No Harness, No Problem: Australia's Legendary Tree Climb Returns

For three years, locals and adventure seekers in Pemberton, Western Australia missed out on one of the country’s most thrilling—and decidedly unforgiving—tourist attractions. But this July, the Gloucester Tree is back, and it’s ready to test your nerve all over again.

Here’s the thing about this particular landmark: it’s a 250-year-old Karri tree that rises 200 feet into the air, sporting nothing but wooden pegs hammered into its trunk. No harnesses. No ropes. No safety net. Just you, your grip, and your stomach’s ability to handle heights. Dating back to 1947, when timber industry workers used these pegs as lookout points to spot wildfires across the vast karri forests, the tree has become something of a rite of passage for visitors to Australia’s far southwest—a relic from an era when the phrase“safety first”simply didn’t exist in the same way.

The closure came in 2023 after engineers and arborists evaluated structural concerns on both the Gloucester Tree and the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, another similarly impressive specimen. But Tim Foley from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions understood what was at stake. Speaking to ABC News, he noted how crucial these trees are to the community:“On an Australian level and probably on the international level, they’re pretty unique.”The work had to be done right to avoid another shutdown.

Now, the newly reopened tree features an observation platform positioned just over 100 feet up the trunk, while the original 200-foot platform remains closed. Local government president Donelle Buegge described the payoff:“To watch the sunrise through the canopies of the trees is absolutely incredible.”For the region’s outdoor tourism economy—built on long-distance hiking trails, national parks like D’Entrecasteaux, and the area’s wine operations—this reopening matters. Pemberton, located 190 miles south of Perth, thrives on visitors seeking authentic adventure.

Worth noting: climbing at your own risk and without safety gear might sound reckless by modern standards, but statistically it’s safer than Alpine skiing, which claims dozens of injuries and lives annually. Sometimes the old ways have their own logic.