The region is known for its towering karri trees, a type of eucalyptus that can grow to a height of more than 70 meters (230 feet).We started with the Gloucester Tree, 61 m tall. Situated just outside of Pemberton, it is the world's tallest fire lookout tree. There is a spiral of rebar spikes driven into the tree that you can climb to the top. The catch is that they are about a thick as a nickel and there is nothing under them to catch you if you fall. Being a young guy still, I decided to skip climbing to the top.
From Permberton we drove several hours south to Walpole and the Valley of the Giants, which is the location of the Tree Top Walk. The Tree Top Walk is a 600 meter (2000 feet) walkway that reaches a height of 40 meters (130 feet) above the ground. Due to the way it is designed, the entire thing noticeably bounces and sways as you walk across it. The experience is made more unsettling by the swaying of the trees around you.
2 comments:
Get to Bunbury if you can...or around the coast...or if you're feeling a bit crazy and have a lot of time, take a look at Kalgoorlie. There's some really impressive rock shelters/rock art galleries around there (Devil's Lair), and the Pinnacles national park is quite cool too!
Eucalyptis - could be a disease or a tree. We envy you seeing the big ones where they are native. We are discovering that they are planted in the highlands of central Mexico, as they were in the highlands of Equador and Peru. They all got some disease here in Morelia, and had to be cut down.
Check out all the wierd plants for us - remember those things in the UC Santa Cruz Botanical Garden?
Mac and Catherine
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