Pwakkenbak (Mount Barker Hill)

Pwakkenbak is a registered Aboriginal Heritage Site. It is a significant meeting place for Noongar people who tell stories of corroborees held where the broadcast tower now stands. It is also and important lookout point as it offers 360 degree views across the landscape.

Mount Barker Hill Lookout

Step onto the Rotary Club of Mount Barker Hill Lookout and you can take in views forever. To the north is the Mount Barker wind farm. Turn to the northeast and the green shadowy long undulating ridges of the Stirling Range disappears into the horizon. With your back to the tower gazing directly east you can take in the western ridge of the Porongurups. The southern view rolls across expansive lowlands interspersed with various low mountains, with clear days affording glimpses of our amazing south coast.

Pwakkenbak Trail & Boardwalk

Follow the trail to the boardwalk and enjoy views southwest to the coast. Along the way, keep an eye out for granite boulders and the many wildflowers that bloom during winter and spring. The board walk is part of the Yoorn (Bobtail) Trail - a network of trails throughout the Great Southern Treasures region.

Mount Barker Broadcast Tower
Ownership
The tower is owned by what is now known as Broadcast Australia, a private company originally within the Macquarie Bank Ltd Communications Infrastructure Group Fund (MCIG) which was subsequently acquired by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in 2009.
Origin and Purpose
Once the tallest unsupported structure in the southern hemisphere, the site was opened on June 06, 1966 “to provide the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) Television Services to the area.” Services broadcast from this site have been expanded over the years since and now include ABC Television, ABC FM Radio, SBS, GWN, WIN and Ten West Television, Hot FM (another radio station) and various telecommunication companies.

Facts and Figures
ALTITUDE OF SITE: 403.9 metres above sea level.
COORDINATES: 117 degrees, 38 minutes east. 34 degrees, 39 minutes south.
TOWER HEIGHT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL: 184 metres.
TOWER BASE AREA: 5.1 square metres.
TOWER FOUNDATION DEPTH: 7 metres.
TOWER WEIGHT: 340 tonnes.