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Solomons Throne - Walls of Jerusalem National Park
Solomons Throne - Walls of Jerusalem National Park (photograph: Craig Vertigan)
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Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Wild and inspiring alpine landscape.

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FeaturesExpand/Collapse

  • Camping
  • Drinking water
  • Fuel stove only
  • Overnight walk
  • Swimming
  • Toilets
  • World Heritage Area

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About

The jewels of the Walls of Jerusal​em National Park in Tasmania are best discovered in a pair of hiking boots.

Located in the Tasmanian Wilde​rness World Heritage Area, the Walls of Jerusalem is a wild and inspiring alpine park with a labyrinth of highland lakes, craggy mountains and elegant stands of pure pencil pine forests. Its stunning landscape of precipitous dolerite peaks, moraines and tarns are the result of glaciation.

The constantly changing landscape is as unpredictable as it is beautiful and walkers should come prepared, as the weather can shift from one hour to the next. The unique alpine vegetation and clean, crisp air of this remote highland region is sure to invigorate and inspire those with a sense of adventure. 

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The Walls of Jerusalem National Park is spectacular and remote high country, sculpted by glaciers thousands of years ago. Today, water remains an ever-present feature in the numerous lakes, tarns and trickling streams.

With no road access to its boundary, this alpine wonderland is for exploring on foot. The most visited part of the park is inside ‘the Central Walls’, flanked by towering fluted dolerite peaks. To get there from the carpark, follow the initial steep walking track via Trappers Hut to Wild Dog Creek campsite. From hereon, it is a gently undulating landscape, with dolerite peaks guarding an impossibly beautiful alpine garden. Here the gods have played, dropping generous dollops of lime green onto an olive-grey canvas, finishing with delicate strokes of pink, red, orange, gold and white.

From Wild Dog Creek campsite, the main track passes through Herods Gate into the interior Central Walls, and out through Damascus Gate to the charming historic Dixons Kingdom Hut. Side tracks lead to mountain summits.

This is an ancient and fragile landscape. At altitude, and with such cold temperatures, plants grow slowly – and recover more slowly – so please stay on the tracks to minimise your impact.

See Walls of Jerusalem - multiday walk​ for details. Most walkers spend around 3-4 days here, wandering the wilds of the Walls, feeling joyous amongst such magnificence.

The prominent rock type in the park – Jurassic dolerite – forms its striking fluted peaks. These have intruded through a plateau that is older still, from Permian sediments laid down in a shallow sea. Most recently, during a series of Ice Ages, the land took its present form as glaciers carved their route, sculpting and smoothing.

This is harsh country for survival, with frequently freezing temperatures, heavy snowfalls and strong ice-bearing winds. Trees are stunted and conifers replace snow gums at about 1000 metres. Groves of thousand-year-old pencil pines are a precious feature in the park, however tragically many have been destroyed by fire. Elsewhere, herbfields, grasslands and heathlands prevail. Spectacular domes of lime-green and olive-green cushionplants hug the ground. In springtime, scoparia fields bloom crimson, pink, orange, gold and white. And in summer, mountain rockets’ seed capsules fire red. The Walls of Jerusalem puts on a flower show to make gardeners envious and artists reach for their brushes.

Amongst all this, the fauna is surprisingly diverse and abundant, cleverly adapting to the conditions. Wombats, wallabies, pademelons, possums, quolls, devils, echidnas, native rats, long-tailed mice, skinks, snakes, frogs and numerous insects all find food and shelter here. In the lakes and tarns live platypus, anaspides, galaxiids, frogs and burrowing crayfish.

Alpine landscapes are rare in Australia. The Tasmanian high country is one of the most unspoilt alpine areas in the world.

For more information on our wildlife please see Tasmania's wildlife.

Visit our caring for wildlife page for more information on interacting with and protecting our native animals.

Tasmanian Aboriginal people have had, and continue to have, a connection to the country where the Walls of Jerusalem is found. At the time of European arrival, this park was part of the territory of the Big River nation. Aboriginal people used a range of strategies to flourish in this sub-alpine and alpine environment, such as building shelters, using fire to manipulate the landscape, and sustainably managing the finite resources. Aboriginal heritage sites are present throughout the park, and today's community continue to connect with this cultural landscape.

Europeans first arrive in the area in the early 1800s, with the Central Highlands being used as a hiding place for bushrangers. By 1819, grazing licences were awarded and the high country became the domain of stock keepers. Just a decade later, the thousands-of-years-long occupation of this country by Aboriginal people ended, with the remaining Aborigines driven from their homelands by the ever-expanding settlers.

From the mid 1850s, the region was used during summer for cattle grazing, with bush huts and stockyards being built. Hunters and trappers roamed the plateau in winter, with the winter pelts of possum and wallaby superior to that from the lower regions. Trapper Reg Dixon built Dixons Kingdom Hut from local pencil pine in the 1930s. He and wife Elsie lived there from 1946, tending cattle that grazed in the walls.

The name Walls of Jerusalem was first found on an early plan by James Scott, based on his survey of the area in the mid 1800s. From the 1930s-1960s, Reg Hall, a Launceston barrister, made numerous visits to the area, awarding him the title in bushwalking circles as ‘The Weindorfer of the Walls’. Reg named more than a dozen features to continue the biblical theme started by Scott. (Halls Island on Lake Malbena is named for him.) Dick Reed, who helped build the huts at Lake Meston and Junction Lake, also spent considerable time in the area, promoting it’s beauty to others.

The Walls of Jerusalem National Park was proclaimed in 1981 and in 1982 it became part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Walls of Jerusalem National Park map Buy a map from TasMap
 
All walkers should purchase and carry the TASMAP 1:25,000 Walls of Jerusalem National Park Map and Notes​​.​​​

​​There are no roads within the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. 

To get to the start of the main access track into the Walls of Jerusalem, travel by car to Lake Rowallan, via Mole Creek, on the Mersey Forest Road (C171). 

Just after crossing the Fish River there is a turn off to the left onto a gravel road. Follow this road for 1.5km to the Walls of Jerusalem car park. The walking track starts at the registration booth in the main carpark. 

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Where possible, please avoid driving in our reserves at night. You are sharing the roads with our native wildlife, so take it slow and watch out for animals on the road.


​​​​This is a Fuel Stove Only Area. Fires are prohibited. Please see our Fuel Stove Only Areas webpage ​for more information.​​

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​Equipment

The only access to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park is on foot. This park is for self-sufficient, well-equipped and experienced walkers. There are very few facilities. See the Safety section below and also the ​Safety in parks​ web page.

Not sure what to bring? Please check the Walker pack list​ and make sure you have all your food and the essentials.  ​​

Weather forecasts

This is an exposed alpine region. Snow and blizzards can occur at any time of the year – even in summer. Low cloud can reduce visibility to several metres and snow can cover the track making it difficult to follow. The weather can change dramatically within a few hours. 

Current and 7 day forecast information can be found on the Bureau of Meteorology website. Please note all bush walker weather warnings and adjust your plans accordingly. 

Camping

The Walls of Jerusalem National Park has three main camping areas. 

Due to the easily eroded nature of alpine vegetation, especially near water, we ask you to use these formal campsites as a base from which to explore the region. 

Camping within Central Walls (between Herrods Gate and Damascus Gate) is not encouraged. If you must camp elsewhere, avoid areas adjacent to water as these are most easily eroded. Leave no trace​ principles apply. Do not camp outside the designated camping areas or within 15 m of Dixons Kingdom or Trappers Hut.

Water can be collected from lakes, tarns, and streams. Water quality from these sources cannot be guaranteed. Deep lakes and fast-flowing streams, upstream of any campsite, are more likely to provide clean water. In summer there may be no water after Fish River (near the carpark) until you reach Solomons Jewels.  Untreated water is available at Wild Dog campground subject to environmental conditions.  ​

There are three small historic huts that may only be used for emergency shelter: Trappers Hut, Dixons Kingdom Hut and Lake Ball Hut.

The only toilets are at the Walls of Jerusalem main carpark, Wild Dog Creek campsite, Lake Adelaide campsite and Dixons Kingdom campsite.​ To keep this sensitive alpine environment as pristine as possible, and to avoid water contamination, please make every effort to use these toilets. If you need to toilet elsewhere, carefully follow the Leave no​ trace principles​.

Prote​ct our natural resources - please carry out all rubbish.​ 

Please be aware that wildlife can damage tents if your food is not stowed well. Do not feed wildlife.​

There are no permanent rangers present on the track.

​Find out other essential information for visiting Tasmania's parks and reserves on our know before you go section.

​​All walkers should purchase and carry the TASMAP 1:25,000 Walls of Jerusalem National Park Map and Notes.​​

Multi-day walks - safety message​​​​

Multi-day walks are a wonderful way to experience the wilder side of Tasmania, but it is essential that you are adequately equipped before embarking on an overnight adventure. In addition to the items listed for day walks you will need at a minimum: a large waterproof backpack and pack liner, tent (3-4 season rated with inner and outer layer), sleeping bag (rated to at least 0°C for coastal areas and -10°C for alpine areas), sleeping mat, hiking boots, gaiters, fuel stove and fuel, high-energy food, quick-dry walking clothes, toilet trowel, antibacterial gel, PLB (personal locator beacon), map and compass.

For all safety information and a full list of recommended items for all walks, please refer to Safety in parks.

​​​​​Walker safety - alpine walks ​​​​​​ (such as Cradle Mountain, Frenchmans Cap, Walls of Jerusalem, Southwest)

Weather conditions in Tasmania can change quickly and frequently, especially in alpine areas. Snow, rain, wind and sun are all possible at any time of the year, and bushfires can occur between October and March. 

When visiting alpine areas you should include at a minimum, in addition to your basic walking gear, a waterproof jacket with hood and storm front (seam sealed and breathable fabric, Gore-Tex or similar), waterproof over trousers (seam sealed and breathable fabric​​, Gore-Tex or similar), sturdy walking boots and warm clothing (a fleece or woollen jumper, thermal base layers, hat and gloves).

Deaths have occurred when people have been caught unprepared in cold, wet and windy weather. Children, older people and those with an illness or disability are at the greatest risk in such conditions. 

Watch the hypothermia safety video with English subtitles to understand the dangers of being cold and how to be prepared. (Safety video with Chinese subtitles.)

Please observe all track signs – they are provided for your safety. Stay on the formed walking tracks at all times – both for your own safety and to protect the sensitive alpine region.

For more information on pack items and safety, please see Safety in parks.​​​​​

​Where there is no track, ‘fan out’ rather than walking single file. This helps spread the load of walkers’ feet and avoids new tracks being worn by those following you.

Experiences in Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Fishing on the rocks at Friendly Beaches, Freycinet National Park

Tasmania has a wealth of excellent inland and ocean fishing locations where you can cast your line.

Statewide

Fishing

Tasmania has a wealth of excellent inland and ocean fishing locations where you can cast your line.

Read more
3 days - flexible, 23km circuit, Grade 4

Explore Tasmania’s spectacular high country with a walk in the Walls of Jerusalem. Here, dolerite peaks guard picturesque alpine valleys, groves of ancient pencil pine forests, and myriad lakes and tarns.

Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls of Jerusalem multi-day walk

Explore Tasmania’s spectacular high country with a walk in the Walls of Jerusalem. Here, dolerite peaks guard picturesque alpine valleys, groves of ancient pencil pine forests, and myriad lakes and tarns.

3 days - flexible, 23km circuit, Grade 4
Read more

Accommodation

Stay Overnight

  • Walls of Jerusalem overnight walker camping

Overnight walking and camping in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.

Bookings and more info

Walls of Jerusalem overnight walker camping

Gallery

Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Pencil pines (Athrotaxis cupressoides), Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Pencil pines (Athrotaxis cupressoides), Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Dixons Hut - Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Dixons Hut - Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walker on track, Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walker on track, Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls of Jerusalem

Walls of Jerusalem