Kokoda Story: Papua New Guinean histories of WWII

After being thwarted in their attempts to reach Port Moresby by sea, the Japanese attempted a march across the Owen Stanley Ranges along the Kokoda Track to take the town by land.

Their first encounter with Australian troops took place on 22 July 1942. For the next seven months, an intense, military campaign took place along the Kokoda Track resulting in the loss of many lives and severely impacted on the lives of villagers.

Kokoda Stories – Papua New Guinean Stories of World War Two documents the war time experiences of PNG service men, and villagers living along and near the Kokoda Track. The video was made possible through the Oral History Project supported by the Kokoda Initiative, a joint initiative of the Australian and Papua New Guinea Governments in partnership with the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery.