June 28, 2024
Our last day here so a lunch at “The Crossings” Bakery and Cafe and a stroll around the town itself.
A significant part of Pemberton’s History was the Timber Mill, first established in 1913 to supply hardwood sleepers for the Trans Australian Railway, this became a town in 1925 and by 1939 the Pemberton Mill was the largest in Australia. In the early 2000s the State government’s ban on logging of native forests moved the mill into plantation Pine and Bluegum. In 2016 the supply of logs was insufficient and the mill closed. In December 2022 a fire substantially destroyed a large portion of the complex but the presence of asbestos has delayed demolition until recently and is currently proceeding.
One of today’s tourist attractions is the Tramway, established in 1987 to operate a tourist railway service on the Pemberton – Northcliffe Railway, south from Pemberton, and commenced services on the 12th September of that year. In 1995 the company commenced train operations on the Lambert – Pemberton Railway, north of Pemberton. The Pemberton Tramway Company closed in February 2023 with the possibility to never re-open. A local family stepped in to buy the business and have been in operation since July 2023.
