Adventure Kokoda Blog

Dear Charlie

I’m not quite sure how to start this except to say thank you.

I recently completed the track starting at Owers Corner on ANZAC Day with John Nalder, and I am proud to say that the track was so much more than i ever expected. It was an experience so very difficult to put into words, and as John explained to us it is impossible to give a three word answer when someone asks “how was it?”.  I can’t manage to answer that question without at least talking for ten minutes. 

Firstly I’d like to say a huge thank you for the professionalism of your company and the thoroughness with which you prepare.  I was quite suprised to receive a phone call from John on Good Friday seeking more information on my gluten intolerance.  I expect that gluten free foods are not that easy to shop for in PNG. Aside from my dietary requirements I was also impressed with the description that John gave of the trekkers he meets a the airport.  I think that I was wearing the apprehension tinged with nerves and alot of excitiemnt quite well, and i t was not a look I was trying to achieve, it was exactly how I was feeling.  I was also impressed with the quality of information provided on equipment such as boots and clothing for the trek.  I know that if I ever do it again there will be a few small changes that I will make in the equipment that I bring. (more…)

UNVEILING OF THE BRONZE STATUE HONOURING THE NEW GUINEA WARTIME CARRIERS by THE HON VICTOR DOMINELLO MP

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is no doubt that Kokoda is a pinnacle on that Anzac line of courage and fortitude that runs through our nation’s history from Gallipoli to Kapyong, from Long Tan to Tarin Kot.

Now almost seventy years has passed, but the name Kokoda continues to echo in the annals of Australia’s military narrative.

Early in 1942, Australians had mobilised in the face of a unique threat on its doorstep… (more…)

KOKODA DAY SPEECH BY BRIGADIER PHIL McNAMARA CSC ESM (Retired)
Chairman, Network Kokoda  www.networkkokoda.org

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered here today to commemorate the raising of the Australian Flag at Kokoda Village on 3^rd  November 1942, 69 years ago today by Major General George Vasey, the Commander of the Australian 7^th Division.  This event symbolised the turning of the tide in the war against Japan and was warmly acclaimed by both the Australian soldiers present and the group of PNG carriers and Kokoda villagers in attendance.

Japanese plans for a seaborne invasion of Port Moresby had been thwarted bu Australian and American naval forces in the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May 1942 and the battle of Midway in early June 1942.  This left them with the only option of a land assault over the Owen Stanley Ranges via the Kokoda Trail.  Their infantry forces started landing on the beach at Gona on 21^st July 1942. (more…)

Kokoda Day will be commemorated at a special ceremony at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway, Rhodes Park, Concord, at 10.30 AM on 3rd of November 2011.

The commemoration will include a re-enactment of the flag raising ceremony which took place on the Kokoda plateau on the 3rd November 1942.  Kokoda Day symbolises the turning of the tide in the war against Japan.

Japanese plans for a seaborne invasion of Port Moresby were thwarted by Australian and American naval forces in the battle of the Coral Sea (4 – 8 May 1942) and the battle of Midway (4 – 6 June 1942).  This left them with the only option of a land assault over the Owen Stanley Ranges via the Kokoda Trail. (more…)

I recently spoke with a rather disgruntled trekker who questioned me about a Kokoda trek leader by the name of Narai Billy.  Apparently he googled Narai and ’learned‘ that he had trekked with me and a few other trekking companies.  This particular trekker thought he made an informed decision based on this information and saved around $2000 by trekking with Narai.

Big mistake!  He saw Narai at the start (when he collected his money) and a more inebriated version at the finish (when he had obviously spent his money),  In between, during his trek, he missed the half way food-drop (because it wasn’t delivered) and had to rely on the generosity of other trekking companies and local villagers to eat.  To say he was pissed off is an understatement! (more…)

Whilst the Kokoda Trail has been a neglected jungle shrine since the end of the war in 1945 none of the battlesites have ever been ‘lost’ as some recent media reports claim.

Some had been reclaimed by the jungle and others had been bypassed with the relocation of wartime villages to their current locations.  But the location of all battlesites have been known to those who specialise in the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign for more than two decades – and to other adventurous trekkers prior to that.

Official Royal Australian Army Survey Corps maps published in 1978 identify the wartime routes of the Kokoda Trail and the wartime village locations.  The battlesites of Brigade Hill and Isurava were confirmed using GPS devices and cross-checking the data with the official Royal Australian Army Survey Corps Maps.

There has been much recent publicity over the ‘discovery’ of a lost battlefield at Eora Creek.  This was more of an event than an actual ‘discovery’. Pioneering trek operators, who have been conducting treks across the Kokoda Trail for more than a decade before the boom in trekker numbers around 2004, have been visiting the latest ‘lost’ battlefield at Eora Creek since they began their operations.

(more…)

A letter published in the East Malaysian Daily Express on 25 September 2011 indicates that Kokoda Spirit proprietor, Wayne Wetherall, is using the same ambush marketing strategy on the Sandakan Death March route as he used to develop his business along the Kokoda Trail.

According to a letter from ‘History buff’’ titled ‘Profit motive in new Death March’:

‘A so-called ‘expert’ has lately surfaced making claims about newly-discovered ‘lost tracks’ of the infamous Death March route of World War Two.

‘He has made claims he has spoken to villagers and the original route used by the POW’s and the Japanese near the village of Miruru when this is not the case.

‘A number of villagers interviewed in the Miruru area deny ever speaking to him and the Sabah Society research of 2005-2006 concluded the route did cut through the Miruru area before the prisoners had to wade across a major river to get to Tampias. (more…)

Australian trekkers seeking a ‘good deal’ should be aware of the increasing number of Kokoda Copycats now operating on the Kokoda Trail.  These operators use parasitic marketing techniques to provide a false impression of who they are and what they provide. One company, ‘Kokoda Spirit’, has perfected this technique by copying original material from some of the pioneering trekking companies and posting it onto their ‘Kokoda Spirit’ website as their ‘own without permission or acknowledgement of the original sources.

Following are three examples where ‘Kokoda Spirit’ copied their itinerary from the Adventure Kokoda website without permission or acknowledgment: (more…)

Adventure Kokoda has announced self-guided budget treks across the Kokoda Trail from $2395 out of Port Moresby.  Included in the price are two nights’ accommodation and meals at Sogeri Lodge, a backpack, personal mosquito proof tent, trek fees, campsite fees, all meals during the trek, flight between Port Moresby and Kokoda, ground transport, satphone, VHF radio, group camping gear, Kokoda Self-Guided E-Book, etc, etc.  See  http://www.kokodatreks.com/kokodatreks/kokodacustodiansprogram.cfm for comparison with other Kokoda trek operators.

These treks will follow the original wartime trail via Templeton’s Crossing, Militia Ridge and the Kagi Gap.  This route has only recently been opened up and is a highlight of the trek due to the undisturbed terrain through the moss forest in the area. (more…)

Trekking the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea will be a little easier with the release of the first topographical map to be produced in 37 years.

The map has a scale of 1:50,000 and contains contour lines with spot heights and Global Positioning System Grids; the location of wartime villages, battle-sites, fire-support bases and logistic support areas; detailed map inserts for each major battle of the Kokoda campaign; villages, campsites, lookouts, water points; and traditional and wartime names of mountains, rivers, creeks and significant features. (more…)