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Itinerary for 60th
Anniversary Trek
8 – 19
August 2005 |
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DAY/DATE
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FROM/TO
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COMMENTS
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Day 1
Mon
8 August |
Sydney to Port
Moresby
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5.30 AM:
Ex Sydney Check In – Air Niugini Flt #PX 006
7.30 AM:
Ex Brisbane Check In – Air Niugini Flt #PX 006
1.00 PM:
Arrive PNG
2.30 PM:
Check In – Airways Hotel
5.30 PM:
Trek Briefing
7.30 PM:
Dinner
View Documentary: ‘Kokoda
– The Bloody Track’ by Patrick Lindsay.
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Day 2
Tuesday
9 August |
Port Moresby –
Kokoda – Kovello - Hoi
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5.00 AM:
Reveille
5.30 AM:
Breakfast
6.30 AM:
Check out of Airways Hotel
7.00 AM:
Check in PNG air terminal for charter flight to Kokoda
Inspect the site of the
first battle on the Kokoda plateau including the memorials and museum
Trek to Kovello village
(approx one hour) for a Kovello cultural
Trek to bush campsite at
Hoi (about 30 minutes)
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Day 3
Wednesday
10 August |
Hoi campsite to the
Isurava Memorial via Deniki and Isurava village
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Trek via the battlesite
at the abandoned village of Deniki where the second battle of the Kokoda
campaign was fought.
Trek to the Isurava
Memorial, which was officially opened, by Prime Ministers Howard and Somare on the 60th anniversary of the battle in August 2002.
Battlesite briefing at
the Memorial. This has been described as the ‘battle that saved
Australia’ – it is the spot where Private Bruce Kingsbury was
posthumously awarded the first Victoria Cross on Australian territory
Camp at the Memorial.
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Day 4
Thursday
11 August
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Isurava to Alola via
Abuari Village
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Trek to the Alola/Abuari
track junction – follow the track down to Eora Creek towards Abuari then
up to the waterfall. This is the area where Lt Col and the HQ staff of
the 2/14th Battalion were captured.
Trek to Abuari – this
area of the track was defended by the 53rd Militia Battalion.
Cross back across ridge
defended by the 39th Battalion.
Trek up to Alola village.
Camp at Alola.
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Day 5
Friday
12 August |
Alola village to
Templeton’s Crossing #2
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Trek to Eora
Creek - Lunch
This was the
scene of chaos and tragedy after the fall of Isurava and Abuari as
wounded Australians were sent limping and crawling up the track
whilst their mates fought a series of desperate delaying defensive
battles to give them time. Some were given morphine and left behind
to fight to the finish.
The area that
takes one day to trek through took the Australians 17 days to fight
through during the Templeton’s Crossing campaign. A force of
Japanese had been left to fight to the death in this area. They
were so desperate they cannibalised both Australian and their own
soldiers who had been killed. It was one of the most desperate and
gruesome actions during the Kokoda campaign.
Trek to
Templeton’s Crossing #2
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Day 6
Saturday
13 August
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Templeton’s Crossing
#2 to Lake Myola
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Trek to
Templeton’s Crossing #1 the climb to the Kokoda Gap which offers
spectacular view back down the Yodda Valley to Kokoda.
After leaving
the gap enter the moss forest area – this is mother nature’s
wonderland – birds of paradise, giant pandanus trees, numerous
varieties of palm trees, fern colonies, fungi – it is difficult to
imagine that this was the scene of such a desperate battle in 1942.
Cross Mr Bellamy
that is the highest point of the track at 2,200 metres – then
descend to the Efoge Creek Crossing for lunch.
Trek to
Kagi/Myola track junction then onto Lake Myola. Visit the wreckage
of a downed American bomber enroute. It was only discovered about 8
years ago when the remains of the crew were recovered back to
America for a military funeral.
Lake Myola is an
extinct volcanic plateau. It was the major logistic base for the
Australians during the campaign. Briefing on the critical
significance of Myola to the campaign.
Visit the
wreckage of a downed US Army P40 aircraft
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Day 7
Sunday
14 August |
Myola to Naduri
Village
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Follow the
original wartime track to campsite at Lake Myola No 2.
Visit an
abandoned Australian mortar position – live mortar rounds, grenades,
firing caps stacked four high and covered in 62 years of moss
growth. I found this position early this year – nobody else knows
of its location.
Continue through
the moss forest to the Naduri lookout with spectacular views down
the valley which is the most populated area of the track – Naduri,
Kagi and Efogi villages can be seen in the distance with Port
Moresby on the horizon.
Trek down to
Naduri Village – met by the most famous ‘fuzzy wuzzy angel’ on the
track – Mr Ovoru Indiki. Ovoru is the chief of the village and a
former village constable under Australia’s colonial rule.
The children of
Naduri will provide some great entertainment with their singing and
dancing.
Camp at Naduri.
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Day 8
Monday
15 August |
Naduri to Efogi via
Laununumu Kagi Village
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60th
Anniversary of the Japanese surrender in the Pacific War.
The area between
Kagi and Efogi No 2 village is probably the most rugged on the track
– it is not difficult to traverse today but one can only imagine how
diggers fought in this area and how the fuzzy-wuzzy angels carried
stretchers down it.
Laununumi (also
known as Efogi 2) is the location where 6,000 Japanese formed up to
attack 1,000 Australians dug in on Brigade Hill. The Japanese refer
to it as ‘the battle of the Owen Stanley Range’. The Australians
call it the battle for Brigade Hill. It was the biggest battle of
the Kokoda campaign.
Trek down to
Efogi Village.
Inspect the
small village museum which contains Australian and Japanese mortars,
machine guns, rifles, bayonets and bullets – boots with bones still
in them. A donation of K5 to the owner of the museum is customary.
Camp at Efogi
village
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Day 9
Tuesday
16 August |
Efogi
Naoro via Menari Village
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Climb Mission
Ridge that was defended by the 2/27 Battalion during the battle for
Brigade Hill.
Continue on to
Brigade Hill for a battlesite briefing. Inspect the former
gravesite that contains the remains of 72 Australians who were
killed in the battle. A donation of K10 to the landowner who tends
the site is customary.
Descend down the
southern spur to a spectacular log crossing then climb to Menari
Climb up to the
Ladavi Saddle that has great views back towards Menari.
Descent to the
Nauro swamp area – cross the Naoro River and climb up to the village
of Nauro.
Camp at the
local bush guesthouse and listen to a sing-sing in the evening.
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Day 10
Wednesday
17 August |
Naoro to Va Ule
Creek via Ioribaiwa Village
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Cross the Maguli
Range to the lunch site at Ofi Creek – one of the best jungle
swimming holes on the track.
Climb Iorabaiwa
Ridge – this is as far as the Japanese got in the advance towards
Port Moresby. They received direct orders from Tokyo to withdraw
from here – they could see the searchlights at Port Moresby from
this position.
Battlesite
briefing and inspection of the Japanese defensive position.
Proceed down the
ridge and along Ua Ule Creek to bush guesthouse for camp
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Day 11
Thursday
18 August |
Va Ule Creek to
Ower’s Corner via Imita Ridge and Goldie River
Bus transport to
Bomana War Cemetery |
Imita Ridge is
the where the Australians were ordered to hold at all costs and
fight to the death if necessary as it was the final obstacle between
the advancing Japanese and their objective at Port Moresby.
Cross the Goldie
River and climb to Ower’s Corner. A 25-pound Artillery gun has been
relocated to this site. They were used to fire over the Australian
position on Imita Ridge to the Japanese position on Iorabaiwa.
Visit Bomana War
Cemetery for a final briefing on the campaign. Meet the heroes we
speak about during the trek at the various battlesites.
Dinner and
presentations at the Airways Hotel.
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Day 12
Friday
19 August |
Half day tour of
Port Moresby
Fly Port Moresby to
Sydney |
7.00 AM:
Poolside Breakfast at Airways Hotel
8.30 AM:
Checkout Airways Hotel
9.00 – 12.30 PM:
Tour of Port Moresby city area via Koki markets, Ela Beach,
Parliament House, the National Museum and PNG Art which houses the
largest collection of artefacts in PNG – some really interesting
stuff.
12.30 PM:
Check in at Airport for Airniugini Flight #PX 003 to Brisbane and
Sydney.
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