Kokoda’s heights test Norcom

Local villagers at Kokoda greet members of HQ Norcom. Leut-Cmdr Michelle Jones, Maj Peter Maw, LS Karen Deane, Cpl Drew Martin, Cpl Belinda Strid, Flt-Lt Jennifer Crombie, Cpl Gerry Bainrot, Lt Barney Kristensen, Sgt Sue Harris and Cpl Amy Taheny.Photo provided by Leut-Cmdr Stephen Mullins

By Leut-Cmdr Stephen Mullins

THE Kokoda Track has been conquered again, albeit in a peace-time setting.

Thirteen members of HQ Norcom recently took up the challenge to walk the length of the track as part of a historical battlefield tour – without the aid of porters.

Each member commenced the 100km trek with 30-40kg of equipment and armed only with information briefs on the key sights and battlefields they would encounter.

A three-month training program for the six male and seven female volunteer trekkers, drawn from all three services, was developed to prepare them for the almost- seven kilometre vertical ascent they undertook over the length of the track.

To compensate for Darwin’s virtually flat and hill-less topography, fire stairwells within a city high-rise building were used to simulate the steep slopes of Papua New Guinea.

After commencing the trek, the group was welcomed into their first night’s camp by a traditional Papuan sing-sing ceremony, accompanied by the ever-present gallery of children, dogs, pigs and chickens.

Each of the next eight days of trekking started an hour before daybreak, to be packed and loaded before climbing and descending near vertical trails, which were often just boot-width wide.

Sticky mud-slides, icy-cold creek crossings and tree-root studded tracks added to the degree of difficulty in balancing heavy packs and avoiding falls.

But inspiration drawn from breath-taking scenes of steep-sided, cloud-capped valleys, magnificent rainforests, picturesque streams and humble villages nestled quietly into jungle landscapes, kept the team going.

The trek along the track provided the Norcom team with a unique military opportunity and personal experience.