12 July 2014 - Pemberton Caravan Park, Pemberton, Western Australia

We pulled out of our wonderful caravan park in Bridgetown in bright sunshine, still not quite 9 am and no mist in sight. The thirty five kilometres or so through to Manjimup on the South West Highway was soon covered and we stopped to replenish our supplies at the Coles there and fill with diesel.

This town,  gateway to the southern forests, is a little bigger than Bridgetown, with a population of 5,000, boasts more modern services, with the two big supermarkets as well as an IGA, all vying for market share.

Timber has been the life blood of the town since 1856. The town was declared in 1910 and the rail from Perth was completed in 1911 however the population did not really expand until Manjimup became part of the post-World War I Group Settlement Scheme. Most failed, finding the land too difficult and because they had little agricultural experience, however those who did persevere, stayed on as dairy farmers. 

Agriculture has remained the mainstay of the area ever since, with apples, tobacco, vineyards and black truffles adding to the more traditional wool, grain and dairy products. There is still a significant timber processing plant operating which among other things, exports marri flooring.

The Diamond Tree

The town sits in an open landscape, quite different to Bridgetown, however less than five kilometres south, we were plunged into karri forest. We stopped to see the Diamond Tree Lookout, a wooden fire-watch tower which sits high on the top of a 51 metre karri tree. Climbing the tree is permitted however we left others to do so and simply marvelled at the wonderful forest all about. It is refreshing that the public are left to conquer the Tree without the cotton-wool of the Health & Safety nannies. Apart from being warned not to climb in wet slippery conditions, not to climb if you are unfit, fear heights or have a heart condition, to wear sturdy footwear, and to wait if there are already four people ahead of you,  it is almost a free-for-all.

The cabin at the top of the Diamond Tree was built on a six metre tower above the main tree fork, originally giving it a total height of 54.5 metres.  In 1974, spotter planes took over the duties of fire watching. In 1991, the lookout was refurbished; three metres was cut from the upper branches as they suffered from fungal rot. The cabin was lowered to the ground with a crane, where it was repaired before being hoisted back up to its perch. The cabin floor is now fifty one metres above the ground, the viewing platform forty six metres. By the summer of 1994-95, the tree was back in operation as a fire-watch tower.


There are eight Karri Tree lookout towers, of which only three are still in use; the Diamond Tree, the Gloucester Tree and the Boorara Tree. The first karri tree tower was the Big Tree at Channybearup, which was closed way back in 1942. The Gloucester Tree is an essential tourist must- see of the area and we just might venture up into its canopy tomorrow, or the day after, or maybe, not at all.

A little south, we turned eastward onto the Vasse Highway and travelled through the remaining fifteen or so kilometres to Pemberton, passing through tall forest interspersed with beautifully landscaped vineyards and the associated lakes and buildings that modern vineyards are required to have these days. And then quite suddenly we arrived at this charming township of just 920 inhabitants, which seems so much more substantial that I had expected. I had expected little more than accommodation for tourists, a convenience store and maybe a café, a visitor centre, all sitting deep in the hills surrounded in dark forest.

The town sits on the side of a hill, with an elevation of 174 metres ASL, surrounded with fabulous tall forest, open to the sunlight and not at all claustrophobic. The caravan park touts itself as being the most beautiful in the State which is a big claim. I would not be so bold; however it is indeed situated in a delightful spot, at the edge of the forest beside the Lefroy Brook.  This afternoon a flock of green parrots came to eat the grain left on the picnic table next to our caravan; truth be told, if you leave grain about, you are bound to attract birds here in this bird-filled country.

The Pemberton Swimming Pool

Although not busy, and willing to communicate that fact, the manager is not willing to offer any discount for Seniors or winter tourists. The price is $30 and that is that, but then we were expecting nothing more or less.

After we were set up and had lunched, we set off for a walk along the Lefroy Brook to the Pemberton Swimming Pool. Amazingly the brook does naturally pool here, however there have been some modifications and facilities have been added to make this all a delightful picnic area for families. Tall karris surround the parklands and in the summer I am sure you would be hard pressed to find a lovelier spot.

However, there are warning signs about currents, the absence of lifeguards and more importantly, the presence of “venomous snakes”, so I would not be in too much of a hurry myself to partake of the waters.

Adjacent to the pool is a wonderful BMX track through the trees. We stood and watched a dozen or so boys with their bikes, some on BMX and some on mountain bikes, skilfully racing round and round this wonderful course.

Anticipating the BMX track

We came up out of the forest at the eastern end of the town and walked along the main street, calling into the newsagent to check the weekend papers came on Saturday or some other day, and to check out the Information Centre. This latter, housed in Pemberton’s original school which was opened in 1914, doubles as a Discovery Centre and small museum, neither offering us much however there is always something to learn. There was a section celebrating the timber fellers and those who climbed the very tall trees for fire watching or for felling purposes. We read again about karri trees living up to two hundred and fifty years as a matter of course, although they begin to degrade at four hundred years, as we all do eventually. Some have been known to have lived seven hundred years. One felled in Pemberton in 1901 was reported to be 104.2 metres tall, however there is a suspicion it may have been a bit of a tall tale.

We learned too that in the logging heyday of Pemberton and surrounds, there were over two hundred miles of logging railway however the last loco hauled logs out of the bush to the mill back in 1964. Today there is a tram ride available to tourists and anyone else with a yen to take a one and three quarter hour trip through the forest on a section of this old rail line  It is supposed to be especially delightful when the wildflowers are in full bloom in the spring. Alas, we are too early. Always too early or too late; the bane of a traveller.

We also learned that hops are grown in Pemberton, which explained the tall trellis arrangements I had spotted as we drove along the Vasse Highway. Documentation in this mini-museum explained that the glory days of hop production were the fifty years from 1930 to 1980. I imagine those growing today are for boutique breweries. The bulk of beer brewed commercially these days is derived from other products, less vulnerable to the whims of the weather and the weevils.

We left the centre armed with even more brochures and heaps of suggestions how to fill our two full days we are planning to stay. I suspect that we may have to extend but that will be nothing new.

And the good news is, that contrary to my expectations, we have television reception and can receive GEM for the Ashes cricket match taking place in England and SBS for le Tour de France. And I have internet, albeit below par. All is well in the world.