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Lake St Clair to WOJ via Traveller Range
Tue 02 Apr, 2013 8:28 am
From the 13th to 20th March a group of four from this forum travelled South to North from Lake St Clair to the Walls of Jerusalem.
Some photos are below and others are in the gallery section of the forum
Day 1 Launceston to Lake St Clair
On Tuesday 12th March we travelled to from Launceston to Lake St Clair. It was a warm day with temperatures of 28 degrees. On arrival at Lake St Claire at 4.50pm we obtained our Park Passes and had our last meal in civilisation at the Lake St Clair Cafe. The evening was warm and the skies clear so we thought we were in for an easy start to our trip tomorrow. Whilst the cafe was convenient a lot more could be made of it and it was disappointing that there were no great Tasmanian wines available! The Manager was good to deal with and we continued to encourage him to go local as the location of the cafe is unbeatable in terms of an access point to the Tasmanian wilderness.
Wednesday 13th March - Lake St Claire to Windy Ridge Hut
Overnight a change had moved in bringing with it some strong winds, some passing showers and a welcome drop in temperature – still about 18 degrees. We went to the wharf to await the 9am ferry and Lake St Clair was very choppy due to the high winds. The trip across Lake St Clair was rough and out of about 15 people on the boat we were the only 4 people heading off for a multi-day walk – the rest were day walkers.
Our initial plan was to walk to Du Cane gap then up the Gatepost track to the top of the Traveller Range and camp there overnight. The views were meant to be excellent and we aimed to see both sunset and sunrise from the high camp.
Whilst walking up the valley to Windy Ridge hut it was relatively sheltered but we could hear the high winds on top of the ranges surrounding us. Winds were forecast to be up to 60 km /hr so as we approached Windy Ridge Hut we made the decision to stop for the day and hoped the weather would improve the next day. As we entered the hut there were only a couple of people there and we chose a room where a couple of people were still sleeping – it was about 1pm by this stage!
As the day progressed the hut slowly filled to capacity and then overflowed with a couple of people pitching tents outside and other choosing the dining floor to bed down for the night. There were a lot of Europeans and later a couple of Canadian travellers (father and son) all completing the Overland Track. The fellow asleep in our room decided to get up at some stage later in the day and I noticed he had a fishing rod strapped to his pack. I asked him if he had been fishing and he seemed very vague but responded that he was thinking of travelling to Lake St Clair that day to go fishing but was afraid that he would get his pack wet with the rain! He make the call to go back to sleep and seemed to sleep all day and the night managing to snore non-stop.
Whilst having diner the park ranger came around and started talking with everyone recording the day they had started the Overland Track. We were somewhat wary at this stage as we were not sure how he would feel about us travelling south to north and stopping at the hut. Eventually we explained we had stopped for safety reasons at the hut and explained our intentions, the Ranger took this really well and was understanding of the situation which was a pleasant relief given some of the other stories we had heard.
We decided to have an early night as tomorrow would be a big day – we were planning to make it to Lake Artemis or even further.
None of us had much sleep due to the snoring and an invasion of mice / rats at the hut. During the night there was a constant sound of mice / rats chewing wood, packs and food. We hung our packs up on hooks but many others left their packs on the floor. The mice and rats must have had great hearing as during the night when we heard the sound of chewing we would sit up and at this moment the noise would stop, then continue once we settled down again!
Thursday 14th March - Windy Ridge Hut to Lake Artemis across the Traveller
In the morning we woke early and over breakfast we heard a number of people saying that their packs and food had been broken into by the rats/mice! At least most people were at the end of their trip whereas we were at the beginning and we had imagined al our food being spoilt by mice overnight.
The weather was much better today with only slight winds. We left the hut by 7.50am with the knowledge this would be a big day and possibly the toughest of our entire trip.
We had a great walk to Du Cane Gap and thanks to some advice from other forum members managed to easily find the start of the track up the Du Cane Gap to the Traveller Range. Once off the Overland Track the route up was fairly easy to follow. With heavy packs it was an interesting ascent up 200 metres to the top of the range. At one stage a member of our party slipped and started to slide down a rock face but managed to release his pack and hold onto a few trees to stop himself. The track is fairly steep in some sections but I would prefer to go up it rather than down with full packs.
On making the top of the Traveller Range we had magnificent views to Lake St Clare, the Acropolis and Falling Mountain. The weather on top was cold and still blowy but much better than the day before. We headed easterly on a route towards Lake Metrope, a distance of only about 4.5 km over a direct line.
We were advised to stay north and avoid the scrub filled gullies along the way – staying to the white sections of the topo map. This is easier said than done with some sections being open and easy but many other sections involved navigating around large gullies or simply pushing through the smaller scrub filled gullies. Ultimately we were unable to stay as far north as we would have liked. The walk across the range was good with some excellent views and plenty of nice tarns. The gullies and scrub were annoying but not ultra tough.
We left the top of the Traveller Range at about 10 am and it took us about 4 hours to reach Lake Metrope – longer than we had expected! When nearing the Lake one of our party fell into a tarn that was about a metre deep and this was a signal that we should stop for lunch to recharge the batteries.
Eventually we reached a ridge line overlooking the western end of Lake Metrope and we aimed to travel around the Northern side to pass Lake Eros then cross the creek to the eastern side of Lake Artemis.
The scrub on the Northern side was very, very, very thick and perhaps we took a line too close to the lake shore – it took us about 1.5 hours to travel what would have been only 500 metres!
Eventually we had enough and headed for higher ground but this was thick forest so was only marginally better. We knew the going was tough when a hardened walker in our team who always wears shorts stopped in the thick and put on her long trousers! All our legs had scratches and some trousers were torn by the scrub.
Eventually we broke out of the thick forest and took a more northerly route direct to Lake Artemis over a small rise that by-passed Lake Eros and more thick bush! If we had kept to the shoreline we would have been there for a week!
Finally after a long day we reached the creek draining Lake Artemis and had to cross though more thick scrub to find the Lake Artemis track which once found was fairly easy to follow.
Just before reaching Lake Artemis camp we came across a large tiger snake sunning itself on the track – the leader was startled by the snake and jumped about a metre in the air screaming as he had thought the snake was heading towards him rather than away from us into the bush – it was the only snake we had seen all day and just were not expecting it. I think the snake was just as surprised as us and we both parted company in different directions.
We found a great camp on a finger jutting into Lake Artemis and eventually made camp at 5.30pm. It was a long day and we were all spent! We had a nice wash in the relatively warm lake, a quick dinner and an early night for everyone. We had not seen anyone else all day since leaving Windy Ridge Hut.
Despite the challenges this was one of the most rewarding days of the trip and one that I will remember for some time.
Friday 15th March - Lake Artemis to Lake Meston Hut
We woke fairly early after a 12 hour sleep from the day before. There had been some rain overnight but generally the Artemis camp is sheltered from the high winds that we could hear further up towards the Mountains of Jupiter.
Today we planned to walk to Lake Meston Hut via Junction Lake Hut. We found the Lake Artemis track to be well marked and easy to follow and made good progress to reach Junction Lake Hut in about 1.5 hours. It was an easy walk after the day before and we stopped at Junction Lake Hut to find two other campers who had been fishing for trout the day before. We stopped briefly for morning tea before making our way to Lake Meston Hut arriving there about 1.30pm. The track was easy to follow except for a short section of low lying scrub where we managed to lose the track and had to scout around for a while to find it again.
On the way to Meston we came across two Swiss backpackers – they had reasonable packs but I was not so sure about the long socks being a good substitute for gaiters! They were heading through the Never Never. The couple at Junction Hut had indicated that since the beginning of 2013 there we 90 people registered in log book who were undertaking this route – seems with this amount of traffic a track will be formed by default and that the never never is gaining popularity – a good reason to go via the Traveller Range!
On the way to Meston we came across a small snake on the track – it had nothing on the large tiger we had seen the day before and the 70 cm snake quickly headed for the bush.
We arrived at Lake Meston Hut and were tossing up whether to stay at the Hut or the go on to the Northern end of the lake to camp. We decided to camp at the Hut and have an easy afternoon. We went for a dip in the lake just down from the hut – the water was relatively warm and it was nice to have a wash in the fresh water.
A couple of us slept in the hut and the others in their tents near the hut. A group of five other locals arrived from the Lake Bill Track and they were heading to Junction Lake Hut then on to the Never Never and Leas Paddock. A couple of the guys had been involved in restoring the lake Meston Hut some years ago so it was interesting to chat with them about it.
That night we slept reasonably well and there were only a few mosquitoes around to bother us.
Saturday 16th March - Lake Meston to Dixons Kingdom
Today we aimed to travel past Lake Meston and Adelaide then up to Lake Ball and stay at Dixon’s Kingdom. The forecast was for a lot of rain and snow above 1200 metres later in the day so we got away early for our 14 km walk.
The walk was easy to the end of Lake Adelaide – the track was easy to follow but some sections were slow as it is fairly rocky in places. Overall we make great progress and arrived at Lake Ball hut after 5 hours. The camps at the North end of Meston and the North and South end of Lake Adelaide were excellent and in hindsight we would have been better staying there rather than Meston Hut- as it does not have clear views of the lake.
On reaching the north end of lake Adelaide we started the ascent up towards Lake Ball – the track rises about 180 metres but the short climb is quickly over and provides great views of Lake Adelaide and then towards Lake Ball.
Lake Ball was one of my favourite spots and the walk in towards it provides one of the best vista’s I have seem.
We stopped for lunch at Lake Ball Hut then explored some great camping by the Lake near the hut.
The weather was starting to turn at this stage with the rain commencing so we proceeded up Jaffa Vale to Dixon’s Kingdom arriving about 2pm. This was a relatively easy day’s walk and getting away early made all the difference for a great day.
Knowing the weather was going to come in we set up our tents near the Dixon’s Kingdom Hut and had the newly installed temporary toilets nearby.
As the day progressed the weather and wind started to come in and the wind came roaring in from the west up the valley into Dixon’s Kingdom. Before the trip we had purchased two new MacPac Minaret tents and this was to be a good test for them in these conditions.
That night we cooked our meal in the Dixon’s Kingdom Hut which provided welcome shelter from the wind and rain. Another couple of campers arrived and we shared the hut with them with some funny stories of the trip to date – overall a great night in the wild!
Overnight the snow came in and it was a very windy night with a reasonable fall of snow. This made for an interesting change from the rather mild days and nights we had experienced to date. Overnight the wind absolutely screamed up the valley from the west buffeting the tents but they held out well and dealt with the snow easily!
Sunday 17th March - Dixons Kingdom to Temple and Mt Jerusalem
After a cold night we had a slow start and after breakfast climbed to the summit of Mount Jerusalem. It was a great walk and there was still snow on the ground with an icy wind from the west. On reaching the summit we saw a group of school girls aged 17 years coming up to the summit – they were great girls with plenty of spirit for the outdoors! With our layers of clothes on I was surprised to see one of the girls with just shorts – they must build them tough in Hobart!
In the afternoon we returned to Dixon’s Kingdom for lunch then climbed Temple in the afternoon – nothing too taxing but a really nice day in the cold and some great views on top of the peaks.
Monday 18th March - Dixons Kingdom to Wild Dog Creek
We packed up camp and headed for Wild Dog Creek camp. On the way we stopped and climbed King David’s Peak and Solomon’s Throne travelling across the west wall between the two peaks – this was a great walk and from the base of the Throne took us 4 hours return to the summit of King David’s Peak – we were in no hurry.
We had some great views through to Cradle Mountain and then south to Ossa and Lake St Claire – the whole of the Overland Track was in front of us.
Based on forum member reports I was not expecting much of Wild Dog Creek camp but we were pleasantly surprised with the site – some nicely located platforms with running water on tap and toilets.
We arrived mid afternoon and had a great last night – very mild with a great sunset at this location.
Plenty of wallabies and a few opportunistic leaches made for a great last night in the Walls.
The camp was quiet with only 4 other people at Wild Dog – 2 others going solo and then an English couple.
Tuesday 20th March - Wild Dog Creek to WoJ car Park
It was a cold clear night and we woke early with icy platforms and board walks. As we left camp the day became warmer and we had a great day leaving the park to arrive at the WoJ car park for our bus pick up at lunch time.
I was glad we were travelling downhill to the car park as the climb up with a full pack would have taken a bit more time. We made it to the car park in 2.5 hours at an easy pace.
My final thoughts
Overall we had a great trip and one I will always remember. The highlights were the trip over the Traveller and the Walls area itself – this is some of the best Tassie has to offer!
As an aside we had booked our bus transport with Mountain Bike Tasmania - I can say that there service was excellent and very reliable – so thanks Ian for making this part of the trip run smoothly.
Tasmania is one of the best bushwalking locations in Australia – it offers everything you can hope for great scenery, challenging terrain and weather, remoteness but plenty of water!
The trip is often defined by the people that you travel with and I was fortunate to do this trip with a close friend and two other members of this forum who we had not met before the trip. We all got along really well and complemented each other throughout the trip. Andrew, Steve, Vicky - thanks for sharing this great experience!
Some photos are below and others are in the gallery section of the forum
Day 1 Launceston to Lake St Clair
On Tuesday 12th March we travelled to from Launceston to Lake St Clair. It was a warm day with temperatures of 28 degrees. On arrival at Lake St Claire at 4.50pm we obtained our Park Passes and had our last meal in civilisation at the Lake St Clair Cafe. The evening was warm and the skies clear so we thought we were in for an easy start to our trip tomorrow. Whilst the cafe was convenient a lot more could be made of it and it was disappointing that there were no great Tasmanian wines available! The Manager was good to deal with and we continued to encourage him to go local as the location of the cafe is unbeatable in terms of an access point to the Tasmanian wilderness.
Wednesday 13th March - Lake St Claire to Windy Ridge Hut
Overnight a change had moved in bringing with it some strong winds, some passing showers and a welcome drop in temperature – still about 18 degrees. We went to the wharf to await the 9am ferry and Lake St Clair was very choppy due to the high winds. The trip across Lake St Clair was rough and out of about 15 people on the boat we were the only 4 people heading off for a multi-day walk – the rest were day walkers.
Our initial plan was to walk to Du Cane gap then up the Gatepost track to the top of the Traveller Range and camp there overnight. The views were meant to be excellent and we aimed to see both sunset and sunrise from the high camp.
Whilst walking up the valley to Windy Ridge hut it was relatively sheltered but we could hear the high winds on top of the ranges surrounding us. Winds were forecast to be up to 60 km /hr so as we approached Windy Ridge Hut we made the decision to stop for the day and hoped the weather would improve the next day. As we entered the hut there were only a couple of people there and we chose a room where a couple of people were still sleeping – it was about 1pm by this stage!
As the day progressed the hut slowly filled to capacity and then overflowed with a couple of people pitching tents outside and other choosing the dining floor to bed down for the night. There were a lot of Europeans and later a couple of Canadian travellers (father and son) all completing the Overland Track. The fellow asleep in our room decided to get up at some stage later in the day and I noticed he had a fishing rod strapped to his pack. I asked him if he had been fishing and he seemed very vague but responded that he was thinking of travelling to Lake St Clair that day to go fishing but was afraid that he would get his pack wet with the rain! He make the call to go back to sleep and seemed to sleep all day and the night managing to snore non-stop.
Whilst having diner the park ranger came around and started talking with everyone recording the day they had started the Overland Track. We were somewhat wary at this stage as we were not sure how he would feel about us travelling south to north and stopping at the hut. Eventually we explained we had stopped for safety reasons at the hut and explained our intentions, the Ranger took this really well and was understanding of the situation which was a pleasant relief given some of the other stories we had heard.
We decided to have an early night as tomorrow would be a big day – we were planning to make it to Lake Artemis or even further.
None of us had much sleep due to the snoring and an invasion of mice / rats at the hut. During the night there was a constant sound of mice / rats chewing wood, packs and food. We hung our packs up on hooks but many others left their packs on the floor. The mice and rats must have had great hearing as during the night when we heard the sound of chewing we would sit up and at this moment the noise would stop, then continue once we settled down again!
Thursday 14th March - Windy Ridge Hut to Lake Artemis across the Traveller
- The Acropolis at dawn
In the morning we woke early and over breakfast we heard a number of people saying that their packs and food had been broken into by the rats/mice! At least most people were at the end of their trip whereas we were at the beginning and we had imagined al our food being spoilt by mice overnight.
The weather was much better today with only slight winds. We left the hut by 7.50am with the knowledge this would be a big day and possibly the toughest of our entire trip.
We had a great walk to Du Cane Gap and thanks to some advice from other forum members managed to easily find the start of the track up the Du Cane Gap to the Traveller Range. Once off the Overland Track the route up was fairly easy to follow. With heavy packs it was an interesting ascent up 200 metres to the top of the range. At one stage a member of our party slipped and started to slide down a rock face but managed to release his pack and hold onto a few trees to stop himself. The track is fairly steep in some sections but I would prefer to go up it rather than down with full packs.
On making the top of the Traveller Range we had magnificent views to Lake St Clare, the Acropolis and Falling Mountain. The weather on top was cold and still blowy but much better than the day before. We headed easterly on a route towards Lake Metrope, a distance of only about 4.5 km over a direct line.
We were advised to stay north and avoid the scrub filled gullies along the way – staying to the white sections of the topo map. This is easier said than done with some sections being open and easy but many other sections involved navigating around large gullies or simply pushing through the smaller scrub filled gullies. Ultimately we were unable to stay as far north as we would have liked. The walk across the range was good with some excellent views and plenty of nice tarns. The gullies and scrub were annoying but not ultra tough.
- Across the Traveller
We left the top of the Traveller Range at about 10 am and it took us about 4 hours to reach Lake Metrope – longer than we had expected! When nearing the Lake one of our party fell into a tarn that was about a metre deep and this was a signal that we should stop for lunch to recharge the batteries.
Eventually we reached a ridge line overlooking the western end of Lake Metrope and we aimed to travel around the Northern side to pass Lake Eros then cross the creek to the eastern side of Lake Artemis.
The scrub on the Northern side was very, very, very thick and perhaps we took a line too close to the lake shore – it took us about 1.5 hours to travel what would have been only 500 metres!
Eventually we had enough and headed for higher ground but this was thick forest so was only marginally better. We knew the going was tough when a hardened walker in our team who always wears shorts stopped in the thick and put on her long trousers! All our legs had scratches and some trousers were torn by the scrub.
Eventually we broke out of the thick forest and took a more northerly route direct to Lake Artemis over a small rise that by-passed Lake Eros and more thick bush! If we had kept to the shoreline we would have been there for a week!
Finally after a long day we reached the creek draining Lake Artemis and had to cross though more thick scrub to find the Lake Artemis track which once found was fairly easy to follow.
Just before reaching Lake Artemis camp we came across a large tiger snake sunning itself on the track – the leader was startled by the snake and jumped about a metre in the air screaming as he had thought the snake was heading towards him rather than away from us into the bush – it was the only snake we had seen all day and just were not expecting it. I think the snake was just as surprised as us and we both parted company in different directions.
We found a great camp on a finger jutting into Lake Artemis and eventually made camp at 5.30pm. It was a long day and we were all spent! We had a nice wash in the relatively warm lake, a quick dinner and an early night for everyone. We had not seen anyone else all day since leaving Windy Ridge Hut.
Despite the challenges this was one of the most rewarding days of the trip and one that I will remember for some time.
Friday 15th March - Lake Artemis to Lake Meston Hut
We woke fairly early after a 12 hour sleep from the day before. There had been some rain overnight but generally the Artemis camp is sheltered from the high winds that we could hear further up towards the Mountains of Jupiter.
Today we planned to walk to Lake Meston Hut via Junction Lake Hut. We found the Lake Artemis track to be well marked and easy to follow and made good progress to reach Junction Lake Hut in about 1.5 hours. It was an easy walk after the day before and we stopped at Junction Lake Hut to find two other campers who had been fishing for trout the day before. We stopped briefly for morning tea before making our way to Lake Meston Hut arriving there about 1.30pm. The track was easy to follow except for a short section of low lying scrub where we managed to lose the track and had to scout around for a while to find it again.
On the way to Meston we came across two Swiss backpackers – they had reasonable packs but I was not so sure about the long socks being a good substitute for gaiters! They were heading through the Never Never. The couple at Junction Hut had indicated that since the beginning of 2013 there we 90 people registered in log book who were undertaking this route – seems with this amount of traffic a track will be formed by default and that the never never is gaining popularity – a good reason to go via the Traveller Range!
On the way to Meston we came across a small snake on the track – it had nothing on the large tiger we had seen the day before and the 70 cm snake quickly headed for the bush.
We arrived at Lake Meston Hut and were tossing up whether to stay at the Hut or the go on to the Northern end of the lake to camp. We decided to camp at the Hut and have an easy afternoon. We went for a dip in the lake just down from the hut – the water was relatively warm and it was nice to have a wash in the fresh water.
A couple of us slept in the hut and the others in their tents near the hut. A group of five other locals arrived from the Lake Bill Track and they were heading to Junction Lake Hut then on to the Never Never and Leas Paddock. A couple of the guys had been involved in restoring the lake Meston Hut some years ago so it was interesting to chat with them about it.
That night we slept reasonably well and there were only a few mosquitoes around to bother us.
- The North end of Meston
Saturday 16th March - Lake Meston to Dixons Kingdom
Today we aimed to travel past Lake Meston and Adelaide then up to Lake Ball and stay at Dixon’s Kingdom. The forecast was for a lot of rain and snow above 1200 metres later in the day so we got away early for our 14 km walk.
The walk was easy to the end of Lake Adelaide – the track was easy to follow but some sections were slow as it is fairly rocky in places. Overall we make great progress and arrived at Lake Ball hut after 5 hours. The camps at the North end of Meston and the North and South end of Lake Adelaide were excellent and in hindsight we would have been better staying there rather than Meston Hut- as it does not have clear views of the lake.
On reaching the north end of lake Adelaide we started the ascent up towards Lake Ball – the track rises about 180 metres but the short climb is quickly over and provides great views of Lake Adelaide and then towards Lake Ball.
Lake Ball was one of my favourite spots and the walk in towards it provides one of the best vista’s I have seem.
We stopped for lunch at Lake Ball Hut then explored some great camping by the Lake near the hut.
The weather was starting to turn at this stage with the rain commencing so we proceeded up Jaffa Vale to Dixon’s Kingdom arriving about 2pm. This was a relatively easy day’s walk and getting away early made all the difference for a great day.
Knowing the weather was going to come in we set up our tents near the Dixon’s Kingdom Hut and had the newly installed temporary toilets nearby.
As the day progressed the weather and wind started to come in and the wind came roaring in from the west up the valley into Dixon’s Kingdom. Before the trip we had purchased two new MacPac Minaret tents and this was to be a good test for them in these conditions.
That night we cooked our meal in the Dixon’s Kingdom Hut which provided welcome shelter from the wind and rain. Another couple of campers arrived and we shared the hut with them with some funny stories of the trip to date – overall a great night in the wild!
Overnight the snow came in and it was a very windy night with a reasonable fall of snow. This made for an interesting change from the rather mild days and nights we had experienced to date. Overnight the wind absolutely screamed up the valley from the west buffeting the tents but they held out well and dealt with the snow easily!
Sunday 17th March - Dixons Kingdom to Temple and Mt Jerusalem
After a cold night we had a slow start and after breakfast climbed to the summit of Mount Jerusalem. It was a great walk and there was still snow on the ground with an icy wind from the west. On reaching the summit we saw a group of school girls aged 17 years coming up to the summit – they were great girls with plenty of spirit for the outdoors! With our layers of clothes on I was surprised to see one of the girls with just shorts – they must build them tough in Hobart!
- Snow at Dixons
- Temple towards West Wall
In the afternoon we returned to Dixon’s Kingdom for lunch then climbed Temple in the afternoon – nothing too taxing but a really nice day in the cold and some great views on top of the peaks.
Monday 18th March - Dixons Kingdom to Wild Dog Creek
We packed up camp and headed for Wild Dog Creek camp. On the way we stopped and climbed King David’s Peak and Solomon’s Throne travelling across the west wall between the two peaks – this was a great walk and from the base of the Throne took us 4 hours return to the summit of King David’s Peak – we were in no hurry.
We had some great views through to Cradle Mountain and then south to Ossa and Lake St Claire – the whole of the Overland Track was in front of us.
Based on forum member reports I was not expecting much of Wild Dog Creek camp but we were pleasantly surprised with the site – some nicely located platforms with running water on tap and toilets.
We arrived mid afternoon and had a great last night – very mild with a great sunset at this location.
Plenty of wallabies and a few opportunistic leaches made for a great last night in the Walls.
The camp was quiet with only 4 other people at Wild Dog – 2 others going solo and then an English couple.
Tuesday 20th March - Wild Dog Creek to WoJ car Park
It was a cold clear night and we woke early with icy platforms and board walks. As we left camp the day became warmer and we had a great day leaving the park to arrive at the WoJ car park for our bus pick up at lunch time.
I was glad we were travelling downhill to the car park as the climb up with a full pack would have taken a bit more time. We made it to the car park in 2.5 hours at an easy pace.
My final thoughts
Overall we had a great trip and one I will always remember. The highlights were the trip over the Traveller and the Walls area itself – this is some of the best Tassie has to offer!
As an aside we had booked our bus transport with Mountain Bike Tasmania - I can say that there service was excellent and very reliable – so thanks Ian for making this part of the trip run smoothly.
Tasmania is one of the best bushwalking locations in Australia – it offers everything you can hope for great scenery, challenging terrain and weather, remoteness but plenty of water!
The trip is often defined by the people that you travel with and I was fortunate to do this trip with a close friend and two other members of this forum who we had not met before the trip. We all got along really well and complemented each other throughout the trip. Andrew, Steve, Vicky - thanks for sharing this great experience!
Re: Lake St Clair to WOJ via Traveller Range
Wed 03 Apr, 2013 10:40 am
Excellent report. I was up that way the following weekend and all the snow had gone from around Dixons but it was still cold! I agree that the camp sites at the head of Lake Meston are far superior to anything around the hut. We also found the track across the Mayfield Plains a little obscure in places. People we met at Dixons mentioned that they saw a platypus in that small creek at the top of Lake Ball. A great area for sure.
K.
K.
Re: Lake St Clair to WOJ via Traveller Range
Sun 07 Apr, 2013 8:48 am
Great report. A walk on my list. Thanks for the tips.
We finished the OLT walking around the lake the day you caught the ferry. Very windy indeed. Nice to have a good cross section of Tassie weather to heighten the experience.
We finished the OLT walking around the lake the day you caught the ferry. Very windy indeed. Nice to have a good cross section of Tassie weather to heighten the experience.
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