Jacks Lagoon Sat. 21st March 2020
This relatively unknown lake is located near and below Fisher Bluff. We will visit it via a rarely used circuit route from Lake Mackenzie car park.
Please note that some (definitely not all) parts of this walk will be through areas that were burnt in the bush fires of early 2016. Walkers should be prepared for this. Although some people may feel that because of this, these areas are not as attractive as they could be, there is still plenty of regrowth after 4 years and it is interesting to observe how nature has responded to this event. However walkers should dress appropriately. This would not be the time to try out your new light coloured walking pants! Charcoal coloured would be better.
There is a variety of terrain that we will cover: road walking, open grassland, open forest, thicker forest and open alpine tundra. If weather is clear we can expect nice views of Fisher Bluff and other peaks, lakes and valleys in this beautiful part of the central plateau. The walk is about 11-12 km in total, depending on some route choices that we will make along the way. It should take us about 6-7 hours depending on the group and the weather on the day. The walking is not especially difficult for most of the way, however all but the first and last hour is off track and so there will be uneven terrain in places. There are a few creek crossings that require stepping across and around rocks. There are also some areas that can be quite wet especially after heavy rain so it would be good for walkers to wear good sturdy boots (waterproof would be a nice bonus). There is about 200 m of climbing altogether although it is mostly gentle and spread over some distance and so is not very noticeable. Energetic older children and teenagers should be able to cope with this walk. The walk is graded medium.
Walk route:
The walk starts at a car park near Lake Mackenzie, 7 km beyond Devil's Gullet, at an elevation of 1100 m. From there we will walk past a boom gate and then about 3 km west along a road that follows a hydro canal. Then we cross the canal and walk south for about 1 km across open grassland. Next is open forest for about 500m, which being partly burnt is quite easy walking for the most part. Towards the end it gets thicker as we cross Jacks Creek in several places. After the final crossing we emerge onto more open alpine terrain and gradually climb about 70m over another 500m. From there it is a flat walk for a few hundred metres to Jacks Lagoon. We will have lunch there if the weather is kind to us, otherwise we will look for shelter elsewhere. After lunch we will head east, initially across lovely alpine terrain, crossing creeks and valleys and walking past lakes, for about 3 km until we reach the Blue Peaks track. We have several route choices for this part of our journey, some of which could take us over rougher terrain. We will make our decision about which to follow depending on how the group is faring and the weather on the day. Once on the Blue Peaks track we will head north for about 2 to 2½ km along the track and back to the car park to complete the circuit.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Phil Andrew, on 6300 1067, 0408 014 757, or email pandrew.tas@gmail.com. The departure time is 8:00 am Sat. 21st March from Door of Hope car park. Meeting points along the way could be 8.30 at the Mole Creek Road roundabout at the western end of Deloraine, 8.50 at Mole Creek or 9.05 at the Lake Mackenzie (Devil's Gullet) Road junction with the Mersey Forest Road. If you would like to arrange to meet there or elsewhere, please arrange with the leader, and please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of the listed time. The leader must be notified of any other people you intend to bring along
From Launceston, proceed along the Bass Highway to Deloraine (about 51 km), but do not turn off at the eastern exit into Deloraine. Instead, continue across Meander R. and uphill to the western exit, and to the roundabout at start of Mole Creek Rd. A further 24km will bring you to Mole Creek. Continue west past Mole Creek, on what is now Liena Rd, making sure you turn south at the caravan park 4 km from the town. The road continues west until about 14 km from Mole Creek, it branches south, now called Mersey Forest Road. A little over 6 km south, you will pass a turnoff to Cradle Mountain and Sheffield, and about 300 metres further, take the turn on left to Devil's Gullet/Lake Mackenzie. Follow this road about 19 km, and just short of the Lake Mackenzie dam, turn south to find the car park and boom gate from where the walk starts.
Warnings:
The following codes [from our 2020 walks calendar] apply:
M Marshy or muddy sections be prepared to walk with wet feet.
E Exposed alpine conditions ; can be dangerous in poor weather if not adequately equipped.
Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water - suggest 1 litre per person. Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters recommended due to off-track walking. You should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing in case of sudden weather changes. Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks, and especially preparation for exposed alpine conditions.
Map details:
Jacks Lagoon general area: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8114 (Mersey) and 1:25000 map is 4438 (Lake Mackenzie)
Map reference:
Short ref. n/a
Zone Easting Northing Latitude Longitude
55G 4 43 920 53 82 490
No peakbagger points will be visited on this walk. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm The same web page contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions of the track: Click here to download.
Right-click on the file and save target as to a location of your choice. (Suggest you click the Last modified at top to sort by date to get the most recent at top to find the file for the next walk).
Boots’n’All activities are open to all, but intending walkers are asked to contac
Hartz Peak (alt. 1254 m) is worth 2 peakbagger points. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm The same web page contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions of the track: Click here to download.
Right-click on the file and save target as to a location of your choice. (Suggest you click the Last modified at top to sort by date to get the most recent at top to find the file for the next walk).