Bushwalk Australia

Hi guys wondering if someone can advise if Mersey Forrest Rd is open for a walk into Lees next weekend? Believe it was closed recently due to the fires so thought I would ask

Thx

Haydyn

Current advice is that all roads and many tracks are open although there are still hotspots in some areas around the state. WoJ is still officially closed as are some of the CP tracks.

http://www.fire.tas.gov.au/Show?pageId=colGMapBushfires will get you to TFA's alerts map. Road closures are marked when and where applicable. Or you can try TasPAWS' Road & Track Closure page at http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=7785.
Both pages are updated when necessary.

I spoke today with one of the PWS managers responsible for this area. He said they will have teams out working on the main access areas (incl. Mersey Forest Rd area) this week, checking for potential dangers (fallen or about-to-fall trees; hot-spots; any damaged infrastructure etc). It's a large area, and they will take a while to cover it. But he expects they should have it completed by week's end. I'd conjecture that if they find no major issues, or there's no sudden flare-up of fires, we could expect some or all of the access restrictions to be lifted by next week.

But I emphasise that this is an educated guess: it would be best to check the relevant PWS page before entering this or any other area http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=7785

cheers

Peter

Spoke with the Police last Friday and they confirmed it is still closed.
Spoke with Parks this morning and although they cannot say for sure don't be surprised if it's not open for another few weeks.

This update, from PWS dated March 2nd, looks (perhaps, maybe) a little more optimistic for the Walls/Central Plateau areas.

Walls of Jerusalem National Park / Central Plateau CA
The tracks within the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and many tracks in the Central Plateau CA remain closed because of the ongoing risk to bushwalkers and ongoing fire fighting operations.

Fire crews and specialist contractors are currently assessing the condition and safety of numerous access roads and walking tracks in the area and removing dangerous trees, removing rock falls and stabilising steep embankments. It is expected that this work will be completed by the end of the week and soon after the PWS will be able to open a significant number of walking tracks in the Walls of Jerusalem NP and Central Plateau CA.

Those planning walks there soon can but watch and hope,

cheers

Peter