Locals, volunteers and walkers are being invited to a free community event in Dwellingup on Tuesday, July 25 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Bibbulmun Track.
Starting at 3pm, the celebration will be held at the Dwellingup Trails & Visitor Centre and will include a sausage sizzle, local entertainment and displays to recognise the importance and support of the community of Dwellingup.
The commemorative end-to-end walkers will also be welcomed on their eight week journey from Kalamunda to Albany.
“This event is an opportunity for the Bibbulmun Track Foundation and the Parks and Wildlife Service to thank all those who were involved in the initial building of the Bibbulmun Track and those who continue to maintain and support it," Bibbulmun Track Foundation Executive Director Linda Daniels said.
“The Track attracts hikers from around the world and is increasingly popular with West Australians who have taken up hiking in droves over the past few years. We are so fortunate to have this world-class trail in our own backyard. The Foundation coordinates nearly four hundred volunteers who help maintain the Track. Collectively they volunteered over 22,000 hours last year and we are keen to recruit more volunteers who live in the towns
along the Track.”
Over 300,000 walks are taken on the Track each year, from short day walks up to ten-week treks.
Walkers spend over $13 million per annum on accommodation, meals, transport, and supplies along the way.
Much of this in the nine regional towns linked by the Track.
Nearly 100 people will take part in the walk between Kalamunda and Albany, with different groups walking from town to town and a core group of ten walkers going the whole way.
The Bibbulmun Track was named in recognition of the Bibbulmun people who were known to walk long distances to ceremonial gatherings and this historic journey from Kalamunda to Albany will take eight weeks with the walkers arriving at the Southern Terminus on Wednesday September 13, the day the Track was officially opened in 1998.
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