Walls of Jerusalem National Park
- For other places with the same name, see Walls of Jerusalem
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Walls of Jerusalem National Park is a national park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania and a UNESCO world heritage site as part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's renowned for the uniqueness and its naturalness, just like Jerusalem itself. The park was also the location of the second episode of the BBC documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs.
Understand
[edit]History
[edit]The park takes its name from the geological features of the park which are thought to resemble the walls of the city of Jerusalem. As a result, most places and features within the park have Biblical references for names, such as Herods Gate, Lake Salome, Solomons Jewels, Damascus Gate, the Pool of Bethesda.
According to local legend, there's a prophet that roams the wilderness, cursing the nations of the walkers who enter the park.
Landscape
[edit]The most prominent feature of the park is King Davids Peak with an elevation of 1,509 metres above sea level, and can be seen in most places, especially at the camping site.
Much of the walking track consists of raised boards, from Wild Dog Creek through to Dixon's Kingdom, with the purpose of protecting the fragile alpine vegetation. Walking tracks elsewhere in the park consist of rock, rocky earth, grassland and marsh.
Flora and fauna
[edit]Climate
[edit]The climate of Walls of Jerusalem National Park is very cold all year around, and very regularly drops to the negatives.
Visitor information
[edit]Get in
[edit]C171 Mersey Forest Road runs right south of the northwestern boundaries of the park. There will then be a turnoff to a 1.5-km gravel road to the Walls of Jerusalem carpark. Avoid travelling at night, since endangered wildlife roam around the roads a lot.
Fees and permits
[edit]
A pass must be bought at the passes parks website.
To enter any national park in Tasmania, you'll need to have a valid park pass to enter the park, which can be found on the Parks Tasmania website. There are numerous passes available, depending on your needs. The fees are up-to-date as of February 2024.
A Daily Pass is usually valid for 24 hours and is usable in all parks, although it does not include access to Cradle Mountain. This is particularly useful if you're going to numerous nearby parks. A pass for your vehicle covers up to 8 occupants; you only need the per-person pass if you arrive outside a vehicle.
- Per vehicle: $44.75.
- Per person (≥5 years): $22.35.
If you stay in Tasmania for a few weeks and want to visit several national parks, the Holiday Pass is valid for up to two months. This also includes Cradle Mountain.
- Per vehicle: $89.50.
- Per person (≥5 years): $44.75.
There is also the Annual Park Pass, which is valid in all parks, including Cradle Mountain.
- $95.30 in general.
- $76.25 for concession holders.
- $38.10 for seniors.
If you only plan to frequently revisit one park for 12 months, it costs $48.70 for a regular adult and $38.95 for concession holders. This excludes Cradle Mountain.
Passes can either be purchased through passes.parks.tas.gov.au, in any national park visitor centre, some travel information centres, onboard Spirit of Tasmania vessels, and Service Tasmania centres.
Get around
[edit]There are no roads in the park, and thus, the only way to get around is by walking. Only walk on the designated path, and do not veer off course.
See
[edit]Along the Walls of Jerusalem multi-day walk
[edit]All the points of interests in this park require you to register. See § Do for details.
- 1 Pool of Bethesda. Unfortunately, you won't find any archeological ruins surrounding this lake, but rather an untouched glacial lake, filled with alpine vegetation, which is much different to the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.
- 2 Solomons Throne. This naturally formed rock somewhat looks like the Throne of Solomon in the Hebrew Bible, except in this throne, there's near vertical cliffs and a vast expanse of wilderness.
- 3 The Temple. A 1446-metre mountain peak that provides some good opportunities for photographers but the views are worth the hike even for non-photographers.
- Herods Gate.
- Damascus Gate.
- 4 Lake Ball.
Mountain peaks
[edit]
- 5 King Davids Peak. The most prominent feature of the national park, and is a popular venue with bushwalkers and mountain climbers. It's also the sixteenth tallest peak in Tasmania. And similar to other features of the park, the mountain is also named after places and people in the bible.
- 6 Mount Jerusalem.
- 7 Mount Ragoona. A mountain with an elevation of 1,336 metres (4,383 ft) above sea level surrounded by four large lakes as well as large nearby visible mountains such as Cathedral Mountain, Mount Pelion East, Walls of Jerusalem, The Acropolis, and Mount Geryon.
Do
[edit]- The Walls of Jerusalem multi-day walk is a 3 to 4 day 43 km loop trail, including the Mt. Jerusalem ascent. It is tough and only advised for those who have lots of prior hiking experience. Registrations must be made, and can be made here. See also: Tasmanian national parks#Wilderness hiking or by calling ☏ +61 3 6165 4254.
- Go Fishing at one of the many lakes in the park.
Buy, eat and drink
[edit]To protect the environment, there are no buildings in the park, and thus, nothing to buy, eat. Everything must be brought from elsewhere, including your own food.
Sleep
[edit]Lodging
[edit]- 1 Dixon Kingdoms Hut. A historic hut, with some stunning views. However, this should not be used as a general place to rest your head, and the same principles as #Trappers Hut apply.
- 2 Trappers Hut, Walls of Jerusalem Track. Has the bare minimum, of just being a shelter. No electricity, or really, anything. Note this should only be used in emergencies. If you think you need to rest your head somewhere and it's too dark, head back to your vehicle, which is a much safer alternative.
Camping
[edit]- 3 Wild Dog Creek Campsite, Walls of Jerusalem Track. This campsite is the only officially designated campsite, and has a sizable amount of campsites. However, they can easily get covered by snow any anytime, particularly during the winter.
Backcountry
[edit]While you are generally free to sleep wherever you want, backcountry camping is generally discouraged by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, with the reasoning of to protect the alpine vegetation.
Stay safe
[edit]- All campfires are banned in this area and thus the entire park is a Fuel Stove Only Area. This is because alpine vegetation is killed by fire; most of the park's native pines were killed by a fire in the early 1960s.
- If you are going to get water from the wild, getting them in either the deep glacial lakes and fast-flowing streams are much more a better option than tank or ground water.
- There are no permanent rangers in this park. You may be on your own at times.
- Do not camp within 200 metres of the Pool of Siloam, or within 15 metres of either of the huts (Dixons Kingdom Hut or Trappers Hut).
- You will need to heavily rely on a compass.
Go next
[edit]- Explore other parks in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
| Mole Creek Karst National Park ← merges with C138 ← | N C171 S | → END |