The narrow strip of tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) forest that links Capel and Busselton is one of the special places of the South-West.
Do not miss the leisurely tourist drive through the Ludlow Tuart Forest to capture the beauty of these ‘rare giants of the forest’. This is the only natural stand of Tuart left in the world with many picnic spots and walk trails to soak up the peaceful beauty.
To see the tuart trees means diverting onto the overlooked old road … but it’s well worth the detour for anyone with an appreciation of Australia’s unique trees.
Tuart trees are native only to the coastal plain between Busselton and Jurien in the south west of Western Australia. They grow up to 40m high, live up to 500 years, and their stately grey trunks form an open forest different to others in the state. As with WA’s other tall forests, most have been cut down since Europeans settlement, leaving Ludlow Tuart Forest as the only surviving tuart forest anywhere.
For anyone travelling between Bunbury and Busselton, the detour through the tuarts takes only minutes longer than following the traffic on the highway, and is a more scenic option – even if you don’t stop, or aren’t wild about trees. Tree-huggers will be rewarded with the sight of some majestic old trees you can’t see anywhere else.