Pemberton

Town in the southwest of Western Australia, 335 km/208 mi south of Perth; population (1996) 1,000. In the early years of the 20th century it was one of Australia's leading timber towns; in 1928 the World Forestry Commission visited the area and judged the local Karri tree second only to the Californian Redwood as a timber tree. Current industries include timber production and sawmilling, aquaculture, tourism, and dairy, cattle, and sheep farming.

It was named after Pemberton Walcott, the son of an early European settler in the district. Convicts built the road into the region in 1866 and a town was declared at Pemberton in 1912. In 1913 the local sawmill won the contract to provide 500,000 sleepers for the Trans-Australian Railway. The government opened land for agriculture in 1921, although the industry was slow to develop.