webqem blog

Charlie Lynn established Adventure Kokoda in 1991 and has led 37 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail since then. We asked Charlie why the trail holds such fascination for so many and about the impact his new web site is having – both to his trekking company, and the people of PNG.

When I first trekked Kokoda with a solitary guide in 1991 I was struck by the rugged nature and wild beauty of the terrain. I was also disappointed by the neglect of such an iconic Australian symbol as I often had to cut and slash my way across the track. It is difficult to imagine why the secrets of Kokoda have laid dormant for so long.

This 96-kilometre jungle track that traverses some of the most rugged and wildly beautiful terrain on planet earth is the only link between the north and south coast of Papua New Guinea. It is inhabited by the bush Koiari and Orokaiva people.

Papua New Guinea almost defies description because of its geographic and cultural diversity. It has been variously described as land of a thousand cultures, a Parliament of a thousand tribes and the land of the unexpected.

Over the previous two centuries, Australia went out into the South Pacific as biblebashers and blackbirders; as carpetbaggers, captains and canegrowers. We sailed and traded and built and searched for both gold and souls. And, of course, we sought security for our country.

This security was breached when Japan entered the Pacific War with the bombing of Pearl Harbour on 7 December then swept unchecked down through Asia and the Pacific. They defeated the Americans in the Philippines, the British and Australian forces in Malaya and Singapore, the Dutch in what is now Indonesia