After a reasonable break from a hiking camp we decided to head to Silver Lake on the edge of the Walls of Jerusalem (WoJ) for a couple of nights. The 2.5 hour drive from Hobart to Lake Ada had us arrive around 5pm. We spent the night in the Landcruiser for an easy start the following day.
A couple of frost patches welcomed us in the morning, but thankfully it was a still and clear day after quite a windy night. We had bacon & eggs and headed off around 10am.
The first 5km of the walk is a 4WD track that takes you around Ada Lagoon to a day-use car park. This was the easiest and least interesting part of the trip, with the track alternating between rocks and grass, with a few wheel ruts from wetter times. The landscape is scrubby.
Ada Lagoon
At the day-use car park we had a quick chat to a couple of hikers who were on their way out, with good advice to don our gaiters. Continuing on, we found a few marshy sections, easily accounted for by heading off the track a few metres. This stage of the walk was the most enjoyable, taking us through and around light forest, with the odd cushion plant, and the WoJ mountains in the distance. The track alternated between dirt and rock, with overgrown scrub and the occasional easily negotiated wet section. There were a few cairns to keep you on track.
Marshy crossing Marshy crossing Cairn Skirting the trees Shrubby track WoJ in the distance
After turning left at the Silver Lake junction around the 10km mark we stopped at the running stream from Theresa Lagoon and filled our water bottles. Eating lunch on the edge of the lagoon we noticed a small rainbow trout.
Further south, the track seems to multiply in places. We lost it a few times but the GPS and Ada 1:25000 map & compass kept us heading in roughly the right direction. The shrubs become taller during this section, with a number of areas requiring you to push through. I was wishing I had worn long trousers and a long sleeve shirt. Again, there were a few small muddy sections, and quite a bit of tree litter including branches across the track. There is easy access to running water from Powena Creek as you approach the number 5 hut.
Silver Lake Junction Shrubby track Shrubby track Overgrown track Log over track Powena Creek
We managed to miss the hut on the way in by crossing Powena Creek a bit early at a convenient line of stepping stones. We then added some extra walking by following the tree line further than necessary, resulting in us crossing Clifton Flats too far to the west. This was uneven ground of rocks, tussock grass and cushion plants. At one point a tiger snake was sunning itself on a rock 2-3 meters in front of us. Once we stopped to plan another route it started coming toward us! I took a couple of quick pictures and we gave it a wide berth.
Tiger snake Lizard
Initially heading toward the north west side of the lake we decided the better camping was likely to be on the south west side. We back-tracked and crossed Pine River which was wider and deeper than Powena. Even so, we crossed with our boots on as we were close enough to our intended camp site.
We scouted the area and found a tent site not too far from the river crossing. We arrived at about 4.30pm; a total of 6.5 hours including about 1 hour 15 minutes for lunch/breaks.
After we set up camp Andrew tried his hand at fishing with no luck. It was an early night with a plan to stay at the same camp for a second night.
The following morning was fairly cool with a bit of a breeze. At around 11am we decided that we’d split the return trip into two, so packed up and headed back shortly after midday. We crossed Pine River a bit further along than we had the previous day, where it was only ankle deep. Having much better bearings we walked a more direct route across Clifton Flats and easily found the track. After crossing Powena Creek we managed to find the hut we had missed the day before. It’s an unusual one with graffiti on the walls mostly about fish!
Pine River crossing Clifton Flats from Silver Lake Hut hiding in the trees
We again strayed from the track, which was easily corrected by referring to the GPS track recorded from the previous day. We walked the 5km back to Theresa Lagoon where we set up camp around the eastern side. This was a much nicer spot with wind protection and shade, although we were sharing the space with jack jumpers. Another early night after our dehydrated meal.
Theresa Lagoon Theresa campsite Theresa campsite
The next morning we had a leisurely start, leaving around 11.15. We arrived back at the car at around 3pm.
All up we covered close to 30km over three days. The middle section and Theresa Lagoon campsite were the highlight, as well as interesting wildlife, alpine flora, and a number of big trout jumping at Silver Lake. If you’re into fishing this track provides access to a large number of scenic lakes, and would be an interesting way to access the main area of WoJ.