The Kokoda Trail holds a special place in the hearts of the Australian nation. In the steep jungle area surrounding the Kokoda plateau the Australia forces desperately held back Japanese forces during WW2 as they came as close as they would to reaching Australia via Port Moresby. The trail is and always was very steep, especially for people carrying packs and there is a certain authenticity to trekking the route, now kept in much better repair despite the damp monsoon conditions, with your full pack, feeling the history of what happened here. The route links the south and northern coast of Papua New Guinea and can be traversed from either end, Owen’s Corner, where there is a memorial to fallen Australian troops, near Port Moresby to Kokoda, through the Owen Stanley Mountain Range or beginning at Kokoda which is the more historically correct choice. The jungle is still dense and rugged here and the trek, though only covering 96kms, in an almost straight line, takes around ten days to complete depending on fitness, there are campsites along the way and several small, remote villages which walkers are welcomed into. Due to the humidity the best time to trek is between May and October.

Written by  Tom Newarque.

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