Phone 1800 Do Kokoda Shaggy Ridge Trek
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SHAGGY RIDGE TREK INFORMATION BOOKLET Historical guided tours to First and Second World War battlefields and places of cultural significance in Papua New Guinea. PHONE 1800 DO KOKODA WWW.KOKODAHISTORICAL.COM.AU SHAGGY RIDGE TREK BLACK CAT TRACK TREK LARK FORCE TREK Wewak Rabaul Tol Madang Bogadjim AN&MEF & RABAUL TOUR PAPUA NEW GUINEA Dumpu Lae Salamaua Wau Sanananda Daru Popondetta Kokoda MILNE BAY, KOKODA & NORTHERN BEACHHEADS TOUR Port Moresby Alotau KOKODA TRACK TREK KOKODA TRACK & NORTHERN BEACHHEADS TREK PHONE 1800 DO KOKODA WWW.KOKODAHISTORICAL.COM.AU ITINERARY Day 1: Arrive Port Moresby-hotel accommodation Day 2: Fly to Nadzab transfer to Lae, visit Lae War Cemetery, Japanese caves under Mt Lunamen. Day 3: Visit Mission Hill, Dumpu and on to Onge village, trek to Aginau village. Day 4: Grassland’s to Don’s Post, ascend to McCulloch’s Ridge past ‘Baker’s Oven’. Day 5: Northward bound along Shaggy Ridge-the ‘Pimple’, Prothero 1 and camp Prothero 2. Day 6: Descend to Kankiryo Saddle and on to Hill 4100 before Mainstream. Day 7: Follow Faria River, base of Pailler’s Hill then climb King’s Hill, camp Onge Village. Day 8: Return via vehicle back to Lae Hotel and commemorative dinner. Day 9: Nazdab fly to Port Moresby, visit Bomana War Cemetery. Hotel accommodation. Day 10: Return to Australia. SHAGGY RIDGE MAP MADANG BISMARK SEA FINISTERRE RANGE CRATER HILL KANKIRYO SADDLE Prothero S H A G Y FARIA RIVER CAMP MCCAUGHEY’S KNOLL R I D G E KINGS HILL Aginau PALLIERS HILL ONGE Overnight Campsites Dumpu Road Trek HISTORY OF SHAGGY RIDGE Shaggy Ridge is a six-and-a-half kilometre long razor-backed approaches with mountain gun and machine gun fire. In places ridge that is the highest feature in the Finisterre Mountains the Japanese were able to roll grenades down the slopes on to in north-eastern New Guinea. The ridge rises between the the advancing Australians. valleys of the Mene and Faria Rivers and ends at Kankiryo The importance of this particular campaign in Australian Saddle - a bridge of land separating the Faria Valley from the history is not just based on the savageness of the battles fought Mindjim River Valley. on Shaggy Ridge and surrounding valleys. The historical significance is that the Ramu Valley, Markham Valley and Shaggy Ridge campaigns were models for the future of modern warfare. The strategic use of specialist forces, paratroops and the rapid deployment of Independent Companies (comman- does) were paramount in the success of the overall campaign. Shaggy Ridge, 23 January 1944. Troops of "A" Company, 2/9th Infantry Battalion on the “Intermediate Pimple” shortly after its occupa- tion during the Battle for Shaggy Ridge. In 1943 Shaggy Ridge was the site of the main Japanese defensive position blocking access from the Ramu Valley to the track and road network that joined it with the north coast. Operations by the 7th Australian Division in Septem- ber and October 1943 had caused the Japanese to withdraw from the Ramu Valley and the lower features of the Finsterres and consolidate their defences around Shaggy Ridge. The ridge was named after Captain Robert "Shaggy Bob" Clampett of the 2/27th Battalion whose company was the first to reconnoitre its approaches. A wounded soldier of the 2/16th Australian Infantry The Australian attack on Shaggy Ridge was methodical with Battalion, 21 Brigade being assisted to the Regimental Aid air and artillery support. However, to ultimately defeat the Post during the attack on the Japanese held "Pimple". Japanese forces it required infantry to scale the mighty slopes Identified personnel are: : WX14757 Corporal M. Hall, DCM., and feeder ridges of Shaggy Ridge and one at a time locate and NX127159 Private st Australian Infantry R. J. Rowe (2). and destroy the enemy bunkers and positions. The Japanese had carefully constructed their defences to cover all PHONE 1800 DO KOKODA WWW.KOKODAHISTORICAL.COM.AU HOTEL MEDICAL INFORMATION The hotel at Port Moresby has a safe for valuables e.g. We will be trekking through dense jungle in a tropical passports, wallets, etc. We recommend that you take a small environment. Remember you are at risk of dehydration and day pack for your travelling clothes and shoes which will be tropical disease. It is imperative that you see a doctor at least 4 placed in storage until your return to the hotel. Please clearly weeks prior to departure. They will prescribe anti- malarial label your pack with your name. Your room will have medication and you may be obliged to take tablets prior to your Australian-type power sockets and these can be used to trek. Your doctor will also advise of any inoculations required. charge your personal electrical items if necessary. We recommend you bring the following in your personal first-aid kit: FITNESS — Anti malarial tablets (as prescribed by your doctor) Your personal training programme starts as soon as you book — Tropical Strength Aeroguard or Rid Mosquito repellent your trip. A simple to follow, detailed training schedule is (no aerosol cans please) provided upon booking that will illustrate how to start your — Panadol or Aspirin own individual fitness programme wherever you live. — One roll of elastoplast — Band-Aids The fitter you are the more you will enjoy trekking Shaggy Ridge. — Sun block/lip balm We run regular training sessions which will help you to achieve — Rehydration salts such as Gastrolyte your goals. We are also on hand for any advice you need. —Paw Paw Ointment GIFTS AND TRIPS CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT Your most important asset is your feet! So it is imperative Giving gifts and tips to porters is not expected but we are you look after them. The number one requirement is a good often asked what an appropriate tip would be.At the end of set of boots. Make sure they are well and truly broken in the trek you are welcome to give the porters anything you before trekking. don't want to take home with you (e.g. your torch or even used items of clothing, towels, shoes, First Aid kits etc The You may be required to walk up to 8 hours per day, so bring porters will gratefully accept gifts of any kind). plenty of dry socks including thin sports socks that can be worn under your normal boot socks to help prevent blisters We pay our porters above-average local wages but and hot spots. if you would like to give a tip then we suggest PGK100 (approx. $50AU). You need to bring just 2 sets of clothing for the Track, a T-shirt and shorts for trekking during the day and some dry Sometimes trekkers pool their tips and give them to the guide clothes to wear at night. Also take a pair of sandals or thongs who then distributes the money evenly to all porters. We to wear after trekking to give your feet a rest. A light rain would ask you please not to give gifts of alcohol or cigarettes coat or poncho is recommended as it rains frequently. You to our porters – as this is company policy. may also wish to take a hat. Remember you do not need to bring any tents or cooking HYGIENE equipment! We will provide these! Most guest houses have a toilet (i.e. a hole in theground) so it is recommended that you take wet-wipes in a flat pack which INSURANCE can doubleas toilet paper. In addition,we would advise you to All our trekkers are covered by our public liability insurance to bring a small sports hand towel (quick-dry is preferable as view our certificate kokodahistorical.com.au/about/our-insurance this will help lighten the weight of your pack). We also It is a requirement that you also are in possession of personal travel recommend that you take a small bottle of hand sanitiser. insurance prior to departure. PHONE 1800 DO KOKODA WWW.KOKODAHISTORICAL.COM.AU All our trekkers are covered by our public liability insurance to view our certificate kokodahistorical.com.au/about/our-insurance It is a requirement that you also are in possession of personal travel insurance prior to departure. MONEY WATER The currency of Papua New Guinea is the Kina. We would Please do not drink the water at the hotel or anywhere in Port suggest you take around 300 Kina in small denominations to Moresby. We would strongly advise you to always consume allow for the purchase of drinks, fresh fruit and vegetables bottled water at the hotel. Fresh water is readily available on and any souvenirs you may wish to purchase. Kina can be the Track; we suggest that you carry a minimum two litre purchased at the currency exchange desk at Brisbane capacity camel back or bottle with you while trekking. The International airport or by pre-arrangement with your local guides will advise you of the best places to get fresh water currency exchange office. and there is no need for purification tablets provided you only consume water from these sources. VISA GIFTS You must apply for your Tourist Visa to PNG prior to travel (the Visa is free of charge). Please refer to the information If you wish to take something for the children of the villages, we provided on our website and the PNG High Commission recommend you take gifts of educational value such as pencils, website: http://www.pngcanberra.org/visas/ pencil cases, notebooks, books, tennis balls, footballs etc. IDENTIFICATION RUBBISH You will require some form of photographic identification to Anything that cannot be burned we will take with us. Please board domestic flights within PNG.