Suggestions for a 4 day hike in Tassie?

[bushnut]

Hi everyone, a few friends and I would like to do a 4 day hike somewhere in Tassie in early October. All of us are relatively experienced walkers (nothing technical though) and quite fit. We have experience in cold, wet and snowy conditions although we have never been to Tassie. We have all the right gear for tough conditions which has been thoroughly tested (two weeks ago we did a 55km two day trip in the Budawangs in the pouring rain...)

We are going to make it a 4 day long weekend so will fly down from Sydney Thursday night, get going early Friday morning and go straight from the end of the walk back to airport. So as you can imagine we want to maximise time on the track by trying to keep the driving to a minimum.

As we are new to Tassie I was thinking that Walls of Jerusalem might be a good place to start. I was also looking at the Mt Anne Circuit but feel as though we should leave that for another trip once we have some experience in the conditions. What are people's thoughts? Is there anything close to Hobart that might fit the bill?

We want something challenging but also want plenty of reasons to go back!

Any suggestions/ideas are really appreciated. Thanks

[bumpingbill]

The Walls are fantastic, though not exactly close to the airport.

If you wanted to get started early, you could drive Thursday night to Lonford or Deloraine and stay the night. Then you'd be much closer come Friday morning.

Once you've made it up the *&%$#! long-slog up the hill, the world is open to you. Walk through the Walls, scale Mount Jerusalem and spend a few days walking around all the amazing lakes.

I haven't been to Mount Anne, so can't tell you about that. Others will no-doubt! They'll also give you other ideas too.

Hope you guys wash off in the river before getting on the plane!

[north-north-west]

The Walls would be good - plenty of tracked and untracked walking there - but a better fit if you fly into Launnie rather than Hobart.
Moses Creek track, onto the Cathedral Plateau and back, Junction Creek, Meston, Adelaide, into the Central Walls, Jerusalem etc. Leaves a bit of a slog back along the road to get the car but that would only take a couple of hours or so for the fittest unladen person in the group.

You could also take the Arm River Track into New Pelion, use that as a base, and climb a few of the peaks in the area - Oakleigh, Pelion East, Pelion West and Ossa all have tracks, although PW's an awkward rock-hop once up on top. The Pillinger track also peels of from the ART. Or similar from Cynthia Bay to Narcissus - Gould Plateau, Lake Marion, Pine Valley and the Acropolis/Labyrinth tracks, Byron. Also good circuit walks at Cynthia Bay, especially the Rufus/Shadow loop.

Anne's not a place I'd be that keen on at that time of the year, as a rule. October usually means very unsettled weather. Worse than the normal unsettled weather the SW has. You might luck out but you might not, either. Not that any of the higher country would be all that much better. Be prepared for the worst wherever you go.

Closer to Hobart you have the Tasman Peninsula. The Cape Pillar 'circuit' and the coast track are great walking. With the re-routing of the Cape Pillar bit even the windy weather isn't as much of an issue as it used to be although it still gets nasty out on the Blade. But you'd get a very pleasant 4 days out of that.

[bushnut]

Thanks for that...I think the Walls are the way to go. With the short time we have I think its the best option . We wouldnt be able to sit around too long and wait for the weather the clear on Mt Anne.

I think a 'refreshing' dip in a lake would be a must before getting on the plane

[Scottyk]

NNW advice is spot on. At that time of year the Anne circuit is best left alone.
Walls and the Pelion area would be my pick too. A great circuit of a couple days exploring the central Walls area and then walk down to Lake Meston and out, a small walk back along the road will have you back at your car.
Pelion Hut make a great base for peak bagging in the area and in bad weather it is a nice place to retreat to.

[bushnut]

Thanks NNW.

Any particular reason why you would start at Moses and not the other way round? Would it be more of an achievement to get to the Walls area on our last day? My concern about doing it this way is that we might want to hang around the walls area longer and if we have a flight to catch we'd be rushed.

Also what's Lake Myrtle Track like as opposed to Moses?

[johnw]

Thanks NNW.

Any particular reason why you would start at Moses and not the other way round? Would it be more of an achievement to get to the Walls area on our last day? My concern about doing it this way is that we might want to hang around the walls area longer and if we have a flight to catch we'd be rushed.

Also what's Lake Myrtle Track like as opposed to Moses?

The track from Lake Myrtle back down to the Mersey Forest Rd is well defined except across Blizzard Plain from Lake Bill, but it has snow poles through the button grass so nav is not an issue in good visibility. I haven't done Moses Creek but I believe it's less well defined. Don't ask me about the track from Meston to Myrtle. Due to a stuff up (by me) we didn't find it and walked that whole section off track, more or less climbing Mt Rogoona on the way .

[north-north-west]

There's a section of the Moses Creek Tk north of Junction Hut that's vague. It's easier to pick the right line travelling south, and also easier to find your objective if you get off the track.

Where you go does depend on how far and for how long you want to walk each day. It's an easy day into Myrtle if you take that track. Even in winter, you can get up to the lake in the saddle below the Rogoona summit in a single day - and there's some very nice camping up there.

Get the maps, check out where all the tracks go, and decide on your best options. Have a look at Chapman's book too - that talks a bit about the tracks and sidetrips. The off-track walking in that area is mostly easy (Rogoona, the Vales & Gates, the Cathedral Plateau) although the Grail Falls track might be dicey.

[johnw]

there's some very nice camping up there.

Good advice from NNW. Also, if you get there, the campsite at the northern end of Lake Meston is absolutely stunning IMHO.

[bushnut]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the advice/info. I'm going to chat to my mates and start to develop a plan.

[DaveNoble]

there's some very nice camping up there.

Good advice from NNW. Also, if you get there, the campsite at the northern end of Lake Meston is absolutely stunning IMHO.

Except that someone has used the more sheltered campsites there as a toilet!

Dave

[north-north-west]

Without even digging? Yuuuccccchh!

[Nuts]

Good spot for a toilet, should probably also have considered (encompassing traditional use) built fire places at some of the popular locations along those lakes.

With 3 nights I'd go WDC/DKH and then Lk Meston (if there was a particular reason to go that far west), the Walls area being the highlight. Return via Trappers hut (imo. I do tend to treat distances & achievements with a holiday frame of mind )

[north-north-west]

Good spot for a toilet, should probably also have considered (encompassing traditional use) built fire places at some of the popular locations along those lakes.

We want to discourage the use of campfires, not promote it.

[Nuts]

I know, it just doesn't seemed to have worked for that campsite in particular, the one to the east of Lake Adelaide, along the lakes and in the huts on the lakes. Different user groups perhaps.

[johnw]

there's some very nice camping up there.

Good advice from NNW. Also, if you get there, the campsite at the northern end of Lake Meston is absolutely stunning IMHO.

Except that someone has used the more sheltered campsites there as a toilet!

Dave

Disgusting. The location is fairly remote. I would have hoped that anyone prepared to walk there had better ethics.