One of the worlds great treks

The Kokoda Trail is one of the world's great treks, linking the southern and northern coast of Papua New Guinea.

The Kokoda Trail and Sogeri area have a history of bitter fighting between Australian and Japanese armies during the early days of the war in the Pacific in World War II. The 96 km Kokoda Ttrail passes through rugged mountainous country of rainforest, jungles of fern, orchids, birds and clean mountain streams which tumble into steep valleys.

“After a while we started talking about food and what we missed – steak sandwiches and subways,” said Robert McRae who returned earlier this month from an eight day adventure walking the Kokoda Trail  with 10 other local students aged 16 and 17.

It was the second year of the trip sponsored and organised by Bundaberg RSL following a rigorous four month training period which gradually reduced the number of 25 hopefuls to 11 (four girls, seven boys).

Robert had only two sets of clothes – one for walking, one for pyjamas plus thermals for the cold mountain camps. He washed them (as well as himself) in fresh freezing running streams.  “After 20 minutes of walking they dried really quickly,” he said.  He wore the same pair of socks for 10 days. Robert says that  he slept well from about 8.30pm; up at 5.30am, walking by 7 until 2 – 3pm.

The 14 porters who can walk the track in three days on their return journey,  entertained on guitars including lullabies to help them sleep. The walkers augmented their vacuum-sealed instant meals with fruit from friendly villagers. “the best passionfruit I’ve ever tasted” said Robert  but declined the potent Betel Nuts.

Highlights of his Kokoda challenge included meeting the oldest surviving Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, Ovuru Ndiki aged 103;  visiting the grave in Pt Moresby of Bruce Kingsbury the first VC recipient on Australian territory from the 1942 campaign and the famous memorial at Isurava.

Robert said conditions in PNG could be unsafe with an older female trekker confronted by a native.

“We woke late one night to hear  screaming from the toilet and the porters raced down brandishing machetes,  then forming a guard for us all.”

He said weather was good with only one day of rain, prior training helping them cope with steep climbs and slipping down slopes covered in mud. “It’s all part of the experience which I’d do again some day,” he said.

“Courage, Endurance, Mateship, Sacrifice it says on the Isurava Memorial and that’s what we all learned.”