En-route we passed an area that had recently been aerially burned by the National Parks authority, both to promote re-growth and to limit the risk of uncontrolled natural bush fires. We were just glad that we weren’t in the area at the time as parts were still smouldering slightly and we wouldn’t want to try to outrun a fire.
We’re getting quite blasé about kangaroos hopping along the tracks in front of us now, as long as they continue hopping in front and then bounding off into the trees rather than impacting our bull bars we’ll be happy.
We hit the Southern Forests shortly after rejoining Highway 10, dominated by tall karri trees, and made our way to Pemberton, a former logging town that has now embraced tourism. A call at the visitor’s centre was to be followed by lunch at The Coffee Connection cafe attached to the Fine Woodcraft Gallery, but unfortunately the sign outside said they would reopen on Tuesday. We’ll have to pop back tomorrow before we leave town (it’s meant to be the best coffee in the area). Instead we treated ourselves to burger and chips at a cafe on the main street, and took the opportunity to catch up on the blog.
A short drive bought us to Gloucester National Park, one of several national parks and state forests that surround Pemberton. The main draw is the 60m high Gloucester Tree, once a forest fire lookout but now open for those with a head for heights to climb the metal spikes that spiral around the trunk to a viewing platform at the top.
Two small children were scurrying up as we arrived and we looked at each other as if to say no way.
However, Anne was feeling brave and went up the first twenty or so spikes before returning to terra firma, so I had a quick climb and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Deciding to go for it we set about scaling the heights and took it slowly. Anne refused to look down but I figured that once you get ten or so metres high a fall won’t be any worse, so enjoyed the view as we went up. Once at the top you look out over the canopy of the surrounding trees extending in all directions.
The ground is harder to see so you don’t feel so bad about the height, until you realise that the tree top and therefore the platform on which you are standing is swaying in the breeze, at which point Anne had a sudden urge to get down. It’s harder going down, but at least you know it will soon be over and we returned generally unscathed by the climb, although Anne’s legs were a bit shaky and she said her hands hurt as she’d been gripping each spike so hard (she’s not good with heights in her old age).
We decided that we’d had enough excitement for the day so returned to Pemberton to check-in to the caravan park on the edge of town as we felt that three days without showering was enough (not that we were being avoided in the street or anything, but it’s nice to have a proper wash). We ate baked beans we’d bought in Jordan for dinner; I’m not sure how many air/land/sea miles they’ve done in their time but they tasted good. Next time we’ll have to do something on the gas BBQs that all campsite and many picnic areas seem to have available for you to use, we need to blend in with the locals after all. SPOT
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