Schools Trekking With Australian Kokoda Tours
Many Australian Kokoda Tours trekkers are now in the process of training and prepping for their upcoming Kokoda adventure in 2022. This year, Australian Kokoda Tours is excited to partner with local Geelong high schools St Joseph’s College and St Ignatius College, who will be trekking in June.
In November 2019, Western Heights College trekked Kokoda with Mick O’Malley and the Australian Kokoda Tours team, which was an incredible experience for everyone who participated. The Year 10 and 11 students conquered the gruelling Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea alongside parents and teaching staff.
Fiona Taylor, principal of the College, praised her students for the incredible physical and mental strength they showed in taking on and completing the journey. She said the experience was extremely worthwhile and rewarding for the students.
“Experiential challenges and learning opportunities such as Kokoda are so valued in our College community to enhance the development and personal learning of our students. The feedback from our group who completed the track has been overwhelmingly ranging, from tales of ‘it has been life changing’ to ‘I never in my life thought I would have made it!’
“Resilience and a sense of achievement have been evident in all students and staff on return. Our students really embraced their training over the 4-5-month preparation period, and adopted the Kokoda values of courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice for each other. These same values are central to enabling young people in our college to learn life skills on the cusp of adulthood.
“The training that the group engaged in with Australian Kokoda Tours was challenging yet enabled the staff and students to elevate their own level of fitness and sense of achievement.
“The students are enjoying their new-found confidence and appreciation for the simple life that they observed from the Kokoda track local communities. For many of our students, this was an opportunity to disengage from the busyness of their own lives.”
Australian Kokoda Tours Director Mick O’Malley has trekked Kokoda an incredible 57 times with no sign of slowing down. Mick is proud to be able to share his passion for Kokoda’s history with local young people.
“It was a pleasure taking the students to Kokoda. All the students enjoyed the trek, and it was great getting to know them all. The kids found it tough at times, but they all said it was well worth it in the end. It’ll be an experience they’ll remember forever.”
Undertaking Kokoda is a fantastic getaway for adventure-seekers. The 8-day trek covers 96 kilometres of challenging terrain, with the single-foot trail following the same path that the ANZACs trekked during World War II in the battle between Australia and Japan.
There are limited places available for 2019 treks. If you are interested in trekking Kokoda in 2019 or 2020 with Australian Kokoda Tours, enquire via our website.
Western Heights College trekkers at the Kokoda Four Pillars in Papua New Guinea, November 2018.