Adventure Kokoda Pilgrimages for Schools
‘Army Basic Training — often called boot-camp — prepares recruits for all elements of service:...
Read More‘Army Basic Training — often called boot-camp — prepares recruits for all elements of service:...
Read MoreWhy? Because we are expert on the military history of the Kokoda campaign – and because we engage professional expedition leaders for our treks. This is why we have been rated No.1 on Trip Advisor for the past nine years.
Read MoreThe Kokoda Trail: 10 Essential Facts
Read MoreThis paper is based on my experiences leading 101 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail over a 32 year period between 1991-2023.
Prior to this there was no Kokoda tourism industry and subsistence villagers earned zero income.
During my time in PNG I spent 95 percent of my time on the Kokoda Trail working with our guides and carriers on the Trail and either living in their villagers or with them on the Sogeri plateau.
My purpose is to summarize the situation which led to the rise of Kokoda tourism under PNG management from 2004 – 2008; its demise under the management of Australian environment officials from 2009 – 2023; and its potential it as a world-class pilgrimage tourism destination.
Read MoreMichael Pender, an accredited Military Heritage Architect from HPA Projects was commissioned by Network Kokoda to develop a Master Plan for the Kokoda Trail for the 70th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 2012.
The plan has been ignored by the DFAT Kokoda Initiative in PNG as they regarded the development of a World Heritage Listing for the Owen Stanley Ranges as a priority.
Since then, a 2015 report from an Australian expert on World Heritage listings, Dr Peter Hitchcock AM and Dr Jennifer Gabriel concluded that the Kokoda Trail does not meet the criteria for a World Heritage listing.
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