by the time I reached the Dove Lake car park. 
I saw a group heading the other way from Dove Lake. They were planning to head up to Cradle Mountain and they didn't appear to have snowshoes. The weather was windy and had been snowing all morning. The group was delayed getting in because of  road closure. I had initially planned to head towards Cradle also but it was obvious to me with the weather and my energy levels that Scott Kilvert Hut on the shore of Lake Rodway was a better bet. I sheltered from the snow in the boathouse on Dove Lake to have a bit of lunch and then made my way along the eastern side of the lake towards Hanson's Peak.

Scott Kilvert Wombat

When I did finally get near Hanson's Peak a clambered up onto the exposed ridge only to get slammed by the fierce wind. I spared a thought for those who went towards Cradle before clambering down towards Hanson Lake instead. I put snowshoes on from Hanson Lake and made the Ranger Hut around 3pm. There were a few challenges with route finding in the snow in this section but I have no doubt it would have been better than being up near Cradle on the day. The track from the Ranger Hut to Scott Kilvert was easier to follow.
I made it to the hut before 5pm and warmed up by the coal the fire. I was saddened to read the articles in the hut about the incident which led to the death of the two walkers years ago. I was also surprised to read of the party which had sheltered in the Boatshed as had I earlier in the day. It was nice for me to enjoy the shelter of the hut after a long day out in the weather and I was thankful for its location. Particularly once I discovered that my Exped sleeping mat had failed. Half the mat had become unstuck causing it to resemble a sausage rather than a mat when inflated. Nearly 3 weeks to go, no sleeping mat. I was glad to be in a hut.

Flooded track

7 August - Rest Day
The temp overnight lifted and Tuesday brought rain. I was fatigued and didn't want the flu to come back so I took a rest day. I stayed at the hut and watched the rain take its toll on the snow cover. It was over 5c for most of the day. In the afternoon I took a wander around the shores of the lake and ran into a very relaxed wombat. Other than that it was a day of reading a book and resting up.

Creek on track from SK

8 August - Scott Kilvert to Waterfall Valley via Cradle Mountain
I headed out to climb Cradle on the Wednesday. The climb up to the saddle between Mt Emmet and Cradle was impressive with several creeks swollen with rain and melted snow. The rain from Tuesday hadn't stopped. In fact it was slightly worse with a strong wind which started up through the night. The rain turned into snow once I reached the altitude of the Overland track. I stashed my rucksack at the intersection of the Lake Rodway track and Overland and snowshoed off towards Cradle Mountain with only day supplies. There was a fair bit of melt and the going was a mixture of exposed track and softened snow cover.
I visited Kitchen Hut briefly where someone had left the door open. I was wet from rain and cold from snow at this point which was a bit nasty. I was also pushing my time limit a bit. It was 1pm and I still planned to climb Cradle and the head to Waterfall Hut through the snow. The first section of the summit track was easy and I could see the tracks of another party which had headed part way up and then turned around. I was fortunate to have snowshoes and was only slowed by the icy scree slopes. Once I made it up onto the ridge there were some fantastic snow drifts on the eastern side which were protected from the prevailing wind. I got to kick steps and enjoy the snow as it fell gently down.  

Cradle Sumit

I made the final summit section, admired the summit dial, ate lollies, took a few photos in poor visibility and then headed back. I paused for about five minutes to use my mobile on a lower peak. Just long enough to get cold and bugger my right foot up considerably.  It remained numb and sore for the rest of the trip and then some. Nonetheless the trip up Cradle in the snow was absolutely awesome. It took me about two hours to get back and collect my rucksack and I made it down to Waterfall Valley by 5pm. The rain had melted most of the snow in the valley when I went to sleep that evening after a brief meal by the useless gas heater. 

Waterfall Valley

August 9 - Waterfall Valley to Windermere
It was cold overnight and on Thursday morning Waterfall Valley was covered in a fresh blanket of snow. It was still well below freezing at 9am and snowing steadily in the valley. I headed back up towards Barn Bluff with the hope of climbing it but the wind up towards the turnoff was fierce and it was -2c before wind chill. I bailed back down to Waterfall Valley rather than go exploring in the bleak weather. I had lunch at the hut and a nap still experiencing fatigue from the flu. I left the hut at 1.30pm for Windermere. It was a fairly hard slog in the fresh snow and driving wind and snow. Pretty slow going and difficult to take in the scenery through snow covered lenses. A highlight of the walk were tunnels of fagus leaning over the track heavily laden with snow. It took me four hours fifteen until I wandered into Windermere. Frustratingly I discovered that in my sleepy afternoon state I'd left some gear at Waterfall Valley.

Fagus over the track

August 10 - Windermere to Waterfall Valley return
I slept cold with my uninflated mat but it was warmer on Friday. It was 5c outside when I trudged off back towards Waterfall Valley. I decided to make a day trip of it and the weather was in my favour. It was low visibility but pleasant walking and I enjoyed strolling along in my snowshoes. I considered having another crack at Barn Bluff but in the end returned to Windermere making the return trip in about six hours. The highlight of the day was the absolute silence and beauty returning to Lake Windermere. Enjoying the snow covered setting was in stark contrast to my usual reality. 

Pelion West

August 11 - Windermere to New Pelion Hut
I left Windermere at dawn on a beautiful clear day. It was barely above freezing and the scenes walking towards Pelion West, Achilles and Thetis in the early light were fantastic. I didn't need snowshoes for most of the stretch and arrived at New Pelion after lunch. I spoke for a while to a walker heading North on the Overland and two more who had come in via the Arm River track. It was nice to have a bit of company for a change but the massive Pelion Hut was without a functioning heater. Nonetheless I spend the Saturday evening warming the room with the hot air of bushwalking tales tall and true.

Summit of Ossa

August 12 - New Pelion to Ossa return
There was frost overnight and I headed out Sunday in cold clear weather with the idea to climb Ossa. It warmed up pretty quick and I made it without snowshoes to the saddle at Pelion Gap in about three hours. From Pelion Gap I put on my snow shoes and headed around Dorris. Ossa was under cloud but Pelion East wasn't. The back of Dorris was pretty hazy and the ascent up Ossa was at poor visibility. I criss-crossed my way up and then traversed left to the chute. The sound of ice blowing off the crags above me sounded like rain. The chute was covered in snow and I kicked steps up steeply over the boulders and up onto the ridgeline.
I then had the interesting task of navigating in 30m visibility across the open white expanse of the summit.  Stupidly I'd left the map at Pelion Hut so after a few hundred metres of dead reckoning I nervously switched on my GPS just in case I got lost wandering around on Ossa in a whiteout. It didn't have a map loaded either but at least it marked a snail trail on the screen. I headed up until I met a major ridgeline. I eventually sighted two inches of marker post buried in snow. It was awesome being on such a high ridge with nothing but white in all directions. The snow was melted and frozen with a layer of glassy ice on the surface. My snowshoes left no visible tracks so if it wasn't for the GPS I would have been very nervous. I eventually wandered up to an unremarkable peak of boulders. There was no scrambling involved, just snow. I couldn't confirm that there wasn't more ridgeline beyond but I wasn't sure exactly what kind of snow covered boulder mayhem I was standing on so I walked to the highest point I could see and marked a GPS waypoint. I would confirm whether I made it to the exact summit or not when I got back to Pelion Hut.

Mt Ossa

I carefully made my way back to the debris chute and traversed to the marked switchbacks. Rather than wandering back and forwards across the face, I slid straight down the slope, first on my feet and then more easily on my backside with my snowshoes out in front. I descended half of Ossa in less than five minutes. It was pretty good fun. I was in a pretty good mood after that and practically jogged back to Pelion Hut. When I got back I sat down to cook some dinner and pulled the 1:25000 map out. I was relieved to find out that I had in fact found the summit of Ossa. 

Mt Ossa from Pelion Paddocks

August 13 - New Pelion to Lees Paddocks via Mt Oakleigh
Sunday night was freezing cold and I woke on Monday to an amazing blue sky day. Today should have been the day to climb Ossa but instead I planned to climb Mount Oakleigh and then head down towards Lees Paddocks and my food drop. The track across the Pelion Plains was frozen solid. You could almost walk across the puddles. I crossed the suspension bridge and ditched my rucksack before crossing the soaking wet button grass towards Oakleigh. The creek was swollen and difficult to cross. Just past the creek along the muddy track I stepped into the wrong frozen puddle. I plunged in belly deep into the mud. Fortunately I had an arm either side on snow covered button grass and launched myself out as quick as I went in. I was covered up to my armpits in mud but nothing got through and I cleaned most of it off with a bit of snow.
The freezing morning turned into a slightly warmer day pretty quick and I clambered through snow to the first of Oakleigh's rocky peaks. I enjoyed the panoramic view towards the Pelions on the magical clear day but neglected going to the second peak to look towards Cradle. The snow was deeper than expected and I didn't have my snowshoes. It would have taken a while and I planned to get down to Lees Paddocks. I descended back down to the Pelion Plains. I couldn't find my muddy puddle on the way back even with my tracks to guide me. It looked like all the others. 

Mt Pillinger over Reedy Lake

The walk down to Lees Paddocks was fantastic. I enjoyed a brief stop at Reedy Lake to enjoy the views towards Mount Pillinger. I also thoroughly enjoyed walking along the cascading creek through the forest just before Lees Paddocks. In the evening horizontal light it was stunning. I came into the valley around dusk. Lees Paddocks themselves are a storybook scene. I stayed at the hut and slept warmly on a mattress for once. Enjoyed the warmth of the fire and read photocopies of high country hut history. All in all it was a good day.

Lees Paddocks

August 14 - Lees Paddocks to Lake Rowallan
Tuesday was food drop day. I followed the muddy track along the Mersey River in overcast weather until I reached the road near Pine Hut. It was raining when I followed the road down to the shores of Lake Rowallan and found my parcel hanging from a tree. I enjoyed an apple, orange and a can of coke before lugging my food back to camp near the suspension bridge over the Mersey. It was the 9th day since I'd headed out.

Oxlex Falls

August 15 - Lake Rowallan to Dixons Kingdom I crossed the Mersey Wednesday and had the boring task of following the forestry roads up to the Walls of Jerusalem track head. I dislike walking on roads and my contempt has gotten worse since I've been living in Tasmania. There are so many amazing walking tracks here gravel roads have become hard to enjoy. Particularly forestry roads with thick scrub or felling along the edges. There is not much to look at. On the other hand the walking track into the Walls was awesome. 
I ascended in heavy rain up to Trappers Hut for lunch. I sat in the hut and cooked up some excess food supplies for an hour and when I emerged it was snowing instead. The walk past Solomon's Jewels and on into the walls was stunning. Fresh snow covered only the west side of trees and rocks and gave everything an unreal fairytale appearance. Walking past Herrods Gate the views became even more spectacular. It was at this point I needed my snowshoes. I passed through Damascus Gate and followed old snow tracks through the forest to Dixon's Kingdom where I spent the night in the company of a couple of Hobart lads.

Solomons Jewels

August 16 - Rest Day
I spent the following day resting and enjoying the surrounds of Dixon's Kingdom. The weather wasn't great but it was more likely fatigue that prevented me from climbing any peaks. Nonetheless I spent the day in the company of a mob of wallabies and the ancient pines and the scene really impressed on me the unique strangeness and beauty of Tassie. It is a remarkable place and sometimes it just makes me laugh with amusement.

Dixon's Kingdom

August 17 - Dixons Kingdom to Lake Meston via Lake Ball 
I wandered down hill through the forests to the shallow shores of Lake Ball on Friday. I stayed west of Jaffa Vale to avoid walking in the snow covered scrub and also stay above the creeks as they converge on the lake. I passed the hut at Lake Ball with decommissioned fireplace and resident possum. I then moved on to the larger Lake Adelaide. It took me a couple of hours to leave its shores and reach Lake Meston and a beautiful campsite. A bit further on was the Lake Meston Hut where I slept on a warm mattress.

Lake Meston Hut

August 18 - Lake Meston to Junction Lake
The following morning I moved on again to Junction Lake. It was easy walking along Lake Meston and then along the Mersey River.  I lost the track in sphagnum moss and followed a wombat track by mistake. It was easy enough to refind the route once I actually bothered to reference a map. I spent a lazy afternoon at Junction Lake. There is a fantastic campsite above the lake but once again I chose a warm mattress in the hut. The birdsong in the afternoon in the scrub by the Mersey was a highlight. The huts of this area strike me as peculiar. They are built using traditional methods but were only erected in the late 60's early 70's which to me seems quite young. The Huts are also quite badly covered in graffiti and engravings and it seems a shame some people want to lay claim to them in this way. 

Clarke Falls

August 19th - Junction to Overland via Mersey River
I headed out from the hut at Junction Lake at 8am. It was a bright sunny day and everything was well and truly frozen. The early morning view across Junction Lake and then on to the Mersey was stunning. Clarke Falls was absolutely pumping through the thin 1m slot at the top and it was hard to get a photo without the lens getting showered in mist. I followed the side of the Mersey through forest and grassy stretches. The pad peters out after a while and I chose my own route on various animal tracks avoiding thick scrub. I ended up crossing the Mersey just after a grassy plain with a spring bubbling out a grass tussock. This was overlooked by what I presume is "Feather Falls" cascading straight off the top of a cliff.
The crossing was done on submerged logs in slightly hazardous fashion. I stripped down to just my pants despite the frosty water, stuffed my clothes in my bag and waded out to the first of three logs which lay across the river. It was up to my waist standing on the logs and was much deeper in the main flow of water and the river was pulling quite strongly. It ended up being a fairly easy crossing nonetheless and the opposite bank was sunnier which was nice. I headed on and eventually picked up a strong track following the bank of the river. It was intermittent in places but I was at McCoy Falls around 12pm. It was obviously also quite spectacular after recent rain and melting snow.

Hartnett Falls

I made Hartnett Falls at 1pm and took in the view and tried to get some photos. My camera was fogged up from the mist of the previous two and all my shots were coming out rainbows. I had lunch at the track junction with the overland track and weighed up wether to go to Windy Ridge or Kia Ora. I chose Kia Ora and stopped in on the strangely leaning Ducane Hut on the way. I spent the evening by the warm coal fire. What a great way to end a magic day exploring the Mersey River.

Ducane Hut

August 19 - Kia Ora to Windy Ridge
On the Monday  I considered re-visiting Ossa or Pelion East but it was miserable weather and I headed south towards Bert Nichols. I hoped to make Pine Valley but I tripped about a half hour from Bert's hut and rolled my ankle. It hurt enough for me to rest up for half a day. And what a hut to rest at. It is an enormous cavernous building considering its wilderness location. Not actually the best place for a solo traveler but impressive nonetheless. I was feeling kind of lazy anyway so relaxed and sat by the fire. At some point I managed to melt a hole in the gas line on my stove. This proved to be costly.

Hole in gas line

August 20 - Windy Ridge to Narcissus via Pine Valley
Despite the comfort of the hut I was restless and decided to bail out around 11.50pm. I just could not sleep so considering the quality or the track and ease of navigation a decided on a bit of night walking. My ankle was fine and the Overland track was way more interesting at night then day. It was fun crossing the cable bridge and the Pines and Pandanis along the track were spectacular even in the torchlight. I got in to Pine Hut in the wee early hours. I slept until 9am.
Tuesday was another miserable day and my motivation to explore Pine Valley was low. Rock scrambling up the snow covered Acropolis was uninviting, and heading further in to the valley in miserable weather was a bit on the boring side. I was also disheartened by the stove problem. I was able to cook without eruptions with the cylinder leak placed below the stove but was rapidly running out of gas. I decided to beat a retreat towards Narcissus at 11am. I arrived at 3pm to the nice old hut. There was another hiker staying the night who was worthy of a chat and the Narcissus camp is a lovely spot.

Lake St Clair boardwalk

August 21 - Narcissus to Lake St Clair visitor centre
Wednesday I headed out at 4am after another restless night.  I watched the sunrise through the trees on the shore of Lake St Clair. I eagerly marched to Echo Point for a rest and a bite to eat before eventually walking in to the Visitor Centre. I have to admit I was pretty buggered by this stage and the ranger that I hitched a ride out of the park with nearly three weeks earlier had to chase me down to get me to sign the book. I must have looked like an arse but all I wanted to do was get into my ute and grab a feed from the Hungry Wombat!

Mt Oakleigh from New Pelion verandah

It was a pretty good walk all in all. The pros were that I got a great feel for a lot of the area and got to take my time and really experience it. I also got a taste of the winter weather of the Central Highlands with blue skies, rain and snow in equal measures. I got up Cradle and Ossa in snowshoes which was great, as well as much of the Overland and Walls in the same fashion.  I also now have the experience to make the most of some sections of the park.
I can't help but feel I could have done a lot more in places. I felt tired and hungry in places where if I had felt enthused I could have done more exciting stuff. Because of food, transport logistics, equipment failure I was limited in my decisions. Short sharp trips could see me get into places like the Pelions or Pine Valley and make the best of it. That being said you've got to be in it to win it and I had some great days spent walking the Overland and Walls of Jerusalem.