Pemberton
Forest of Giants in the South-West
On the lands of the Bibbulmun Noongar people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Apr 2026
A small timber town in the south-west of Western Australia, surrounded by the karri tree forests of Gloucester, Warren and Beedelup national parks. The Gloucester Tree, a 58 metre fire-spotting tree from the 1940s with steel pegs spiralling up its trunk, is the most famous attraction.
Pemberton sits in the heart of the karri country, where Eucalyptus diversicolor (the karri) grows up to 90 metres tall and forms the third tallest hardwood forest in the world. The town was founded as a timber settlement in the 1860s but is now mainly a tourism and wine region.
The Gloucester Tree was used as a fire lookout from 1947 to 1972, before light aircraft and satellites made tree-top spotting obsolete. It is one of three karri trees in the area still climbable by visitors via the original metal pegs spiralling up the trunk. The climb is genuinely scary (especially on the way down) and requires reasonable fitness.
The Beedelup Falls in nearby Beedelup National Park drop through the karri forest and are accessible by a short walk. The 1,000 kilometre Bibbulmun Track, which runs from Kalamunda near Perth to Albany on the south coast, passes through Pemberton.
Where to stay
Holiday parks near Pemberton.
2 options via our booking partner
RAC Karri Valley Resort
17.7km away
Fonty's Pool Caravan Park and Chalets
17.9km away
Bookings handled by our partner Parkbooker. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content (1)
Images (2)
- Brockman Sawpits 3 Brockman NP I-2015.jpeg · Aussie Oc at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Goblin Swamp Melaleuca Trees.png · Maclearite · CC BY-SA 4.0
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