{"id":782499,"date":"2026-07-06T11:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/782499\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:08:14","slug":"gloucester-tree-pemberton-icon-re-opens-in-time-for-wa-school-holidays-after-late-2023-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/782499\/","title":{"rendered":"Gloucester Tree: Pemberton icon re-opens in time for WA school holidays after late 2023 closure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">West Aussie families travelling south for the school holidays have been encouraged to add a once-popular tourist destination back onto their itineraries after it closed for upgrades in December 2023.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">The July 1 re-opening followed a $3 million State Government investment in the Gloucester and Bicentennial trees, aimed at improving visitor safety while protecting the health of the living karri trees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">\u201cIn late 2023, climbing was suspended after engineering assessments identified structural issues with the original upper platform,\u201d Pemberton\u2019s tourism information centre shared to Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">\u201cProtecting visitors and the long-term health of the tree became the priority. Engineers, arborists and conservation specialists worked together to create a solution that preserves the experience while safeguarding the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">The result \u2014 a new canopy lookout affixed 37m above the ground, roughly the height of a 12-storey building, with the platform designed to wrap around the trunk while minimising impact on the tree.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">Initially, both trees were expected to remain closed for 12 months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">Environment minister Matthew Swinbourn said the upgrade would help ensure the attraction could be enjoyed for generations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">\u201cThe Gloucester tree is one of Western Australia\u2019s most iconic visitor experiences, and this investment ensures people can continue climbing into the karri canopy for generations to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a03ae1b1162eb169f3fe56cdf00aa4ab93d09419.jpg\" alt=\"The new viewing platform 37 metres up the Gloucester Tree.\" class=\"css-16r7l45-StyledImage en5ut4d0\"\/>Camera IconThe new viewing platform 37 metres up the Gloucester Tree. Credit: Serian Lockwood-Jones<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">The latest works won\u2019t allow intrepid tourists to visit the same dizzying heights as they once could, although very close.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">Standing at an impressive 61m high, Gloucester Tree\u2019s initial function was a fire lookout for foresters, one of eight lookout trees built in the southwest between 1937 and 1952. It was named after the Governor General of Australia, then His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-9cqv6l-StyledPNParagraph e8utp6u0\">Works will now shift to the Bicentennial Tree, which will temporarily close to allow for upgrades, including a new canopy lookout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West Aussie families travelling south for the school holidays have been encouraged to add a once-popular tourist destination&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,1625,44,45],"class_list":["post-782499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}