Oz Trip - Day 142

Day 142 – 20/9/2012 – Sightseeing in Pemberton

We started off out sightseeing day by doing a tour of the timber mill. Pemberton is pretty much a timber town. We were lucky to catch the tour as it is only run on at 9:30 and we just turned up a couple of minutes before it started.  It is amazing to see how quickly a massive tree can be processed into fencing stakes!

The logs coming in

Getting chopped up

Some of the end product

From there we did a forest drive through the Karri tall timber forest. Along the way we passed some camping and canoeing spots along the Warren river. Unfortunately far too small to get our camper into.

The forest drive ended at the Dave Evans Bicentennial tree. This a 75m tall Karri tree that you can climb using steel spikes that have been inserted into the tree. The only safety features are a thin bit of chicken wire strung between the sides of the pegs. There was nothing to stop you slipping between the pegs, (if you were skinny enough). I am not the best with heights, and being rainy and windy also didn't help, but I also didn't come all the way around the country on an adventure of a lifetime not to do it.

Me starting off

Nearly at the top

Getting closer

And closer

At the top!

The clouded in view

Looking back down to the ground

Starting the return journey

Woops, didn't see this on the way up!

Looking up

After the adrenalin had settled back down a bit, we returned to camp for a quick lunch. Then it was off to take a tram ride along the old railway line that use to be used for logging. It took us through the forest with a stop at the Cascades on the way.

Getting ready to leave at the Pemberton train station

Karri tall tree forest

Stop at the Cascades

The Cascades

A creek crossing along the way

The town is full of old mill cottages that have all been heritage listed

Because I hadn't quite had enough adrenalin for the day, I decided to climb the Gloucester tree. It was a tree similar to the Bicentennial tree but just a bit smaller. Only 61 meters tall. It was probably a harder climb as there was no intermediate platform and the climb was a lot more vertical than the Bicentennial tree. The pegs on the Bicentennial tree seemed to spiral the tree more.

It is a shame that it was an overcast and rainy day as the views from the top of the trees were all clouded in.

The ducks were back again

And they brought a friend