Adventure Kokoda Blog
Protecting our heritage
Kokoda is much more than a trek. It is almost a spiritual journey for those who wish to connect to the historical significance of the Kokoda campaign. It is also an empathetic bridge for Australians and Papua New Guineans to better understand each other.
Our Charity
Our charitable work includes the provision of health support, school supplies, scholarships, and emergency medical assistance to villagers across the Kokoda Trail.
Our Media
National features stories of our treks on all major television networks, newspapers, and magazines.
Our Reviews
Trekker feedback, Trip Advisor reviews, and personal reflections.
Our Treks
Everything you need to know about our treks, our trekkers, training tips, gear selection, and some handy hints.
Our Viewpoint
Charlie has been the leading advocate for the protection of our Kokoda heritage, and the welfare of villagers across the Trail, for 30 years.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Interesting articles relating to our close association with PNG, and our shared wartime heritage.
Latest News
Why Adventure Kokoda?
Why? 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.
The Kokoda Trail – 10 Essential Facts
The Kokoda Trail: 10 Essential Facts
The Rise, Fall and Future of Kokoda Tourism: 1991-2023
This 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.
Funding Proposal for a Kokoda Trail Military Heritage Master Plan
Michael 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.
Conflict in command during the Kokoda campaign of 1942: did General Blamey deserve the blame?
General Sir Thomas Blamey was commander-in-chief of the Australian Military Forces during World War II. Tough and decisive, he did not resile from sacking ineffective senior commanders when the situation demanded. He has been widely criticised by more recent historians for his role in the sackings of Lieutenant-General S. F. Rowell, Major-General A. S. Allen and Brigadier A. W. Potts during the Kokoda Campaign of 1942. Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Tracey, a Trek Leader with Adventure Kokoda examines each sacking and concludes that Blamey’s actions in each case were justified in a paper published by the Royal United Services Institute, Volume 61, 2010.
Kokoda Historical – Trekker Alert!
‘Kokoda Historical’ is a Business Name masquerading as a company in PNG. The owner, David Howell, is a subrban salesman, masquerading as a historian – his transformation to a self-proclaimed ‘Kokoda expert’ without any previous military service credentials or any association with the veteran community is a compelling tale.