The or '''Trail''' is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland — in a straight line — through the
Owen Stanley Range in
Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track is the most famous in PNG and is renowned as the location of the World War II battle between
Japanese and
Australian forces in 1942.
The track starts, or ends, at Ower's Corner in
Central Province , east of
Port Moresby , and then crosses rugged and isolated, terrain, which is only passable on foot, to the village of
Kokoda in
Oro Province . It reaches a height of as it passes around the peak of
Mount Bellamy .
1
Hot, humid days with intensely cold nights, torrential rainfall and endemic
Tropical Diseases such as
Malaria make it a challenge to walk. Despite the challenge posed it is a popular hike that takes between five and 12 days (depending on fitness). Locals have been known to hike the route in three days.
The trail was first used by Europeans in the 1890s by miners struggling northwards to the Yodda Kokoda goldfields.
During the
Pacific War of
World War II a series of
Battles were fought from July 1942 to January 1943 between
Japanese and
Australia n troops. This action was memorialised in a
Newsreel Documentary ''
Kokoda Frontline '' by cameraman
Damien Parer that won him
Australia 's first
Academy Award in
1942 . For more details on the Second World War see
Kokoda Track Campaign .
In recent years walking the track has become a pilgrimage for numerous Australians of all ages. The
Kokoda Track Foundation was established by
Charlie Lynn , a member of the
New South Wales Legislative Council , in 2003. The aims of the foundation are to promote education, health and sporting initiatives designed to enhance the well-being, future and enjoyment of the local communities living along the Kokoda Track.
There is a proposal to turn the track into an Australian heritage destination on a par with
ANZAC Cove at
Gallipoli .
2 Creation of the hertitage area is in part response to the issue of an Australian gold mining company wanting to mine on or near the track. Currently the idea is backed by the Australian government and Papua New Guinea's foreign minister.
Because of the route's historical significance, there has been much debate in Australia whether it should be called the "Kokoda Trail" or the "Kokoda Track". The monument at Ower's Corner uses both terms: "Track" on one side and "Trail" on the other. A PNG-based commercial website quotes historian Stuart Hawthorne as saying that, before World War II, the throroughfare in question was referred to officially as "the overland mail route", and that it was also widely known as "the
Buna road".
3
"Kokoda Trail" was gazetted as the official name of the route by the Australian administration of Papua New Guinea in 1972. It is also used by the
Australian Army as an official
Battle Honour . Hawthorne states that "Kokoda Trail" became common because of its use in Australian newspapers during the war. The first known use of "Kokoda Trail" was in
Sydney 's ''
Daily Mirror '' on
October 27 1942 . The Australian War Memorial states that "
Trail " is probably of
United States origin.
4 The AWM goes on to state that "Kokoda Trail" has been used in many Australian history books and "...appears to be used more widely".
In contrast, the Australian ''
Macquarie Dictionary '' states that while both terms are in use, Kokoda Track "appears to be the more popular of the two".
5
Americans tend to use trail, while us Aussie's use track to describe the route.
The track can be walked from either direction, although some say that from Kokoda to Ower's Corner is easier, even though in that direction you actually have to climb an extra 550 metres in height.
The track can take anywhere from 5 days to 12 days to complete depending on fitness and rest time involved. Locals are renowned for being able to regularly complete it in 3 days. The best time to trek Kokoda is from April to September during the 'dry' season.
There are a number of guesthouses located along the way, some at villages others at traditional rest spots. The main villages passed through (from Ower's Corner) are Naoro, Menari, Efogi Creek 1 & 2, Kagi or Naduli (depending if shortcut taken), Alolo, Isurava, Hoi, Kovolo. Villagers are increasingly taking part in the commercial opportunities created by the growing number of tourists; in October 2006 some were known to be selling cans of soft drink and beer at double the price payable in Port Moresby.
Guides and porters can be found more easily at the Kokoda end of the track by asking the local police station for a reputable person.
The Kokoda Challenge Race is an endurance running race that was revived on
27 August 2005 . The race originally ran in
1975 but stopped before becoming an annual event.
6 Renewed interest in running the track was created when Australian Brian Freeman, the CEO of a Brisbane based Kokoda trekking company, broke the track record in August 2004 with a time just under 25 hours. Papuan New Guinean locals wanted the record reclaimed for themselves, and this was achieved by John Hunt Hiviki during the inaugural race of 2005 who completed it in 22 hours, one minute and 14 seconds.
7
On
27 August 2006 , Brendan Buka, a 22-year-old Papua New Guinean trekking porter from
Kokoda , conquered the trail from Ower's Corner to Kokoda in a winning time of 17 hours, 49 minutes and 17 seconds.
8 A Sydney engineer, Damon Goerke, 32 became the first Australian to run the track in under 24 hours, coming third in the 2006 challenege with a time of just under 19.5 hours.
The race record was again broken by Buka in the
2007 event when he completed the track in 17 hours 20 minutes on
26 August 2007 running in the reverse direction from Kokoda to Owers Corner.
9 The 2007 event also featured runners running from Owers Corner to Kokoda and a winning time of 19 hours 9 minutes was set in this direction by Tom hango.
The race runners are required to complete the full 96 km and pass through seven check-points at Isurava, Templeton Crossing One, Myola, Efogi One, Old Nauro, Va’ule Creek and Goldie River.
