Brockman Sawpit Trail, Pemberton Brockman Sawpit Trail, Pemberton

Pemberton pioneer Edward Brockman settled here in the early 1860’s.  He built a house with mud bricks and pitsawn timber, cut by convict labour.  As you cross the Warren Bridge (south of Pemberton), you can see the original homestead nestled by the river.  The convicts, and the ‘ticket of leave’  tradesmen who followed them, were the forerunners of the timber industry that has been the backbone of Pemberton since early this century. 

As you stroll the short trail to the original sawpit, imagine the convicts – sweating and covered in a fine net of sawdust – heaving a log saw up and down to cut the timber.  Take the time to read the information on site: it will give you a valuable insight into what life was like in days gone by. Scattered around the forest are the stumps of the original jarrah trees, felled by the convicts to provide the logs for pit sawyers.  Young, vigorous jarrah have regrown in the gaps that were left after prime trees were cut.  These trees are the forest's new growing stock.