Gloucester Tree, Giant karri tree in Gloucester National Park, Western Australia

Gloucester Tree is a karri in Gloucester National Park, Western Australia, that rises 61 meters (200 feet) into the air. Metal pegs spiral around the trunk and lead to a viewing platform at the top.

A forester climbed the tree for the first time in 1947 to assess its suitability as a fire lookout post, taking six hours to reach the top. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, later drilled some holes for the climbing pegs himself and gave the tree its name.

The karri served for decades as a fire lookout in the forest, and visitors could follow the path of earlier fire watchers. Today the structure recalls a time when foresters used such trees as living observation towers.

Since July 2026 the climb is open again, but only to a new viewing platform at 37 metres (121 feet). The area around the tree stays accessible even when the upper section is off-limits. The trunk carries about twenty visible metal rungs spiralling upward, and a sign at the base warns of tree climbing risk.

Before the closure only two in ten visitors reached the top, as the 153 metal pegs had to be climbed without safety harnesses. The ascent demanded both physical strength and overcoming fear of heights halfway up.