Hi Kez,Firstly, yes you will need something warm for the evenings, especially as you get higher, as Mrs Moo said, thermals are great, they are lightweight and keep you very warm, I took a pair of track pants, and a light jumper, with thermals this was enough. Remember, you will have to keep your weight down, every litre of water weighs 1 kg, as…[Read more]

Hi Tim,My son was 18 when he walked, and carried his own pack. When he does the track again, he will have a personal porter. There are several reasons. 1: most importantly,this is for many the only income they have. Most of the natives would have lost everything in the floods so any income for them would seriously help. 2: your porter is not only…[Read more]

Hi dg,Not sure if you would need a personal gas stove, your porters generally look after all that for you, and always have water on the boil when you camp, you will need to keep your pack to the minimum, so the less you have to take the better, you will be amazed how quickly the weight builds up, with water and food! Your trek guide and porters…[Read more]

Hi hetbruce,If you let me know where you are, I will put you in contact with the relevent 39th Battalion assoc. If you would like to become a member, it will cost you $15.00 a year, and they put out a magazine every 3 months called 'The Good Guts' my father and a bloke called Kevin Gray produced the first edition of 'The Good Guts' during the war…[Read more]

Hi Gail,Bob and his wife are living in Brisbane, his email bodahh@bigpond.com if you would like to contact him, I am sure he would love to hear from you. by the way if you happen to mention that you got the email from me, tell him it was Bubby Guest , that's what all the old timers up there knew me as and to this day, that's still what he calls…[Read more]

Hi Robert,Wonder if you knew my father, Bill Guest? He was 39th Battalion, after the war he went back to Port Moresby in 1952 with the PNGVR then to Lae with the PIR. He was known as Sargent Biscuits, as the natives had trouble with the name Guest. There was also a Bob Harvey-Hall, he was in Lae.CheersNettie

Hi rintin,I had a knee injury when I did the track. I only walked from Kokoda to Isurava and back to Kokoda and can honestly say that I doubt that could undertake the whole track. In my training, I did a lot of leg weights, to build up the muscles around my knee as I have cartlidge and ligament damage. i wore a knee brace ( make sure it is a good…[Read more]

Hi Gail,have sent out to all ex PNG & trekkers inc editors of PNG magazines here in Aus.. hopefully we will get a good response.cheersNettie

Hi Gail,I think that you have come up with a fantastic idea. Trekking from Kokoda to Isurava and back is still hard, but although I would dearly love to give the whole track a try, I know my knee would not hold up to it and there must be a lot of people out there in the same boat.Just for the record, in our group there were 5 ladies aged from 49…[Read more]

Hi Brian,make no mistake, it is very hard. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done. However in our group we had a lot of 'mature' trekkers, a couple who were on the big end of 60 and I think 1 or 2 who were around 70. I would suggest that you do the trek starting from Ower's. In your training, walk up lots of hills, a lot of times. there is no…[Read more]

Hi Phil,Re your hammock and I must apologise for my ignorance. I googled them up and now can see what your talking about, but it may be easier to explain what it is like up there. Firstly the 'camping grounds' are generally at villages along the way, these have been totally cleared, so you would be hard pressed to find anything to attach it to in…[Read more]

I have no idea what they do in PNG, however I would sincerely hope that some of the treks around that time actually support it, and hold appropriate services. This day was most important to the diggers, probably more so than ANZAC day. My dad never missed Kokoda Day, the only unit to be reformed after WW2 was the 39th BAttalion, which was reformed…[Read more]

Hi Phil,I must have missed something in the translation as well, I was thinking of the hammock you sling between two trees and thinking, whoa, not the way to go! Obviously it is similar to a tent, which would be fine, as long as it is big enough to put your pack in as well, and your boots, ( so nasties don't make themselves comfortable in them at…[Read more]

Hi Mrs Moo,I wouldnt be looking at the cheapest accomodation in Moresby. Remember that this is a third world country, and you need to be booked into somewhere that is easily accesable to the airport. Who ever you have booked your trek with, should arrange accomodation for you. Without wanting to scare you, Port Moresby is a lot different to…[Read more]

Hi Xman,Good to see you made it and loved it. It is a very special thing to do and it is funny how you can form such a strong bond with people over such a short period of time. I spent my youth growing up in PNG, so could converse with the natives fluently. If you send me your email address, I will send you some pictures of the service we held.…[Read more]

You will need Hep A & B, Typhoid, tetnus & polio. Apparently there is a short course and a long course, the short course consists of an injection every week for 4 weeks, which is what we had.I would definately say you would need all of the above, typhiod is rife up there as is Hep A & B.the malaria tablets are taken 1 a day a week before you…[Read more]

It was most probably just me, I didn't like it, and found it uncomfortable, but it's personal preference I suppose. I think both would be a good option, if weight permits it.nettie

Hi RodI would definately take a tent, and waterproof it, when it rains, it really rains and there is nothing worse than trying to pack up soaking wet gear, at 5.30 in the morning, then carrying it for 7 hours. Weight then REALLY becomes a problem.The tent is not only to keep you dry, but to keep your pack & boots dry as well, also helps to keeps…[Read more]

During the day, bitey's are not a real problem, the mozzies are pretty vicious around Kokoda & Hoi, but up higher they didn't seem to bother us.

Hi Gail,can you get this message to Duncan please,Even though your first taste of PNG may not be terriffic, don't let it put you off, think positive and enjoy, it can only get a lot better! Have fun, You are in good hands. Nettie ( Kokoda Trekking Forum)