Climb Gloucester Tree (Karri Tree) at Pemberton.

Climbing Gloucester Tree is an obvious highlight at Pemberton. After all over 1 million people have already done so. Thousand of people travel to Pemberton every year to climb the Karri tree and in 2002 the 1 millionth recorded climber was recognised.

During the 1930’s and 1940’s a series of fire lookouts were constructed in the top of the huge Karri Trees. In addition to this tree, which was chosen as a fire lookout in 1947, there are also The Diamond Tree and The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree open to the public for climbing.

The "Tree" was named after the then Governor-General of Australia, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, who was visiting Pemberton when the lookout was being built.

Karri family trees are the 3rd largest tree species (Eucalyptus Diversicolour) in the world and the Gloucester Tree is 61 metres tall – which obviously made it ideal for a fire lookout.

You will be totally overwhelmed when you stand next to this tree looking up and asking yourself are you brave enough to climb to the top or not. Once you get to the top you will be rewarded with spectacular views over the forest – even more so because of the effort you made to climb to the top.

However, once you get up you must get down again. Take a few seconds to look back down where you came from and when you get down look me in the eye and tell me how you honestly felt during your climb. I am sure at some stage there will be a “little butterfly” in your stomach either going up or coming down. Once you do master this though there will be that little sense of achievement that you were able to conquer your fears and climb the 60 metres of rungs in the tree to the top.