![Dwellingup will host a celebratory event in honour of 25 years of the Bibbulmun Track. Picture by Ce Kealley. Dwellingup will host a celebratory event in honour of 25 years of the Bibbulmun Track. Picture by Ce Kealley.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/124091982/9ba31186-363d-4417-b56c-38fa1c2328d7.jpeg/r0_373_4000_2622_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Dwellingup Trails and Visitor Centre will host a free community event next week to celebrate 25 years of the Bibbulmun Track.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Starting at 3pm on July 25, attendees will be treated to a sausage sizzle, local entertainment and displays to recognise the importance and support of the community of Dwellingup.
The event will also welcome the commemorative end-to-end walkers on their eight-week journey from Kalamunda to Albany.
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. A majority of this is spent in the nine regional towns linked by the Track.
The Bibbulmun Track Foundation's executive director Linda Daniels said the event was an opportunity to thank all those involved in the initial building of the Track and those who continued to maintain and support it.
"The Foundation coordinates nearly four hundred volunteers who help maintain the Track - collectively they volunteered over 22,0000 hours last year and we are keen to recruit more volunteers who live in the towns along the Track," Ms Daniels said.
Nearly 100 people will take part in the commemorative walk between Kalamunda and Albany, with different groups walking from town to town and a core group of ten walkers going the whole way.
Additionally, over 400 people are taking part in a virtual hike along the Track and they have so far collectively walked over 22,000,000 steps.
Walkers will arrive at the Southern Terminus on Wednesday, September 13, the day the new Track was officially opened.
History of the Bibbulmun Track
The Bibbulmun Track was first opened in 1979 as part of WA's 150 years celebration, and at the time it was 900km trail.
On September 13, 1998 the new Bibbulmun Track was opened after being realigned, extended from Walpole to Albany and upgraded with timber shelters.
The Bibbulmun Track was named in recognition of the Bibbulmun people who were known to walk long distances to ceremonial gatherings.
The Bibbulmun Track was named in recognition of the Bibbulmun people who were known to walk long distances to ceremonial gatherings.