15 Oct 2008
Over ten long days I was able to get a glimpse of the meaning behind the four words used to describe Aussie soldiers today and used to praise the diggers of the past - Courage, Sacrifice, Endurance and Mateship. When it got tough on the track it was those four words that I repeated to myself, thinking of the soldiers who fought in Papua New Guinea in 1942.
Trekking the Kokoda track has got to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am telling myself now I will definitely go back to Papua New Guinea to conquer the track once again. The track involved ten days of hiking over a total distance of 151km and reaching a height of 2230m. The going was rough and at times very slippery, often copping a slide or two. The mountains seemed never ending, I found myself trying to remember back to what flat ground was like to walk on. I started the trek with 12kg of dry weight plus 3kg of water. Using my dry clothes sack as a pillow soon proved unlikely. As each day went by, the more my clothes would be dripping and adding more weight to my pack. It rained most days, this became a nice let up to the more humid climate in the lower ranges. My clothes were saturated with sweat every day, so the rain only felt refreshing. The canopy of the jungle over most of the track helped keep the temperature down while walking and provided beautiful scenery.
Day One: We flew from Port Moresby to Kokoda airfield, a grass landing strip and an interesting experience. Shortly after arrival and all full of energy and excitement we started the trek with a one hour walk to Kovello village via some small monuments and the Kokoda Hospital. The hospital has only the most basic of medical supplies and no doctor. On arrival at Kovello the village children ran over from their soccer game to greet all the trekkers. Our group carriers set up the tents, the head cook heated up some great food and day one was almost over. Each night we ate either deb, rice, or pasta with a meat and vegetable stir-fry, as well as soup. Lunch consisted mostly of pasta, cheese, canned meat and biscuits. For breakfast we had weet-bix and fruit. All the meals were prepared by a team of Papuan porters who formed the cooking crew. Most villages we stopped at had bananas available, on one occasion we were given passionfruit.
Day Two: Reveille at 0530 and then walked approx 10km to Isurava Memorial, via Daniki over some pretty hairy river crossings. Deniki is an abandoned village that has extensive views back down the Yodda Valley to Kokoda. From here we passed through Isurava village and on to the memorial, where a battle between Japanese and Australian soldiers had raged for four days some 66 years ago. A feast of sweet potato and choko vine was cooked up by the Papuan locals.
Day three saw an early start at 0500 with murmurs of happy birthday coming from the tents around me as I began my first day as an 18 year old. A very moving ceremony was held at the memorial site with a magnificent view of the sun coming up behind the mountains and fog floating in the gap directly ahead. The ceremony involved a briefing of the historical significance of Isurava followed by three poems, a hymn sung beautifully by the Papuans, their National Anthem and we retaliated with the Australia Anthem. From here the group continued on until arriving at Alola village. After stopping for morning tea we split into two groups. Six of us and Simon the trek leader headed on an extra two hour climb to Abuari village, whilst the others took the direct route to Eora Creek. The climb to Abuari was the hardest yet, it was definitely worth the challenge. It was such a memorable 18th birthday. It was a two hour climb with no let up. Along the way we dropped our packs and took a side track to a spectacular waterfall. Once at Abuari I had an overwhelming feeling of relief and achievement. Meeting up with the rest of the group we continued to hike arriving at the campsite just before dark, allowing a small amount of time to bathe in the creek.
Day four provided somewhat of a surprise as we trekked to Lake Myola over a jungle floor that seemed to spring with each step. The jungle seemed to stop suddenly with the Kokoda Gap expanding vastly in front of us as we looked across Lake Myola. The Lake Myola campsite provided the opportunity for a hot shower, however short it was still enjoyable. From Lake Myola it was on to Efogi via Naduri for Day Five. We stopped for lunch at Naduri and were able to hear the story of Luluai Ovoru, a Papuan carrier from the campaign. Ovoru is 103 years old, his son is now the village Leader. We camped at Efogi village that night, where I picked the nick name Efogi Phoebe.
Day six came with a tough climb up Brigade Hill. Once at the top Simon read to us the poem wx unknown. The reflection immediately after the poem was read brought tears to my eyes, the poem outlines just how brutal and bloody the jungle warfare was. A climb up and over a saddle led us to Menari where we spent the night before hiking through Japs Ladder onto Ofi Creek for Day Seven.
By now my legs had acclimatised to the stepping and my body was successfully coping with the climate change.
One of my most special moments from the track was from Day Eight, starting with a steep climb to Imita Gap. From there I looked upwards towards a massive rock face. Simon invited those who were interested to have an adventure and use an alternate path to the last camp site, over that rock face. The group now known as the Blonde Club consisting of us 4 girls and Dan decided we were up for the challenge. This added extra hiking time onto the day and no lunch, however the track we walked involved some bush bashing and provided me with loads of entertainment watching Simon slip over many times. This route had only been trekked by trekkers twice from the other direction; we were the first trekkers to hike that way. In the first 100m there was about eight Australian weapon pits. Charlie Lynn had originally taken this direction in search for the golden staircase. It was an amazing feeling to think I was one of the first white trekkers to view that part of the jungle.
Our last campsite was just a 40min climb to Ower’s Corner, starting with a waist deep river crossing. Arriving at Ower’s Corner I had an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. I had spent eight nights in the jungle sleeping on a roll mat by night and trekking by day. Some days we walked up to 22km. The Kokoda track has been the most amazing experience with stunning views and breathtaking scenery. Staying in the villages took away all the complexity from our lives and I was able to see the simple lifestyle the Papuans live. The villagers are so welcoming and such beautiful people. I left the track feeling I had taken a little bit of the Papuan culture with me, and a desire to help in some way.
To finish off the Bomana War Cemetery was extremely emotional with almost 4000 war graves, Australians, British and Papuan soldiers. Many head stones simply labelled A Soldier of the War, known unto God. It’s great to be back home but I truly do miss Papua New Guinea and was sad to leave behind the track our Aussie soldiers fought on 66 years ago. It was so tough today I could only try to imagine what it was like all those years ago in a war zone without high tech equipment and very limited supplies. I know I will always remember and treasure my journey across the Ower's Stanley Ranges. I’m so grateful to Clubs WA for providing this fantastic opportunity.
Phoebe Tucker