Pemberton WA, Gloucester Tree, Karri trees, Mudda Biddi Trail

Pemberton WA April 25, 2015
Took ourselves off this morning on the 140km run down to Pemberton, home of the Gloucester Tree (and piles of others - mostly big Karri trees and a few Marri trees)

The Gloucester Tree is known for being a 72 metre high 'lookout' tree, which is 'pegged' so that anybody can climb to the top. It is not for the faint hearted! It is the second highest lookout tree in the world, the other one is up the road a bit. The first fellow to climb it to check and see if it was suitable to be a lookout tree used a belt around the trunk (7 metres round) and clamp on spikes on his boots. It took him 6 hours for the round trip.

Gloucester Tree. Pemberton WA

Gloucester tree. Pemberton WA

Brian not climbing the Gloucester tree. Pemberton WA

The moment we sat down at this lunch table these little guys came around looking for a feed

Bird #1. Pemberton WA

Bird #2. Pemberton WA

Bird #3. Pemberton WA

Bird #4. Pemberton WA

We took the 400m loop walk and I held up this tree for a few minutes

Brian and large hollow tree. Pemberton WA

and Judy stopped to snap this log that was almost bigger than her

Judy and large tree. Pemberton WA

The Gloucester Tree is also where my mate Terry Dixon had told us to meet him as the finish of the days leg of the 1000km Mudda Biddi trail ride that he is leading. They were about an hour late due to some poor fellow having a heart flutter and needing to be taken to hospital, and Terry, the intrepid leader getting a branch through his derail gears and breaking something vital. They cobbled it up as a single gear and pushed on, but it took a heap of time.

Terry Dixon - Mudda Biddi Trail. Pemberton WA

From here we went to have a look at the Cascades, not very cascading due to low water levels at this time of year. We wandered about a bit and found this old railway bridge next to an apparently fresh road bridge.

The Cascades. Pemberton WA

Rail bridge near the Cascades. Pemberton WA

Bridge at the Cascades. Pemberton WA

I made a bad call on the way out from the Cascades and we ended up on a labyrinth of logging trails and had to backtrack. All was not lost, we came across another of these road bridges called the Gloucester Bridge.

Gloucester Bridge. Pemberton WA

Back on track but with light starting to go we stopped to have a look at the Doug Evans Memorial tree, which is the same as the Gloucester Tree but higher, and only created recently for the bicentennial.

That was our day, we headed back to Busselton and found a nice looking pub to go and have a meal at.