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Length: 12km
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Duration: 3hrs
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Grade: 3
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Style: Return
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Start: Gloucester Tree
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End: Gloucester Tree
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Location: Gloucester National Park
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Closest Town:
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Distance from CBD: 330km
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State: WA
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Latitude: -34.44759535
Longitude: 116.0567972
Keep the Trail Access info current...

Select items to indicate conditions for access to the trail.


2WD Access


4WD Access


Public Transport


Bitumen Road


Gravel Road


Steep Road


Winding Road


Speed Bumps


Vehicle Ford


Entry Fee


Large Car Park


Small Car Park


Accessible Parking


Accessible Toilet


Public Toilets


Drinking Water


Untreated Water


Picnic Shelter


Picnic Table


BBQ Facilities


Campfire Pit


Camping Area
Keep the Trail Features current...

Gloucester National Park...
Select items to indicate features found along the trail.


Concrete Path


Timber Boardwalk


Gravel Path


Sandy Trail


Rough Trail


Undefined Trail


Prams & Strollers


Manual Wheelchair


Motorised Wheelchair


Bicycle Trail


Mountain Bike Trail


Historic Rail Trail


Dog Friendly


Urban Walk


Coast & Beach


Historic Lighthouse


Waterfalls & Lakes


Rainforest Walk


Goldfields & Mining


Heritage Walk


Aboriginal Art


Alpine Region


Alpine Huts


Exposed Ledges


Rock Scrambling


Steep Terrain


Bush Bashing


River Crossings


Scenic Viewpoints


Well Marked


Drinking Water


Untreated Water


Fishing Spots


Swimming Spots


Overnight Campsites


Trail Running


Horse Riding
Hike Summary
This 12 kilometre return walk starts from the world’s tallest climbable tree - the Gloucester Tree and finishes at the Cascades, a series of babbling rapids along Lefroy Brook. It uses the Bibbulmun Track.
Fill your water flask, don a hat or raincoat (depending on the season) and set off on a half day adventure along a section of the Bibbulmun Track. The track passes through the Gloucester National Park which is a great example of the closed forest ecosytem that extends throughout the Southern Forest region. You start on the 10km Gloucester Route, but when you reach the bitumen road, turn right, cross over the twin bridges, and then right again, following the trail markers back into the forest. From there, you will follow the gurgling East Brook, through the valley. Listen for the stirrings of many different creatures for them, the winding brook is a liquid lifeline. Continue through the forest, following the old railway earthworks. This too, was once a lifeline with heavy logs hauled from the forest on the railway to the Pemberton mill. Listen carefully, you can hear the tram's horn and watch out the tourist trams using the railway line. With time the tell tale scar of the track and the timber harvest on adjacent hillsides is gradually fading as the forest continues its silent regrowth. Timber remains a major industry for Pemberton, as you can see when you look across the town with its weatherboaRoad houses and prominent timber mill. Equally important now, is tourism. Both rely on the same commodity - towering karri forest, now and in the future. Both can continue to exist together, as they do today. Continue to follow the trail markers until you reach the Cascades. Take care! Listen and look out for log trucks when crossing roads.
About the region
Only 3km from Pemberton, Gloucester National Park is home to Western Australia’s most famous karri tree. The Gloucester Tree was once a fire lookout tree and can now be climbed by the public. Those who do venture up the 153 pegs to the top will be rewarded with commanding views of the karri forest and surrounding farmland. The karri forest is home to many native mammal species such as quenda, quokkas, mardos and dunnarts. These animals are shy and rarely seen. Sit quietly in the forest at Cascades and you may be rewarded with the sight of honeyeaters, wrens, fantails and robins flitting around through the undergrowth.
Getting there
The Gloucester National Park is accessible via sealed roads from Pemberton.
Tips
Start Point: Gloucester National Park at the Gloucester Tree. Pemberton is 330km (4 hours) south of Perth.
End Point: Gloucester National Park at the Gloucester Tree
Region: Gloucester National Park, South West
For more information, a location map and GPS file please visit Trails WA.