Kokoda Track

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The Kokoda Track
View of the Owen Stanley Ranges from Owers Corner
Length	96 kilometres (60 mi)
Location	Papua New Guinea
Trailheads	Kokoda / Owers Corner
Use	Walking
Highest Point	Mount Bellamy 2,190 m (7,185 ft)
Lowest Point	Ua'Ule Creek 300 m (984 ft)
Trail Difficulty	Medium/Hard
Season	All
Sights	WWII History, Jungle, Mountains

The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland — 60 kilometres (37 mi) 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 Owers Corner in Central Province, 50 kilometres (31 mi) 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 2,190 metres (7,185 ft) as it passes around the peak of Mount Bellamy.^[1]

Hot, humid days with intensely cold nights, torrential rainfall and the risk of 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.

Contents 1 History 2 Kokoda Track or Trail? 3 Trekking 4 Kokoda Challenge Race 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

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 Australian troops. This action was memorialised in the 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 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.^[2]

In November 2007 Australian mining firm Frontier Resources announced plans to divert a section of the track to make way for a copper mine.^[3] The plan has the support of the local landowners and the Papua New Guinean government but has been criticized by trekking operators.^[3] Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said he will lobby the PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to stop the proposed move.^[4]

[edit] Kokoda Track or Trail?

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 Owers 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".^[5]

"Kokoda Trail" was gazetted as the official name of the route by the Australian administration of Papua New Guinea in 1972.^[5] 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 (AWM) suggests that "trail" is probably of United States origin.^[6] The AWM goes on to state that "Kokoda Trail" has been used in many Australian history books and "...appears to be used more widely".^[6]

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".^[7]

[edit] Trekking

The track can be walked from either direction, although some say that from Kokoda to Owers 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 Owers Corner) are Naoro, Menari, Efogi Creek 1 & 2, Kagi or Naduli (if shortcut is 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.

[edit] Kokoda Challenge Race

Kokoda Challenge Race Records

Direction	Record holder	Record time	Year
Kokoda to Owers Corner	Brendan Buka	17:20	2007
Owers Corner to Kokoda	Brendan Buka	17:49.17	2006

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.^[8] 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. Papua 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.^[9]

On 27 August 2006, Brendan Buka, a 22-year-old Papua New Guinean trekking porter from Kokoda, conquered the trail from Owers Corner to Kokoda in a winning time of 17 hours, 49 minutes and 17 seconds.^[10] A Sydney engineer, Damon Goerke, 32 became the first Australian to run the track in under 24 hours, coming third in the 2006 challenge 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.^[11] 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.^[11]

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.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Kokoda Track Foundation