THE Bibbulmun Track Foundation has celebrated two significant international milestones with the official opening of friendship trail partnerships linking the iconic Bibbulmun Track with Taiwan's Raknus Selu Trail and Brazil’s Transcarioca Trail.

Last week two ceremonies were held in Kalamunda and Northcliffe to welcome international delegates, government representatives, trail managers, volunteers and community leaders to recognise the growing global connections between some of the world’s most celebrated long-distance walking tracks.

Established through the World Trails Network’s Friendship Trails initiative, the partnerships promote cultural exchange, tourism, environmental stewardship and the sharing of trail management knowledge between trail communities around the world.

The Transcarioca Trail has been twinned with the Kalamunda to Dwellingup section of the Bibbulmun Track while the Raknus Selu Trail has been twinned with the Pemberton to Northcliffe section.

Bibbulmun Track Foundation chair Kathleen Broderick said the friendship trail agreements recognised the power of walking tracks to connect people, cultures and landscapes across international borders.

Bibbulmun Track Foundation chief executive officer Su-Mita Hill said the events highlighted Western Australia’s place within a growing international network of world-class walking destinations.

“Ultimately, the Bibbulmun Track is about community and connection: connecting Kalamunda to Albany and to all the towns along the way, connecting to each other and to ourselves, connecting people to planet and to place, and now, connecting people who walk these sections of the Bibbulmun Track to trail experiences and communities in Taiwan and Brazil.”

The Northcliffe ceremony was attended by representatives from Taiwan’s trail organisations, including Raknus Selu Trail Association acting president Ming-Chien Hsu, and Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association chief executive director Sheng-Hsin Chou.

At Kalamunda, representatives from Brazil’s trail community joined local dignitaries and trail supporters for the official ceremony at the Bibbulmun Track Northern Terminus.

Speakers included Kalamunda MLA Adam Hort, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions parks executive director Luke Bentley, Brazilian Trails Network director Pedro Menezes, City of Kalamunda Mayor Margaret Thomas, and Bibbulmun Track Foundation chair Kathleen Broderick.

The ceremonies celebrated not only international cooperation but also the volunteers, land managers, community organisations and supporters who contribute to the long-term success of the track.