Tourists are to be banned from climbing the Diamond Tree, a giant Karri near the township of Manjimup in Western Australia.
It was one of eight trees selected to house fire lookouts in the south-west of the state between 1937 and 1952.
The 250-year-old Diamond Tree was first pegged in 1940 with a cabin being built at the top not long after. It was eventually opened up to tourists who were brave enough and fit enough to climb the 49 metres to the top.
However, a recent inspection of Diamond Tree has found it no longer structurally sound for climbing.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Donnelly district manager, Duncan Palmer, said it had been closed in the interest of public safety.
“The arborist found the internal heartwood of the tree was seen to be affected by fungus, which takes it from being that solid heartwood you would expect to being softer and less structurally sound,” he said.
The department will remove the bottom 8–10 metres of pegs so it becomes inaccessible for people to climb.
The nearby Gloucester and Bicentennial trees, which boast 53-metre and 60-metre climbs respectively, remain open to the public.
