WA Strategic Trails Blueprint aims to improve connection with country, community and culture

The Western Australian Government has released their Strategic Trails Blueprint 2022-2027 which outlines the way forward for trails across the State.

The Blueprint will guide the planning, development, and management of quality trails and trail experiences with an increased focus on ensuring they are inclusive and accessible.

It will also promote a shift in the trails industry towards deepening trail users' connection to country, community, and culture - while ensuring ongoing economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

WA Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman notes "trails have been an important feature of the Western Australian landscape for more than 60,000 years, with some of our most-loved trails following traditional pathways through country that have been used by Aboriginal people for generations.

"We now have a clear direction for the next five years to ensure that the future of trails in WA honours a deeper connection to country, community, and culture.

"Coupled with this, we know that trails in all their forms provide a valuable outlet for exercise, play, challenge, recreation, and adventure - offering enormous mental and physical health benefits to our society.”

In the past three years the State Government has invested heavily in trails which create jobs and boost regional economies in Queensland’s South-West - in communities such as Collie and Dwellingup - including the $10 million Collie Adventure Trails initiative.

The Blueprint was funded by the Western Australian Government through the Departments of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Biodiversity, and Conservation and Attractions.

Its development involved collaboration between:

• local and State Government;

• First Nations-led not-for-profit Common Ground;

• representatives from the Western Australian Local Government Association;

• Trails WA; and

• the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council.

For more information, visit dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/events/event/2022/10/21/sport-and-recreation/2022-trails-forum.