Kokoda Track Diary: The journey is over

STUDENTS, teachers and police from across Moonee Valley started their gruelling trek across the Kokoda Track on Sunday, July 1 and we followed them via satellite phone direct from the track. You can leave a message by scrolling to the bottom of this story to post a comment.

It's over:

Long, slow and muddy could be the best three words to describe the Moonee Valley Kokoda crews final days of the trek.

In all of guide Pam Christie's 45 crossings of the Owen Stanley Ranges, she said this had been the muddiest.

Click on the image below for our huge gallery.

Unable to maintain a phone connection back to the Weekly on the trek's last days, Senior Constable Del King updated the diary for days 4-8 from Port Moresby airport as the crew got ready to come home.

See entries for days 5-8 below.

Day 8: Our last day, with Del King.

Because we didn’t go as far as Goldie River, we had a three-hour walk out, which initially we were all thinking ‘‘oh I don’t want to walk three hours on the last day’’ but it worked really well. Everyone got to Goldie River and those that got there early had a bit of a swim and cooled down and made kind of like an honour guard for us to cross the river...of course that meant that as we walked through the honour guard we were splashed! So we were completely drenched which was a nice cooling way to regroup ready for our final climb up to Ower's Corner.

Even though that’s only a short climb, it's still quite steep and the last section being in full sun it's really quite hot and humid. Our clothes were sticking to us but we made it to the top and it was fantastic to make through as a team and to stand at the top and see a stream of students and sponsors and police all walking up the hill. Some hand in hand supporting one another until we got to the top.

We walked through and we were done! We made it to the end! Absolutely amazing, absolutely fantastic! There were a few people feeling a little worse for wear but over all the courage and the endurance and the way everyone worked together was absolutely amazing and everyone definitely earned their icey cold can of drink and salad roll at the end as a ‘Yay we made it, Yay we get to eat real food celebration.’

Traditionally we stop at Bomana War Cemetery on the way home.

We did that again and were able to pay our respects, lay a few poppies there and say a few thank yous.

It was really a beautiful way to finish the track.

Day 7: Del King

We were planning of going from Ofi Creek to Goldie River but because the track was so muddy it had already added hours onto our walk time so we decided to pull back and only go as far as Good Water.

Having said that it was still a really long day going through Iorabawa Ridge then Imita Ridge, with Goldie Creek in the middle. So we went from walking up a really steep hill down into a valley where we crossed the same creek a dozen or so times and then up Imita Ridge that was really slippery and muddy.

A quick break at the top of Imita Ridge and we headed down the Golden Staircase which was really more like a golden slip and slide, through the clay and the mud.

Eventually we got into camp at Good Water. The camp was really named appropriately there was good water there, we could all have a swim and clean off our clothes and try dissolve some of the mud stuck to our shoes ready to walk out on the last day.

Day 6: Del King:

After two really short days we knew it was going to be a hideously long day. By then walking through the mud some of us were actually really really slow, so we set off an hour earlier and still didn’t get into camp until dark.

So it was 12 hours of walking, basically from the time you left the village your boots were covered in so much mud that it was like an extra kilo strapped to your boots.

That was the day we had Browns River, we should have had a lovely long bridge to cross but unfortunately that was washed away from recent rains. We had to strip off our shoes and with the porters guiding us actually walk through the river. It was really fast flowing - it would have easily washed us away if we didn’t have the porters' strength and knowledge to help us through.

So we started up the false peaks from Browns River, with nice cool feet but by the time we got to to Nauro to stop for lunch at the seventh peak everyone was completely spent and exhausted but we still had to go over the top, through the remaining two peaks and then down the other side to Ofi Creek where it was nearly dark when most people arrived.

There was only a quick chance for people to have a swim and rinse off some of the mud before crawling into bed quite exhausted. Those that had the energy and were able to get into camp early were able to have a swim before they came back out and help everybody cross the creek and fill up water bottles for the rest of the day.

Day 5: Efogi to Menari Village, via Brigade Hill.

A rude shock to the system to wake up and do the big climb up Brigade Hill, but from there it was a nice walk down to the bottom of Menari we could all have a swim under the waterfall.

We were hoping we could wash our clothes a little bit and then walk up to the village but it was hideously muddy and everything that was cleaned ended up completely coated in mud again...

Pam has actually said it’s the muddiest she’s seen the track in all of her 45 crossings.

Traditionally the northern side of the track is wetter than the southern side, but this year it's been the reverse.

Basically, from Mt Bellamy down its been a quagmire in places with knee-deep mud.

Menari was another awesome village to visit, after a short day we had plenty of time to play footy with the kids.

Again there was another dance class and the local school kids came and sang for us after dinner, so that was really nice way to finish the day.

Day 4 UPDATE

Del King: Last time we spoke, we were about to head out and have fun with the local kids at Efogi Village.

The trekkers, the porters and the local kids in Efogi all played a game of touch football as the rain came down which then became a game of touch football in the black mud.

It was a complete mud bath everyone had a fantastic time. As the boys went to clean themselves up in the river the girls started an impromptu dance class with the locals which was absolutely gorgeous — and really the only reason they stopped dancing was because it was dark and dinner was ready.

Instead of ration packs, we had fresh vegies from the locals - it was definitely a dinner worth having.

Myles Legudi of Mount Alexander College provides a 'bumps, burps and bruises' update.

I think pretty much everyone has a few blisters on their feet and I twisted an ankle. A lot of people have strapping on their ankles to prevent that... I actually didn’t.

It’s the end of the day now so everyone’s a bit dehydrated. There were a couple of falls because it was very muddy going downhill today, a lot of people had a bit of a tumble. If you have anything wrong with your legs any niggles or anything downhill is definitely harder, just the strain. But if you’ve got good legs uphill is probably harder.

I expected it to be really hard, but I expected it to be all in a jungle but today it was quite open. As soon as we got to the top of this mountain you could just see everything and it was pretty spectacular.

There are a couple that are finding it hard but every day is different. Some days you just feel absolutely crap and then you’ll stay mostly at the back, then others you’re flying and you’ll be at the front most of the day.

The Police are all going OK, they have blisters but nothing else, although [Chief Commissioner] Ken Lay had a spew on the first day!

Day 4: Wednesday, July 4

With a break in the clouds the Moonee Valley Kokoda crew was again able to make contact just after 4.30pm, after returning to camp around 3pm.

Here is Moonee Valley Councillor James Rankin’s and Mount Alexander College student Renee Gaspar’s take of Day 4, setting off from Diggers Camp to Efogi Village.

Cr James Rankin

Unreal, this has been fantastic. Today we set out to see the last Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, it involved a very, very long downhill from where we camped. We eventually hit a few rolling hills and then we met the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel.

[Chief Commissioner] Ken Lay did a presentation passing on Chief Commissioner's lapels and a Chief Commissioner's hat.

We were told his age was 110 or 108, he’s looking very frail but his spirit is still very much alive and certainly in the village the spirit is still alive as well.

After we left his village we had a tough hour uphill it was a very steep rise and everyone was referring to it as Heartbreak Hill.

It’s been interesting the last few days, I think everyone has a different breaking point and we are all finding different points difficult and taking it in turns to help each other out.

Renee Gaspar

When I first saw the Fuzzy Wuzzy he was sitting on a wheelchair and that’s when I found out he was 108 years old.

He was wearing a blazer covered with medals, some received from Queen Elizabeth. He was wrapped in a blanket that was the Australian flag, he looked happy.

He told us his story and it was really sad because he had to go through so much and see a lot. Then we had a photo with him and it was really nice meeting him. I think it’s such an honour to meet a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel.

After lunch we went uphill that was pretty bad, we almost kind of died, there were some parts where I would just crawl, crawl through rocks. It was pretty slippery and then after climbing up for who knows how long we had a rest.

At the end of the day we ended up going into a river to refresh even though it was freezing.

Editor’s note: The call cut out, the famous Kokoda fog must have rolled in again.

Day 3: Tuesday, July 3

We finally recieved contact with the group on Day 4. Jake Jones of St Bernard's College gave us a recap of what happened the day before.

Jake Jones

After Templeton’s we had a river crossing and walked up a steep hill, straight up the top to the peak [Mt Bellamy].

When we slowly decended some groups went one way and a few went the other causing a bit of confusion, with the groups going different ways. But we all got there in the end.

Some went to where a plane, a bomber, had crashed, which is about 10 minutes outside our camp at Diggers. That was just amazing. You can see where all the trees have been knocked down when the plane came in, an engine and open bomb and a heap of ammunition still there.

It was pretty hard coming down from Mt Bellamy because the track my group took was an offshoot not the normal path. It was pretty mossy and dense bushland and very steep sometimes. A few people slipped over but they are all fine and everyone seems to be looking well.

Again poor weather has prevented steady communication with the group. After fog and rain rolled into the Owen Stanley Ranges on Monday afternoon it hasn’t lifted.

Day 3 Schedule

On Day three the group was heading off from Templeton’s Crossing bound for Diggers Camp.

Leaving Templeton’s the group faced an early morning challenge of climbing to the highest peak of the track, Mt Bellamy.

At 2250 metres it’s marginally higher than Australia’s highest peak Mt Kosciuszko, and after the wet weather, reaching its peak is akin to climbing a slippery muddy staircase, with mossy roots and slimy stones added trip hazards along the way.

Unfortunately for the group, the low clouds and persistent fog meant many of the tracks most spectacular views were unrecognisable.

The way down from Mt Bellamy is also treacherous, perhaps more so than its climb. A slip and tumble on the way down takes some stopping and fellow trekkers can get caught in a human avalanche.

Two dry lake beds are a destination just on the east side of the track once it levels out from the decent.

Called the Myola Lakes these were important location during WWII as it was one of the only locations planes could make supply drop offs.

It takes a little while for trekkers eyes to adjust to the open space of the dry lake beds after being surrounded by impossibly thick jungle for so long — a great place for photos but perhaps not the best example of what the track is mostly like.

PNG Trekking Adventures Mark Hitchcock said when tour leader Pam Christie checked in from Digger’s Camp, the group was tired, wet and muddy but in good spirits.

‘‘There has been a few slips and slides, but all are going very well, there’s no real stragglers in the group just a few a bit slower than others,’’ he said.

With no signs that the weather will clear, the Moonee Valley trekkers should get used to being wet.

Today the group makes its way to Efogi Village, so called as it’s often shrouded in fog.

DAY 2: Monday, July 2

We finally recieved contact with the group on Day 4. Myles Legudi of Mount Alexander College gave us a recap of what happened the day before.

Myles Legudi

Day 2 started with a 5am wake up, we packed up and got our stuff ready then we had a memorial ceremony at the Isurava Memorial, we all got given dog tags with our names on them and 2012, that was pretty cool.

We headed off at 7.30 walked for an hour and found a place called Surgeon’s Rock. I think it’s the only rock on the Kokoda Track flat enough for the medics to perform surgery on. Pam {tour leader] told us a bit about that.

The we went on to Eora Creek and had lunch, we got in the water there because there was a river there. That was very refreshing, especially after Berg [Matthew Bergin from St Bernard’s] had a bit of a stack and landed flat on his butt.

After lunch we had another three hour walk to Templeton’s. We got there with a little sunlight left so that was pretty good as everyone set up there tent we got some food into us. Then it started to pour and it just rained continuously all through the night and that’s why we couldn’t get any sat coverage.

I think a couple of people were a bit sick, a couple had a spew and that’s all really on day two.

Day 2 Schedule

The Kokoda crew started off at Isurava Memorial, where four pillars stand with the words Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice inscribed on them. Those words represent what the World War II Kokoda campaign required and are also signposts to the mindset required for anybody to cross the famous track.

When I crossed the track in 2009, Victoria Police Officer AJ Allen said to me that no one ever conquers the track, the track allows people to complete it, no visitor ever masters or conquers such rugged terrain.

On Day 2 the crew always stop at Surgeon's Rock. It's a landmark on the track where a huge flat rock was used as an operating table during the conflict. Surgeon’s Rock is where war hero Stan Bisset held his dying brother Butch. Butch had been wounded during the Japanese advance on Isurava and the 39th Battalion in 1942.

After the wide-eyed frantic Day 1 on the track, Day 2 brings perspective and often quiet reflection.

The crew's camp was at Templetons Crossing where some of the steepest and highest sections of the track are found.

DAY 1: Sunday, July 1.

SENIOR CONSTABLE DEL KING: It’s been a really long day. We left Port Moresby - the first plane left at about 8am and the last trekkers got into camp tonight at Isurava Memorial at around 8pm. Really, really long day. That said, an amazing day as well.

ANTHONY CROCITTI: Anthony Crocitti St Bernard’s College. Kokoda Village to Isurava Memorial: It was a great day. Before lunch the track was flat but the weather was really hot and sticky but then when we got to the first hill the reality of the trip really started to kick in. That probably has got to be one of the hardest hills of the trek, not because of the terrain but because it was unexpected I guess.

After that the terrain got much worse but I think the boys' team-work got a bit better and we pushed through, we got into a rhythm and learned how to push through.

Overall today, even though we were all dying inside, it was a great day and it was beautiful scenery - can’t compare it to Australia.

Definitely happy that we got to camp early, the food wasn’t as bad as expected.

DAY BEFORE TREK: Saturday, June 30

PROGRAM SPONSOR ROB BEVERIDGE: The group enjoyed a much anticipated “sleep-in” after the big travel day, with breakfast at 8am. When everyone assembled in the motel foyer, it was clear that some of the group had been visited by a special visitor overnight...yes, the biggest and bravest of the men had been touched up by the “nail-polish fairy” and were sporting a bright array of rainbow fingernails; both fingers and toes. The rest of the group took delight in the display; morale was running high.

But moving on to far more important things; breakfast was a hearty and healthy start to the first full day in PNG. The group jumped in a couple of mini-buses at 9.30am and took off to the Dave Cavell School on the outskirts of Port Moresby.

After the half-day inside the motel compound, it was a complete adventure to be getting up close to the sights and sounds of the the local streets. The streets were bustling, dusty and noisy, with loads of stalls on the side of each road, people waiting for buses, and the friendly locals were waving constantly at our two vehicles.

Upon reaching the school, Dave gave a short talk to the group inside the main school building (which is basically a shed with a roof and wire walls). To say that Dave is an interesting and colourful character would be an understatement; he was compelling in his philosophies, and made a real impact on the group towards his motivations and outlook on life.

A notable Dave-ism: “You’ve got to take a gallon, and fit it into a pint. If you can do that, you can succeed in life”. The school that has been established is a testament to his sense of purpose and commitment to his beliefs, and runs effectively on the smell of an oily rag.

The group had a tour of the school, including the new chicken coops, and the computer workshop; clearly a highlight for Dave.

It was amazing to the see the impact of all of the fundraising up close and in person, and the group looks forward to seeing what will be added with the latest round of donations.

After a round of games with the kids, and some photos, the group were away again on the buses for a tour of Port Moresby.

Notable sights included Parliament House, the Australian Embassy, the colour and vibrancy of the local markets and finishing up on a lookout over both Port Moresby and the local reefs.

It would be fair to say that the group, like an army, marches on its stomach, and lunch back at the motel was definitely calling by now. So, after lunch, the group hit the pool or grabbed a cat nap.

The next highlight of the day was the group’s first trekking briefing by trekking leader Pam; detailing the musts and must-nots for the next day...this meant that all of the training and preparation was coming to fruition in only one more sleep.

ARRIVAL DAY: Friday, June 29.

SENIOR CONSTABLE DEL KING: We landed safe and sound in Port Moresby with only a few minor hassles. The lost bags have been found — in Brisbane. Hopefully they will arrive in PNG tomorrow. We were welcomed to Port Moresby by families from the Dave Cavell School with a beautiful traditional dance before being presented with leis by the young students. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the tropical warmth, trying to acclimatise to the heat and humidity. Tomorrow we head out to the Dave Cavell School to spend more time with the students learning about life in PNG.

Check out our picture gallery of LAST YEAR'S Kokoda trek here.