by Linda

Well, finally the much anticipated ‘Walls of Jerusalem’ trip has come around! After so much preparation and excitement, nothing was going to put a restraint on this trip, not even the weather prediction of possible snow and rain that seem to dominate the weather channels and apps!

Clare, our Diamonds Coach has kept us motivated and excited all this time with her enthusiasm and patience, listening and responding to all our worries with confidence and humour - I always felt informed and safe with you as our coach leading up to, during and after the walk! THANKYOU!

Sunday 27th November/Monday 28th November, 2022

I was lucky to arrive one day early in Launceston, Tasmania and set about exploring ‘Cataract’ Gorge before catching the first of our group to arrive at the hotel, Kerrie. Together we then made our way to the compulsory information and gear check meeting. We met one of our guides, who went through our gear in absolute detail as the rest of the group trickled in from delayed flights from Sydney.

With local guide, Jess satisfied that we all had the appropriate equipment for Tassies’ unpredictable weather we set off back to the hotel in Launceston and dinner! This a wonderful opportunity to meet everyone over delicious food and a glass of wine! It was a great sign that this trip was going to be challenging but fun!

Tuesday 29th November

We all were ready for pick up at 8am, meeting our other guide, ‘Stax’ (pronounced Stac, short for Stacey) loaded our packs and then we were off - stopping in Deloraine for a much-needed coffee and ham and cheese croissant on the way then to the start of the WoJ (Walls of Jerusalem).

Final gear check, food allocation, and briefing from Jesse and Stax, loaded our HEAVY packs to climb the 7km to ‘Wild Dog Camp’. This was tough, with up to 18kg in the pack and a relentless ‘up’ we were really, really pleased to reach camp in the afternoon. Despite the physically tough day we all were excited, and pitched our tents on purpose-built tent platforms amid lots of laughter before making our way to the ‘mess’ tent where Jesse and Stax had prepared a delicious ‘Laksa’ for dinner!

It was so satisfying to crawl into my warm sleeping bag that night, tummy full and feeling myself begin to immerse in the magnificent environment we were so lucky to be in.

Wednesday 30th November

I think we all woke early this morning, like 5 am, after a restorative sleep The anticipation of the day was palpable even though it was cold and somewhat overcast. Jesse and Stax reminded us that we did not need to take a full pack today (YAY!) but needed to have enough water, food and protective, warm clothing which we all achieved quickly, leaving camp at 8am bound for Mount Jerusalem after breakfast.

Following the designated board track (put in place to protect the sensitive environment), as we climbed up over the saddle with ancient rock ‘walls’ surrounding us there was so much to see, the flora…for me, these patches of vivid green areas, I could only compare to miniature ‘golf greens’, everchanging ‘shrubs’ and a constant flow of what seemed to be underground water along the path. This then opened out to a ‘forest’ of trees - 1000 year old pencil pines ONLY found in this area-WOW! Not to mention the evidence (poo) left by Wombats and Tasmanian devils to name a couple.

We continued past another purpose-built platform campsite- Dixons Campsite, which only opened approximately 3 weeks prior to our trip, very smart and subtle before stopping for a quick break where the original ‘Dixon’s Kingdom Hut’ still stands (named after the Trapper Reg Dixon who built it from Pencil pine in the early 1930s. From here we climbed Mount Jerusalem (1800m above sea level) to views across the Walls of Jerusalem National Park out towards the adjacent Cradle Mountain/Lake St Claire National Park.

We remained on the summit of Mt Jerusalem savouring the view and atmosphere before reluctantly descending, stopping for lunch at the old Dixons Campsite, and returning to our camp around 5pm.

Such a spectacular experience meant lots more conversation and laughter over another delicious dinner after which Stax then gently brought us back to reality with a thought-provoking account of the history of this area…Specifically, the Indigenous peoples whose land we were currently on and exploring- the Pyemmairrener/Tyerrernotepanner/Lairmairrener nations, who had lived and cared for this land for 1000’s of years before British colonisation who on arrival began a brutal, cruel assault upon them with the intention of removing them permanently from their lands which was achieved albeit not fully, thankfully. This left us all with much to think about and be grateful for…

Thursday 1st December

The first day of summer, although we could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise as last night was COLD and we woke this morning to a heavy frost all around us including our tents. Breakfast was very much anticipated, especially the hot tea/coffee/hot chocolate to warm up from the inside. While we were enjoying this the sun slowly emerged to give us the most stunning day, bright blue skies, no wind - perfect!

Leaving again at 8am aiming to summit ‘Solomon’s Throne’ which we did despite the difficulty for some-LEGENDS-you know who you are!! Extraordinary views across the whole area for as far as the eye could see.

We spent a bit of time taking this in before descending to climb the ‘Temple’, lunching on the way, from here we could trace the path below us to the ‘Pools of Bethesda’, a series of pools nestled in between ancient pencil pines. It looked pretty but it wasn’t until we actually entered this area did we all realise just how incredibly spiritually powerful this place was.

From a personal perspective, I will never forget this place-I lay on a surprisingly comfortable Pencil pine branch for 15 minutes or so only to feel amazingly rejuvenated on rising. INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.

Back to camp for our final night at Wild dog camp, all of us feeling overwhelmed with the experience of being at ‘Bethesda’. A totally delicious dinner of rice and dahl, with Xmas pancetta to follow up then, our amazing coach Clare, slipped into another role and became the Master of Ceremonies, starting with directing us all in constructing a Xmas tree made from whatever was available, then launching into who had the lamest Xmas joke before producing Xmas Bon-Bon’s with miniature boutique style gin inside! So SO much fun!

This, our last night, it has gone so fast! When climbing into my sleeping bag tonight, knowing we have to pack up in the morning, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that we didn’t have longer, even just one more night…

So much fun hiking and celebrating together.

Friday 2nd December

Up extra early this morning to pack up camp and be on the trail by 7 am for the hike back to where the vehicles were parked. This was the same track we walked on the first day, steep and very rocky so extra care had to be taken on the way down with heavy packs.

We made the descent in good time despite being exhausted by so much laughter, Jesse and Stax had organised lunch at a little cafeteria on the way back to Launceston called ‘EarthWater’ Café complete with free-range chooks whose ‘chook pen’ was a disused pink caravan. We sat out in the garden all very content with our adventures of the preceding days.

Back at the hotel (Penny Royal) in Launceston farewelled our guides Jesse and Stax. Checked in, and washed all the grime away before heading out for a final dinner at a restaurant called ‘Rupert and Hound’.

Saturday 3rd December

Most people flying out during the day today but all managed to have a little bit more fun with the time left, some of us exploring Cataract Gorge, others rock climbing/zip lining and then taking in a farmers market that one of the girls discovered was on.

**To Kerrie, Tracey, Fiona, Margo, Michelle, Barbara and Clare (all slowly drifted off to catch their various flights home) I have really enjoyed meeting you, some of you for the first time, I felt at the end of the trip that I had known you all for years and years, such an easy-going, relaxed, extraordinary bunch of women, thank you for looking after me when I felt unwell but most importantly for the precious memories I will always recall because of the joy everything about this trip has given me and will continue to for a long time!