Day 1 - Owers' Corner to Ua-Ule Creek

Up early at the Holiday Inn Port Morseby and packed straight onto buses for the trip to the start of the Kokoda track (South - Ower's Corner) This was where we started walking, although back in 1942 McDonald's Corner was classified as the beginning of the track). Nothing like getting straight into it!

A fairly short bus trip, but before we even got to the start of the track we've already seen some of the old remnants of a time long long ago.

The most novel was big metal mesh grids; that were back in the day lay down on the ground to try and give traction to army vehicles and equipment. I wasn't quick enough to take a snap, but in a few places where these where intact enough they had been reused as guard rails on the windy hilly road up to Owers' Corner to provide some sort of safety to vehicles travelling the roads.

The most important was McDonald's Corner



Read more about McDonald's Corner here

After McDonald's Corner it was to Owers' Corner and the beginning of our Trek. It was such a beautiful morning you would not believe. In reality, it would be such a beautiful beach day, picnic day, BBQ day, any outdoors day.. such a different reality..

The start of Owers' Corner was a simple little setup (similar to what to expect on the track). There were two (drop) toilets (one out of order), huts for shelter, and more importantly some commemoratory plaques.

Read more about Owers' Corner here

Here's a pic of my fellow Sir David Martin Companion - Anna Martin at the beginning of the Track. She did amazing on the track! Her dad, Sir David Martin started the charity that both of us were trekking to support - The Sir David Martin Foundation.




This is where we are going to walk.. looks not too bad on this scale...



On each pillar there were plaques dedicated to those who served from all over Australia. Here was our one for NSW.



Such a beautiful day preparing to set out - trekking poles were a must!



Keep an eye out for this little baby. It's a 25 pounder - it's massive, weighs a lot and was moved from here to Imita Ridge during the fighting. You think trekking with a pack is tough, you'll understand more when you see the pics and vids.. hmmmm




A few preparations - most importantly meeting the "crew" - our Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. The crew consisted of personal porters for people who hired someone to carry their pack. As well as the group porters who carried tents, food and equipment for the group. These guys were really amazing throughout the entire trek - always there with a smile and a helping hand.

From Owers' Corner it was steep down hills and straight into the Goldie river - let's get wet! A change of boots into sandals and we're set.. It was great fun! The crossing was quite easy until getting closer to the other side when the current started to get strong!




















After crossing the Goldie River we passed through Uberi on our way to the Golden Staircase. During the fighting there was a beehive of activity here with organisation of supplies and troops as well as with returning dead and wounded.

Read more about Uberi

Even the Salvation Army ended up here, with Major Albert Moore, as representative attached to the Australian 21st Brigade. Keen to do something for the men, Moore and his assistant, 'Jock' Inglis set up tent at Uberi and handed out hot tea and coffee, cake, scones and biscuits to the men.

Read more about the Salvation Army

We stopped at Goodwater campsite for lunch and this little fella was hanging around hoping for some scraps. Do you think he may have some dingo in him?




From lunch it was up the Golden Staircase to Imita Ridge.



This was a swift and fast introduction of what the whole track was going to be like; and it was not going to be easy. I have no idea how any of the soldiers on either side managed any of this in so much more extreme circumstances. The most impressive was the Australian troops hauling that 25 pound gun from above up to the top of Imita Ridge.

Read more on Imita Ridge

In September 1942 at the worst of the Japanese advance - this was where our front line got pushed back to with the Japanese front line making it to Ioribaiwa Ridge (just 40kms from Port Moresby). Several battles over Ioribaiwa Ridge ensued, but there were no decisive victories from either side. When the Americans invaded Guadacanal (Solomon Islands) in 1942, Japan was fighting a war on two fronts. With an extended supply line already being disrupted by Allied planes, Japanese troops were now not likely to receive any reinforcements.

The Japanese advance faltered and they were ordered to withdraw. On the very next day 3 Australian battalions launched a counter offensive from Imita Ridge and entering Ioribaiwa Ridge unopposed, unaware that Japan had already withdrawn.

The first day and it started raining as we headed down a steep and slippery slope from Imita Ridge. It was steep and there was nowhere really to take steps but a small narrow trench winding down the hill (from previous feet) that also flowed with water as the rain poured down.



Some more terrain for the day and one of the easier water crossings.



First camp site for the trek was Ua-Ule Creek. We arrived about 4:30pm, still light, but still wet. The group porters had already arrived and started setting up tents. Here, whilst it was still a little wet we were still able to enjoy a jump in the water to cool down and relax.



The last little bit of trekking coming into camp today saw us encounter quite a few water crossings. With no dry route through and trying to get to camp before dark we just ended up walking right through them. All the planning around keeping boots dry for as long as possible went out the window and my boots were never really clean or dry again for the rest of the trek.

The water here was beautiful. To have just a little bit of time to sit down in the cool, fresh, free flowing water was amazing for our already worn and torn bodies and especially for our feet! My legs had definitely got a good work out and as soon as I got down into my tent for the first time both my hamstrings and calves in both legs seized leaving me flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water trying to stretch them out! It was actually quite hot and humid here and overnight it was really stuffy in the tents with not much breeze.

The drop toilets here weren't that pleasant. One was broken and it seems the other one may have accumulated an awful smell from over use. While I had been warned about the fragrances that I may have to encounter I guess that I didn't expect it to happen on the first day. I suppose though, it was the same for a lot of things. The terrain we encountered, the weather we encountered, the early starts and the long hard trekking days resulting in sore tired body parts all over. All in all you experience most things straight away and from then after it's much the same with slight variations.

After having our 6 O'clock news (debrief of the day and brief of the next day) I made sure I replenished on as much dinner as I could stomach and then it was time to retire. Tomorrow was going to be the longest trekking day we were going to have so I needed to get some rest. I also needed to get up early and repack my back pack. It was packed too thin and sitting to high so it was making it really difficult for balance as it was swinging around up top and making my trekking much more difficult.

Here's the trekking we did for the day