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The Gloucester Tree is a giant karri tree in the Gloucester National Park of
Gloucester National Park
– Department of Environment and Conservation Pemberton, Western Australia Individual eucalypts Forests of Western Australia Fire lookout towers in Australia Lookout trees Individual trees in Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-stub
The Gloucester Tree is a giant karri tree in the Gloucester National Park of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
At 58 metres in height, it is the world's second tallest fire-lookout tree
A lookout tree is a simple fire lookout tower created by attaching a ladder or a series of spikes to a tall straight tree with a view of the surrounding lands, allowing rangers or fire crews to conveniently climb the tree to survey their surroundin ...
(second only to the nearby Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree
The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, a tall karri tree, was pegged for climbing to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. It is in Warren National Park in southwestern Australia. Although it has been used as a fire lookout, it is used mainly ...
), and visitors can climb up to a platform in its upper branches for views of the surrounding karri forest. It is owned by the Shire of Manjimup
The Shire of Manjimup is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, about south of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Manjimup.
History
The Shire area ...
.
Built in 1947, the Gloucester Tree was one of eight karri trees that between 1937 and 1952 were made relatively easy to climb so that they could be used as fire lookout spots. The suitability of the tree as a fire lookout was tested by forester Jack Watson, who climbed the tree using climbing boots and a belt. It took Watson six hours to climb 58 metres, a difficult climb due to the 7.3 metre girth of the tree and the need to negotiate through limbs from 39.6 metres up.
Jack Watson, a Gallipoli veteran, was also Superintendent of Kings Park in Perth, and retired from that position in 1962.
Another forester, George Reynolds, pegged the ladder and lopped branches to facilitate climbing the tree, and a wooden lookout cabin was built 58 metres above the ground. The Governor-General of Australia, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was the third son and fourth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947, the only memb ...
, visited the site during construction, and the tree and national park are named in his honour.
The wooden lookout cabin was demolished in 1973 for safety reasons, and was replaced with a steel and aluminium cabin and visitors' gallery. Currently the climb is done by stepping on 153 spikes that spiral the tree.
Only 20 percent of visitors climb to the top of the tree; most make it only part of the way before turning back.
See also
*Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree
The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, a tall karri tree, was pegged for climbing to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. It is in Warren National Park in southwestern Australia. Although it has been used as a fire lookout, it is used mainly ...
*Diamond Tree
The Diamond Tree is a giant karri tree located 10 km south of Manjimup, Western Australia on the South Western Highway.
A wooden viewing platform built in 1939 is located 49 metres up, and was the oldest wooden platform fire look-out in ...
* List of individual trees
References
External links
Gloucester National Park
– Department of Environment and Conservation Pemberton, Western Australia Individual eucalypts Forests of Western Australia Fire lookout towers in Australia Lookout trees Individual trees in Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-stub