Many of the Great Walk tracks in Australia limit the number of people allowed on the track in one day. The Jatbula track in NT only allows groups of 10 on the track each day. The new one at Carnarvon Gorge is only going to allow 6 people per day on the track.I know this is not feasible in PNG with the number of different operators running treks,…[Read more]

QUOTEThey would have billboards along the track "This section of the Kokoda Track proudly sponsored by The McDonalds corporation' and then a fast food shop further along that sold MyFuzzy Wuzzy or McDigger burgers.Heaven help us !God forbid it should ever come to that! I was disgusted enough by the amount of litter along the track and in the…[Read more]

QUOTEOf course we opted for the adventure package for KokodaI also used Columbus Direct. I rang them and quizzed whether I need the "adventure" package, but they assured me that for trekking Kokoda the basic package was sufficient. They were cheaper by far than the company I used to trek in New Zealand.

Good luck. All you need to do now is find a toilet seat to put it on!

Hi RobAnother book you may find useful is Paul Ham's "Kokoda". It is probably only available in the library these days, but is a comprehensive and very easy read. I liked it better than Fitzsimon's book myself.Personally, I walked the Kokoda Track for two main reasons: as a pilgrimage to try to understand what the Diggers went through in that…[Read more]

GailCongratulations to you and your team for creating such a wonderful website. I think the number of posts in the "Trek Preparation" forum show that many people have questions and doubts before setting off, and many others have been happy to share their own solutions to many of these.I found this site invaluable before my trek, and even now I…[Read more]

QUOTEYou sure must feel the cold Mrs MooBrian, I can't even blame it on my age when talking to you! I must just be so hot-blooded that I feel the slightest drop in temperature.But I would still advise people to take thermals and sleeping bag on the trek, especially if they feel the cold like me.Mary

As a Central Queenslander I guess I feel the cold more than Victorians. I froze at Brigade Hill, and wore thermals most nights from Isurava to Va-ule Creek. At Brigade Hill I wore thermals, socks, trackky daks, windproof jacket with hood all zipped up, got into my sleeping bag and tried to breathe down inside my jacket to get warm.

QUOTEI wonder how they keep the grass so neat Peter?At Isurava monument area I saw people (including kids) slashing the grass with their bush knives. Not sure how many people it would take to clear Eora Creek campsite this way – it was fairly extensive!

Brian, my optometrist ordered the Fog Off stick in for me. Not sure where from, but maybe your optometrist could do the same?Mary

QUOTEmake sure they are attached somehow to your gearI tied a piece of hat elastic (the small round stuff) to the ear pieces, across the back of my head to stop mine from slipping down my nose with sweat. Worked a treat. As I said in an earlier post, I also used Vu-clear Fog off stick which was quite good. My biggest problem was the sweat…[Read more]

Hi Gail,What lovely photos. Congrats to Nathan and Kate. I have spoken with Cheree on the phone, and she has certainly inherited your "go the extra mile" genes. You must be very proud of them all.I might print off one of the photos of you, as in the one I took at the Gateway you closed your eyes! Never mind, I'm planning to return in 2012 and…[Read more]

Fluppy, from memory Mt Mitchell is mostly stairs (I think we counted about 200) so would be a good training place from that point of view. I don't think it matters if you don't have somewhere to train where it takes 2 hours to climb – just going up and down gets the right muscles working.Executive Excellence train their trekkers on Mt Coot-tha.…[Read more]

In January I would expect the creeks to all be in flood, the swamps to be extremely yukky, storms and heavy rain to pour down every day. Are you sure you want to trek in the wet season?

I wrote notes every evening, but some days I couldn't remember if it happened today or yesterday because I was too tired to think. Sometimes I forgot to write stuff we'd done that morning. However it was helpful when I came to "write-up" the story of my trek when I got home – it did serve to jog my memory.I wish I had taken notes as I took…[Read more]

Hi MTVGaiters are great, not only for snakes (there were 3 on our trek – not that I saw them, as the boys up the front killed them before I got there), but also for minimising the mud in your boots. They help keep your socks a bit drier and are easy to clean in the creeks.I have a DVD about Kokoda in which they say "real walkers wear gaiters".

Fluppy, I think by underwear liners she just means the little panty liners you buy at the supermarket or chemist.

Like Nettie, I used only anti-bacterial wipes instead of loo paper. (They come in handy little pocket-sized packs and are also good for cleaning loo seats if they are provided). Personally, I preferred the squat loos where I didn't actually have to sit on anything.I also wore bike pants under my shorts, which certainly made wet shorts feel more…[Read more]

Dear Russell, John Derick, and the Eroro family,All members of trek 429 are deeply saddened by your loss and on behalf of all of us I extend our deepest sympathy. I know that Evo has also extended our condolences in a separate email, but I just want to reiterate how sad we all are feeling for you.John Derick was our guide on trek 429. He gained…[Read more]

Fluppy, please don't take it as a sign not to go. I think all ex-trekkers will agree that this is a very rare occurrence and you would not want to cancel the wonderful adventure of walking the track because of it.When I heard the news I very much had a "there but for the Grace of God go I" feeling, but it will not prevent me from doing the track…[Read more]