Land of the Giants

King Jarrah Tree

After reading the brochures of the Pemberton area the girls were keen to see the tall trees which were featured in the brochure. They had also read that you could climb these trees which made them even more eager and excited to get to the tall trees to climb them. We camped just outside Manjimup which is where all you start seeing the tall trees. The first tree we visited was the King Jarrah, not only was this tree about 500 years old, but 26metres in diameter and 45metres tall. This is where we started to learn about some of the history of the timber industry. Imagine sawing down a massive Jarrah tree like that by hand with a cross cut saw. It was a two man and all day (or more) job just to get one tree down.

61m tall Diamond Tree

The next tree was more exciting because the girls could climb it. The Diamond tree is one of many Karri trees in the Karri forest that have been set up as a fire lookout tower. The diamond tree fire lookout platform sits at 51metres towards the sky and the girls were busting to get up to the top. Eager, Darrin, Emma and Kate started the climb up the steel rods winding around the tree trunk while I took photos of them starting their climb. Once I got a few good angles they were at the resting platform halfway up the tree so I started to climb up myself, well after just a few metres the height was starting to become a reality to me and I was struggling, with Darrin, Emma and Kate cheering me on to keep going I eventually made it to the resting platform. This platform I am going to call the chicken platform, because this was as far as I was going to climb. But Darrin, Emma and Kate were still fearless and busting to get to the top. So I waited on the chicken platform with Emma while Darrin and Kate went to the top, then they came back down and I waited with Kate while Darrin and Emma went to the top. Such a brave effort for them all and they loved every minute of it and climbed every rod with fearless confidence and enjoyment.

Emma and Kate starting the climb



Kate leaving the chicken platform to go to the top





Climbing to the top



I made it 61m up a tree!



I made it 61m up a tree!

It was amazing learning the history of fire lookouts – from 1941 to 1974 fire tree towers were used in the summer months to spot fires. There would be someone up the lookout 24-7 watching for fires, what a job sitting up more than 50 metres in a tree in all types of weather conditions watching the forests to detect a fire. You think that was an amazing effect, imagine being the person who had to look for the perfect tree to build a tower on. Because it was impossible to tell what sort of view you would get from the top of the tree it meant that someone had to climb it. That man was a forester who climbed the trees using only log irons and a belt for his climbing equipment. Once a suitable tree was chosen wooden pegs were nailed into the trunk, for a ladder, then a platform built up the top – scary work. In 1974 the trees were no longer to spot the fires as they were replaced by planes. I did read somewhere that when the planes were unable to be used due to bad weather conditions the trees were used to spot the fires, I don’t think I would opt to be over 50metres in the air in a storm.

Over the next few days were to learn more about Jarrah, Karri and Tingle tree forests. The Glouster tree is the most popular of the Karri trees as it is on a few kilometres from Pemberton and bitumen road. Also a Karri tree it was a little taller at about 60 metres tall, we did not climb this one as there was quite a line of people before us, so a look and photo and we moved onto the Bicentennial tree. The Bicentennial tree was not built to be used as a fire lookout, it was built as a climbing tree in 1988 to celebrate the bicentennial year (200 years since the first European settlement). It was chosen because of its views it provided from 75metres above on the viewing platform. Now this tree was extremely tall, the girls were able to climb halfway up to the resting platform but to their great disappointment it was just too high to climb to the top. Darrin did the climb to the top and although there were amazing views he said it was very daunting and even he was a little taken back by the height.

Darrin 75m up a tree

Emma making the climb up the Bicentenial tree

Swimming in the cool Warren River

We did the loop drive around the Warren National Park, which took us along the Warren River. Braving the cool waters the girls went for a quick dip and paddle on their boogie boards. The waters of the rivers in this are the colour of tea which the girls were not so impressed by. We camped that night amongst the Karri trees just out of the Warren National Park near Pemberton.



camping among the tall trees



Fernhook Falls

We woke to a day of fine misty rain so we travelled further on through Northcliffe then to Shannon National Park to do a Karri forest drive. We travelled onto Fernhook Falls, we stopped here to have a very late lunch. The campground here have huts with shelter out the front, perfect to back our camper kitchen under. We found the fire in the hut still glowing from the previous campers, so made ourselves at home and settled in for the afternoon to keep dry and warm. The girls loved the hut so we decided it would be a great spot to camp the night. Taking a walk to the Fernhook falls for a look and a bit of a fish we found the river very fast flowing and the foam greated from the waterfall floating down the river gave it lots of character. To our amazement both the girls survived the whole night in the hut, while Darrin and I had a night in the camper to ourselves.

Fishing at the base of Fernhook Falls

Sleeping in the hut

Nice and warm in the hut by the fire

Inside the Tingle tree

The next day the weather was just a wet, but that was not to stop us from exploring more forests. Heading towards Walpole we were heading into what they call is the ‘land of the giants’. Amoungst the Tingle trees which can tower up to 70 metres long, the tingle trees have buttress roots to support their great height which makes them very thick at the base of up to 20metres, and like the Boab tree they are hollow inside. We did the hilltop giant Tingle walk which is a board walk around and inside a giant Tingle tree. We also learnt on this walk about the burls which grow on the tree, as it explained they are like the scars we get on our skin – like us the trees also get insects, bugs and animals bite them and thus they form a ‘scar’ to protect themselves which is called a burl. To finish the day we did the ‘valley of the giants’ treetop walk to get a birdseye view of the Giant Tingle Tree. The tree top walk is a platform built 40metres above ground level through the red tingle tree forest.

The tree with lots of burls

Inside the Tingle tree