Walls of Jerusalem 2020 Part 2
Posted by Patrick Melon
6 day hike
Introduction:
This is the second installment of a 6 day hike in The Walls of Jerusalem. I had spent the first three days in the southern section of the park. Now I had come to the main area of the park which is the most visited and liked. The weather from this point improved markedly right up to the end of the hike. The top temperature in my tent was 30 degrees Centigrade when the sun was out. Hiking on the various trails the temperature was a pleasant 20 degrees with light winds; perfect for walking.
Day 4: Dixons Kingdom, Mt Jerusalem.
I woke up late after a poor night. The sun had come up and the day was beginning well. In fact by lunchtime all my equipment apart from my leather hiking boots had dried out. I was able to survey my camp area (photo above). The boardwalk started at Dixons hut and went about 400 meters north to the Jaffa Gate. The view south shows the east end of Lake Ball from where I had hiked in the previous day. Fresh water was plentiful, although I used water purifying tablets or boiled it. The ground was saturated from the rain over the past two days.
Dixons Kingdom is the most photographed place in the park and that’s why I joined the pack and wandered down to it to get some photos before others arrived. I quote from the Mountain Huts Preservation Society:
“Dixons Kingdom Hut, situated in Jaffa Vale, deep in the heart of the beautiful Walls of Jerusalem National Park, is a favourite landmark, well known to bushwalkers in this area.
The hut was built by Reg Dixon, his young son Bobby, and Harry Donohue in the early 1950s. Having chosen and cleared a site near an ancient stand of pencil pines, Reg, Harry and the young Bobby, cut and dragged pine logs from the nearby forest with the assistance of their draft horses. The result was a log cabin, long and low in appearance, with a shingle roof and a stone and timber chimney. Over the next couple of decades it was used by Reg Dixon and the cattlemen who, every year, drove large numbers of cattle into the Walls for summer grazing, prior to the area being made a National Park.
Reg Dixon leased grazing land in the Walls from 1947 until, in 1972, he surrendered his lease and the area came under the jurisdiction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
In 1987, the Walls of Jerusalem was the location for the filming of ‘The Tale of Ruby Rose’. It was proposed to use Dixons Kingdom Hut as a backdrop and, to this end, several structural alterations and additions were made to the hut. Ultimately, the hut was not used for the film and, in 1998, the services of members of MHPS were used to reinstate the Hut to its original condition, as well as replace the roof which was, by then, in need of significant maintenance.”
You can use the hut but only in an emergency. Inside it looked quite comfortable. A raised sleeping platform that may have accommodated 2-3 people, a shelf for cooking and various notices from PWS with information about the place. The door doesn’t fit that well and I’m sure there would be a few nocturnal visitors looking for food if left unattended. It really is a pleasant and peaceful spot, a great area to come and rest before moving on to climb some of the surrounding peaks.
Dixons inside
View of Mt Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate
After lunch I decided to climb Mt Jerusalem (1459 meters). The Jaffa Gate is only 5 minutes from Dixons Kingdom and it took only 40 minutes to get to the summit. I can imagine in bad weather the hike would take much longer. The track is easy and well marked. There are some tarns on the way up, a pleasant place to pause and admire the views.
Tarns on the way up to the summit of Mt Jerusalem
Mt Jerusalem summit
From the summit you have 360 degree scenic views. To the north and north east, Zion Gate and the line of small lakes that form the Powena Creek line (photo below). There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of thick scrub to impede progress and it looks relatively easy to walk along the creek line towards Lake Ada, Lake Augusta and the eastern access points of the national park.
Powena Creek and the view to the north east of Mt Jerusalem.
From Mt Jerusalem, the Valley of Hinnom (below), The Temple (left), and King Davids Peak (center right), and Lake Salome
Day 5 Dixons Kingdom, Solomons Throne, The Temple
A leisurely start today. Someone had given me a BackCountry freeze dried packet of scrambled egg (5 servings I think) which made for a full breakfast. In fact, I was so full, the walk up to the Damascus Gate was somewhat slow. Today, I decided to do the two other main peaks in the area, Solomons Throne and The Temple. From the Damascus Gate the climb up to Solomons Throne shook off the food induced lethargy. The path up was immaculately placed by PWS. Boardwalk for the first part then large stones carefully placed to give a stairway effect. A traverse left under the cliffs brought me to the final gully, again carefully laid stones makes for a very quick and easy ascent into the summit area.
Scrambled egg, Vegemite and bread for breakfast
On the way to the summit I had clear views over Jaffa Vale down to Lake Ball. Though not so clear from the photo below I could see the small unnamed lake where the pink tape markers trailed off. From this angle you could also see the scattered pencil pine stands which made for easy walking anywhere through this area.
The driver of the bus into The Walls mentioned helpfully that at times he could get a phone signal (Telstra) from Herod’s Gate and from the top of some of the peaks, like Solomons Throne. He also said that other phone carriers would not provide a signal. So after resting I got out my phone switched it on and sure enough got two bars. That was enough to SMS as well as carry a phone conversation. The signal did vary a little but even so I was able to phone my wife (and my daughter) tell her where I was and how things were going.
Solomons Throne looking toward King Davids Peak (left), Lake Salome (center), Mt Ophel (low right of center) and Ephraims Gate (right)
A quick descent to the Damascus Gate then I set off on the not-as-good track up to the Temple. Again the views from the top were superb.
From The Temple looking towards King Davids Peak (center), Herods Gate and Lake Salome (center right). Pool of Bethesda (larger lake below Lake Salome)
By now it was time to get back to Dixons Kingdom cook an evening meal (BackCountry) and get ready for an early departure in the morning to catch the bus from the car park.
Day 6 Dixons Kingdom to The Walls of Jerusalem car park
The pick up at the car park was 12:30 pm. You can’t be late. Miss the bus and I would miss the flight out from Launceston later that day. The Garmin Inreach meant that I could at least text people to let them know if I would be late. This dominated my thoughts both the night before and throughout the walk out. The park ranger thought 1 hour to the camp area at Wild Dog Creek, then 2 – 3 hours at most down to the car park. I had gone over the routine beforehand. Wake up at 6:30 am get away by 7:30 am be at the car park by 11:30 am without rests if necessary. Try as I did, even though I woke up at 6:15 am, I didn’t get away until 7:45 am. The track is mainly boardwalk to Wild Dog campsite and very quick. I did stop off to visit the Pool of Bethesda and stop frequently to photograph, even so it took only an hour to Wild Dog. I tried to phone at Herod’s Gate without success. No Telstra signal today.
Wild Dog Creek valley
After making such good time I decided to stop for breakfast at a small bridged creek 20 minutes after Wild Dog. I probably slowed down too, not wanting to develop blisters by walking too quickly. From here on I was overtaken by several groups who were walking out from Wild Dog Creek. The weather wasn’t great, low cloud and by the looks of it rain was not far away. The path seemed to go on and on, and I started looking at my watch more frequently.
Solomons Jewels
Solomons Jewels came and went. The quality of the track wasn’t as great as in the Walls of Jerusalem itself. It wasn’t hard to follow at all just rocky. From time to time I met parties walking up to Wild Dog Creek campsite. I kept asking each how long had they been walking. I couldn’t get an answer that made sense “One hour”, “not long” etc. All I wanted was to get an idea of what time I would arrive at the car park. Even being specific, “At what time did you leave the car park?” had no effect. Still the same kind of answer. With some was it a kind of “trail machismo”? Namely, that we all think we are faster then we are. One guy I asked how far to Trappers replied a couple of minutes. 10 minutes later I still hadn’t got there. The Junction Lake track junction came and went and finally I got to Trappers Hut.
Trappers Hut
Trappers Hut inside
From Trappers its all down hill and I did make the car park by midday. Plenty of time for the pick up.
A couple of French tourists who had passed me on the way down asked for help with their broken down van in the car park. A flat battery, but an uphill push to turn it around for a bump start. Happily, there were a dozen young Amazons in the car park who were just starting out their hike and who willingly pushed the van to start it. Problem solved. I did get a lift with them to the bottom of the road to meet the bus driver at the Mersey Forest Road where I had been dropped off at the beginning.
Walker registration at carpark entry
I still waited a couple of hours before the bus arrived. We then went further all the way along the road to the Myrtle Track car park to pick up the other group. The rest of the journey was uneventful though the other group wanted to stop in Mole Creek to buy honey from a specialty shop.
Although the Walls of Jerusalem is a very popular hike and many have written up their experiences about it, I enjoyed it very much. I am just sorry I left it so long to do some of it.