I was going through my photographs and found some I took when I walked along the Memorial track at Concord about a year ago. First, here's a description of what it's all about from
Kokoda Memorial TrackThe Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway is a unique tribute to the bravery of Australian troops who fought through atrocious conditions and against vastly superior enemy numbers in the Papua-New Guinea campaign of July 1942-January 1943. With US support the Australians inflicted on the Japanese Imperial Army its first defeat.
The fighting on The Kokoda Track was one of the vital elements which saved Australia from invasion in World War II. The Papua campaign, including The Kokoda Track, Milne Bay, Buna, Gona and Sanananda resulted in total Australian and United States casualties of 8546. Casualties from malaria were more than 27,000 and from tropical diseases at least 37,000. More than 2000 Australians and 600 Americans were killed. During the four months of fighting in the Owen Stanley Ranges the Australian infantry lost 607 killed and 1015 wounded.
The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway covers more than 800 metres from Rhodes Station to Concord Hospital in Sydney's inner-west, and runs along the mangrove-studded shores of Brays Bay on the Parramatta River. At the centrepiece are magnificent granite walls bearing photographic images of the campaign; there are 22 stations or plaques along the walkway, each describing a significant place or engagement; the walkway has been planted with lush tropical vegetation simulating the conditions of The Kokoda Track.
