A Birds Eye View

This past summer, January in Oz, we once again found ourselves amongst the giant karri trees.  The summer heat in Perth was full on so we decided to try and escape it by making the long drive down the moss covered forrest.  Of course, like with our previous visit, we didn't have enough time but, once again, we were enchanted with the area.

We based ourselves at the Pemberton Caravan Park.  Our ensuite cabin may not have been as luxurious as our room at the Karri Valley Resort, but we did get our own frog.  Since he was found hopping around the kitchen I wasn't sure if he was to be treated as a pet or as an entrée.  Once I finally caught him I released him back into the wild.  Actually, the Caravan Park was a very pleasant place to stay.  It is surrounded by tall trees and a river flows nearby.  Since we planned on being on the trails more than in the room it was a perfect place for us.

Of course, any trip to Pemberton wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Gloucester Tree.  The 61 meter  karri tree, which is located 3 km from the center of town, was once a fire lookout.  Today, thrill-seekers can visit the platform at the crown of the tree by climbing the pegs which, in 1946, were hammered into the tree's trunk to form a spiral ladder.

I decided to skip the birds eye view, since I could envision myself getting stuck half way up, and I didn't want to create a drama. Instead, as Mark gave it a go, I sat at the lovely picnic area. It wasn't long before I had company. However, my new found friend was not as well behaved as the parrot at the resort; this one was rather aggressive. So, if you're planning to visit and/or climb the Gloucester Tree you may want to picnic somewhere else.
There are actually a couple of other trees in the area that can be climbed, and you can get more information here.   By the way, I have heard that the view from the top is sensational.