The Kokoda track is one of the many walking tracks in Papua New Guinea that existed long before the Europeans discovered this part of the world. It was used for trade and cultural interaction between tribes and is still used for these purposes today. During World War II, the Japanese decided to use this trail as a ground attack against the Australians in Port Moresby. The idea was to take Port Moresby and use it as a base from which to stage a direct assault on Australia.

One end of the track lies in the country’s north at a Kokoda village. It winds up and down over the rugged Owen Stanley ranges and finishes in the south at Ower’s Corner, nearby Port Moresby. Kokoda and the Northern coastal plains were the scenes of violent close-contact jungle warfare as the Australians retreated in the face of the Japanese onslaught. The Japanese were finally stopped at Imita Gap as they had extended their supply lines too far in the rugged terrain and began to die of starvation. The Australians then chased them back to the northern coastline.

Today the remains of the war lie strewn in the jungle and the track has reverted to quiet solitude, disturbed only by occasional trekking group. There are several villages along its length inhabited by peace-loving, hospitable locals. These are the descendants of the people who became known during the war as the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ because of their selflessness in helping wounded Australian soldiers.