The Walls of Jerusalem

The Pool of Bethesda with Solomons Throne behind on a lovely day at The Walls of Jerusalem National Park.
Jaffa Vale in The Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Those trees are Pencil Pine, a close relative of the King Billy Pine. The park has some of the largest remaining stands of these ancient trees in Tasmania.
King Davids Peak and Lake Salome. This little valley is how most people get into The Walls of Jerusalem and in fact is the only part of the national park they visit. A pity because there is a lot more worth seeing.
King Davids Peak. If the weather is good it's worth the effort to traverse along the top of The West Wall from King Davids Peak to Solomons Throne and then head down to Damascus Gate and come back along the valley.
Solomons Throne from Damascus Vale.
Camp site. A lovely mild still day on Lake Adelaide in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania.
The shores of Lake Adelaide in The Walls of Jerusalem National Park.
The Pool of Siloam in The Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania.
Another view of The Pool of Bethesda in The Walls of Jerusalem.
Solomons Throne. This photo was taken from The West Wall on the short walk over from King Davids Peak.
The view from King Davids Peak in The Walls of Jerusalem National Park.

The Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania is one of those easy walks that you can always make more challenging if you have a mind to. Most people just take the short walk from the car park and stay in Wild Dog Creek - the big camp site just outside the walls themselves, near King Davids Peak. A lot of people just day walk in. It is a large park and rather remote with a lot of great walks. The actual Walls of Jerusalem are only a tiny part of the whole park and it is even bigger if you count Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park on its western border. 

One day I will write a proper track guide for the trip that takes you from the Mersey Forest Road car park, where every body leaves their car to visit The Walls of Jerusalem, across to The Overland Track via Lees Paddocks Track. From there you just travel down The Overland Track and then come back into The Walls of Jerusalem via the banks of the Mersey River and the Never Never. You can see some photos of that trek in the photo gallery entitled "The Rest of Tasmania". Just click here.

I have been told (and looking at the map I can believe it) that from the top of Mount Jerusalem you can see four thousand lakes. All the water every where gives it a unique character. Because it is already  on the Central Plateau there aren't really any significant mountains to climb. Just lakes, ridges and hills. Unlike a lot of places in Tasmania it is relatively easy to just wander around with out the benefit of a track in some places at least. There are also large stands of very ancient Pencil Pine to be seen. But do be prepared because it is very high and like all of Tasmania the weather can turn very vicious very quickly and apart from the walls themselves there are only rough or non existent tracks.

It is a fuel stove only area and stay on the track when within the walls themselves. You are also not able to camp within the actual Walls of Jerusalem. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but the waters of the lakes are utterly pristine and pure. Make sure they stay that way and be very careful of where you poo and that you bury it properly.