Sectional maintenance volunteers for the northern parts of the Track recently headed out to take part in their annual District Field Day. Volunteers visited Beraking campsite (Perth Hills district of PaWS) and Possum Springs campsite (Wellington district) to give the shelter and campsite a facelift. Maintenance manager Sue Morley took some brand-new volunteers for a training session in Track maintenance while others got stuck into the work.
At Beraking, tasks included renewing the finish on the cladding, bed platforms and picnic tables; upgrading the campsite signage; fixing water pipes; and some roof repairs. Several people got involved in raking up leaf litter all around the shelter and found that it’s harder work than it looks!
Huge thanks to Charlie Soord for coordinating the work and equipment, and other Support Volunteers for assisting with some of the more technical tasks.
Track maintenance training
Volunteers work on the shelter
A hive of activity at the Beraking field day
At Possum Springs the following weekend, the rain held off long enough for a smaller group of Wellington district volunteer to complete similar tasks. As a rammed earth structure there was no cladding to worry about; restocking the firewood pile was a good alternative task!
Thanks once again to Mark Davidson for coordinating the work and equipment for this Field Day.
Smiles all round
Charmaine helps top up the firewood
Field Day participants at Possum Springs
The next Field Days will be on the south coast at the end of May – at Sandpatch campsite (Albany district) and Mount Chance campsite (Frankland district).
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We’re thrilled to announce that planning has started for our next big celebration, the Bibbulmun Track’s 25th Anniversary. Saturday 13 September 2023 marks the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Perth-to-Albany Track, now known to us as the Bibbulmun Track. As part of the anniversary, a range of festivities will be held in the communities along the length of the Track between July and September 2023, with opportunities for walkers, young and old, to get involved.
On 13 September 1998 the ‘new’ Bibbulmun Track was officially opened in Albany. The Track had been significantly realigned, extended from Walpole to Albany and upgraded with the addition of timber shelters at the campsites. An official function was held at the Bibbulmun Track southern terminus to open the Track and farewell a group of walkers, 11 of whom completed the first official End-to-End. Along the way they were accompanied by sectional walkers. The event was called ‘Bib Walk ‘98’
On 13 September 2008, the 10th Anniversary celebrations - the journey of a decade, culminated with the conclusion of an end-to-end walk in Kalamunda. Over 100 walkers joined the end-to-enders for a part of the eight week journey. The celebrations included gatherings at every Track Town and they brought together hundreds of people who share a passion for the Bibbulmun Track as well introducing many people to it.
We will be commemorating this amazing milestone in the tradition of previous celebrations. We will be holding an End-to-End walk.
The event will begin with a special ceremony in Kalamunda in July 2023. A small group of End-to-End walkers will then make their way to Albany and arrive in September. At each town along the way we will have a community celebration and the End-to-Enders will be joined by a new group of walkers to walk the next section. The distance between towns varies from three to eight days. The anniversary celebrations culminate in a gathering in Albany after walkers finish the Track.
We are liaising with the Track Towns and invite local walkers, volunteers, community groups and schools to get involved with the festivities.
Make sure you are subscribed to our e-news, Bibbulmun Bytes or even better, become a member and keep an eye out for advanced information in the Bibbulmun News (our member's only magazine) and member only notifications.
Thanks to the WA government's Natural Resource Management grant, preparations are underway to repair sections of the Bibbulmun Track in the Boat Harbour region, which will include stabilising sand, addressing erosion, maintaining signage, as well as restoring stairs and other structures. The preparation of this project is the culmination of months of detailed planning and is a major milestone in the Boat Harbour works.
The transport of materials and equipment to remote areas of the Track required substantive coordinated planning and logistics by Bibbulmun Track Foundation volunteers. Works will stabilise the Track similar to what was achieved on Conspicuous Cliffs and sections near Parry Beach in 2020.
In late February a team of Bibbulmun Track Foundation Support Volunteers travelled to Walpole to cut, drill, sort, bag, strap and mark over 10 tonnes (33 loads) of materials at the Parks and Wildlife yard in readiness for airlifting to selected drop off points beside the Track on both sides of Boat Harbour. While that was underway other support volunteers marked the 22 carefully chosen stockpile locations to make them more visible from the air.
Cutting coir matting for track repair work
In close collaboration with crew from Frankland Dept of Parks and Wildlife, 33 loads of materials and equipment were loaded and transported to a paddock near Parry Beach ready for helicopter delivery to the designated stockpile locations beside the Track in March.
Bags of material and equipment ready for helicopter drops
The strong partnership between Bibbulmun Track Foundation and Parks & Wildlife to secure and mobilise materials and equipment has meant remote sections of the Track can be restored.
Actual stabilisation work will be carried out in four-day working campaigns starting in May and proceeding through the winter months until complete.
Cutting and drilling steel pickets
South Coast track erosion
This project is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.
The Bibbulmun Track Foundation offers a variety of events to suit all ages and most fitness levels.
From guided walks to learning how to cook amazing food on a fuel stove you're sure to find something that interests you!
Our events calendar is published online twice a year.
It includes day walks, overnight walks, ladies only walks, kids'events, and range of seminars and workshops.
There are still places available on our Easter trek - Great Southern Expedition. Experience walking along rugged coast lines and sandy beaches, coastal inlets and traverse high points overlooking the great Southern Ocean?
