On 7th June David Moffatt, Brian Freeman, John Jacoby and Chris Bradford, embark on A Journey to the Lost Battlefields of Kokoda. The 1200km adventure epic comprises three stages, all completed simultaneously.
The first 880km will be on mountain bikes, initially on the Bloomfield Track north of Cape Tribulation, then the Peninsula Development Road and later the Old Telegraph Track. When we get to ‘the tip’ we begin the second stage in sea kayaks paddling to New Guinea, approximately 230km across Torres Strait (aiming to avoid sea snakes, box jellyfish and sharks, although we are told we don’t need to worry about the sharks because the crocodiles eat them!). The final stage is on foot – an ultra marathon of 96kms across the Kokoda Track finishing at the war memorial at Kokoda.
Our goal will be to raise funds for a variety of charitable purposes including the possible re-establishment and preservation (as it was in 1942) of a significant battle site and the provision of a community welfare package for local villagers on the track (health, sanitation, water, education and vocational training). This initiative will be undertaken in conjunction with and complimentary to, the current Australian Government and PNG Government “Kokoda Initiative”.
