Lake Myrtle to Cloister Lagoon...is there a track?

[RobinRedbreast]

Does anyone know if there is a rough track leading all the way from Lake Myrtle (western side) to join the Junction Lake/Cloister Lagoon track? I followed a track which was marked by cairns for about 30 minutes or so from lake myrtle in that direction when camped at Myrtle a couple of summers ago but wondered whether the track goes all the way. If possible I was thinking of walking in a loop to Lake Bill, Myrtle, Cloister Lagoon, Junction Lake and then return via Lake Meston back to Lake Myrtle over 3 or 4 days.

[corvus]

G'day RobinRedbreast,
I suspect the Cairned track you found was the start/end of the Jacksons Creek track which meets up with the Moses Creek track.
According to a friend of mine(experirenced SES search and rescue person) the scrub which includes Horizontal is horrendous between Myrtle and Cloister so I do not believe there is a pad/track .
corvus

[Ent]

Hi

Having done that wander there is not a track as such that we found but with judicious use of the latest Tasmap that the off track walking is straightforward and open across the top but care needs to be taken in dropping off the high plateau down to the Moses Creek track as only a few "weak" points in the terrain exist. Even then the way we went was rather steep but it was in heavy snow. What we did was follow the Jackson Creek Track up the hill and then strike out towards Cloister Lagoon but came in before them. As Corvus mentions the Jackson Creek Track joins up at the walker registration booth of the Moses Creek Track. It makes a great loop to head to Junction Lake via the Moses Creek Track and then come back by Meston to Lake Myrtle and up over the Jackson Creek Track. The only ground that you will retrace is from the registration booth to the road.

Cheers.

[RobinRedbreast]

Thanks for that advice corvus and Ent - it might save us some scrub-bashing off track. I did some searching online last night and had come to the conclusion that the track we followed must have been the Jackson track. We walked the Moses creek track from Junction lake end about 8 years ago having started at the Walls and I remember it was not very clearly marked, quite overgrown and the start took some finding. Is it still like that? We are also thinking of heading up towards Lake Artemis and the Mountains of Jupiter from Junction Lake. I remember there being a track there many years ago - do you happen to know if it is still marked from Junction?Any idea of the walking time from Junction to Artemis? Is there an obvious place to access the Mountains of Jupiter from near Lake Artemis?

[corvus]

G'day RobinRedbreast,
Ent has just been up to Artemis and beond so he will be able to give you the latest state of that track(years since I have been up there) I believe the track up to the lake is not real flash?
corvus

[Ent]

Hi

I will up load the tracks to OSM so you can check them out. The Moses Creek Track can be "misplaced" but once you know the way or have a GPS plot not too hard.

Artemis as Corvus said is a bit scrubby and slippery underfoot but well marked by cains. It petters out at Lake Eros after that you are in scrub heaven and need navigation skills.

Cheers

[greyim]

Ent can you pm osm please?

[Son of a Beach]

Moved to the "Tasmania" forum, because it is a query and not a trip report or track notes.

[Ent]

Hi

The refined Moses Creek Track is now up on OSM to Junction Lake. Next step is the path up to Lake Artemis which computer willing will be Thursday. After that point no clear track exist so off track navigation is required.

Cheers

[RobinRedbreast]

Thanks for all the responses. Did the walk last weekend. The track to Lake Artemis was quite easy to find....much easier in fact than the Moses Creek track. We met 4 parties at Junction Lake who had come in Moses Creek and all had lost the track at some point and spent a lot of time finding it again. I thought maybe we would be better off doing the reverse and we were fine until one of the small lakes between Cloister Lagoon and Chapter Lake. We were following a clear track that just suddenly disappeared. It meant scrub bashing through dense tea tree for a while but eventually we stumbled across the track again.....no idea where we went wrong. Obviously lots of other people had done the same thing and must have all scrub bashed their way on via slightly different routes.

[Ent]

Hi Robinredbreast

Finally have the "correct" track uploaded to OSM for the Moses Creek Track. Tasmap's location of it could best be described a vague. Once you know the way it is very straightforward but without OSM it as mentioned can be easy to lose and hard to find. Trouble is you can be a few metres off it and be into some serious bushbashing.

Agree that once you find the start of the Artemis Track it is well marked. We lost it at Lake Eros and then found a pad with cairn up high overlooking Lake Eros but then it was off track to Mount Spurling.

Cheers

[dplanet]

Thanks for all the responses. Did the walk last weekend. The track to Lake Artemis was quite easy to find....much easier in fact than the Moses Creek track. We met 4 parties at Junction Lake who had come in Moses Creek and all had lost the track at some point and spent a lot of time finding it again. I thought maybe we would be better off doing the reverse and we were fine until one of the small lakes between Cloister Lagoon and Chapter Lake. We were following a clear track that just suddenly disappeared. It meant scrub bashing through dense tea tree for a while but eventually we stumbled across the track again.....no idea where we went wrong. Obviously lots of other people had done the same thing and must have all scrub bashed their way on via slightly different routes.

... so i was not only the one with the Moses Creek track experience. Feel a bit better and will try it again.

[dplanet]

Hi Robinredbreast

Finally have the "correct" track uploaded to OSM for the Moses Creek Track. Tasmap's location of it could best be described a vague. Once you know the way it is very straightforward but without OSM it as mentioned can be easy to lose and hard to find. Trouble is you can be a few metres off it and be into some serious bushbashing.

Agree that once you find the start of the Artemis Track it is well marked. We lost it at Lake Eros and then found a pad with cairn up high overlooking Lake Eros but then it was off track to Mount Spurling.

Cheers

Good work. Has been on my "to do list".