Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk closed for summer for urgent safety work

The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk has been closed for summer after engineers recommended the immediate replacement of dozens of steel struts.

The extended closure will be the first in the history of the Tree Top Walk, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in September.

Opened in 1996, the 600m walk was designed as a way to protect the fragile roots of the WA tingle forest by suspending visitors 40m in the air.

Nestled in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, the walkway is supported by a series of steel trusses, cables and pylons.

The site’s maintenance program includes inspections by structural engineers every six months and daily safety checks by staff.

In a statement on Friday, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions said the Tree Top Walk would be closed from Christmas Day until “at least the end of February”.

DBCA regional manager Tim Foley said engineers had advised that 48 struts needed to be replaced immediately.

“We have been working on a maintenance inspection and replacement program for the past three months and we were not expecting to have to fully close the elevated walkway,” Mr Foley said.

“However, based on engineering advice received today, we need to close the walk as a safety precaution.

“The timing of the closure is unfortunate, however the safety of our staff and visitors remains the priority.

“This is the first time in 25 years we’ve had to close the walk for an extended period, but we are acting on independent expert advice which has been peer reviewed and we will always prioritise visitor safety.”

Mr Foley said the free Ancient Empire Walk remained open, as well as the nearby visitor centre and gift shop.

“We apologise to visitors and local tourism partners who will be impacted by the walk’s temporary closure, as normally we’d welcome more than 20,000 visitors during the busy holiday period between Boxing Day and early February,” he said.