Shaggy Ridge Tour Update - 19 May 2013

After passing through the abandoned camps of Paipa & Saipa, tonight the group are camping at Fisherman's Camp. Tomorrow they head for the Gorge. Our guide, Captain Reg Yates RFD (R) reports that all trekkers are going well and are set to reach Bogadjim by Tuesday.

This historical image shows Lt Col C.J Cummings OBE, Commanding Officer of the 2/9th Infantry Battalion, crossing a new log bridge between Guy's Post and Shaggy Ridge.

 Photograph taken by N. B. Stuckey on 20 January 1944.

Training Session 2 June 2013

Our next session will be on Sunday 2 June at Mt Macedon. We will meet at the Macedon train station and the corner of Smith and Victoria St. (note - Macedon and not Mt Macedon). Our meeting time is 9:30am so that we can be underway by 10am.

We will combine two walks - 1. Scout Camp Rd to Bawden Rd/Douglas Rd (1.4 km) rated easy to moderate, then 2. Bawden Rd/Douglas to Mount Macedon Memorial Cross (2.2 km) which is rated moderate to difficult and returning back to Scout Camp Rd

This is quite a challenging walk with a total distance of approximately 7km. There is a café when we reach the summit and depending on time and availability we will be able to access these facilities. We will then return via the same route to the car park. Our meeting time is 9:30 am and we expect to be finished by 2:30pm.

Pre-registration via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is essential.

Shaggy Ridge Tour Update - 16 May 2013

Tonight the group are camping at the Dumpu end of Shaggy Ridge. Dumpu is in the Ramu Valley with the Bismark Ranges, 14,000 feet, on one side and the Finisterre Ranges, 12,000 feet, on the other. During the war there was a small airstrip here and now there are the wrecks of two planes.

Here is a photograph of one of the many signposts erected at the Dumpu airstrip, Ramu Valley, by the 18th Australian Anti-malarial Control Unit in an effort to impress on the troops the necessity of taking anti-malarial precautions. These precautions are just as important today!

Photograph taken by N. B. Stuckey on 6 December 1943.

Click here to send a message to your loved ones on this tour.

Harold Bould Trek 2013

The Harold Bould trek is on again for the fourth year in a row and readers are invited to take part in this very special event. Each year the 39th Battalion Association run the Harold Bould (Cardinia) Kokoda Award. Year 10 students who are enrolled in secondary schools in the Cardinia Shire are eligible to enter. The award provides the opportunity for the winning students to walk the Kokoda Track and visit the Northern Beachheads of Buna, Gona and Sanananda.

This year’s winners Jack and Natalie will be off to trek Kokoda between 30 June and 14 July 2013. Already the trek is starting to come together with both students and fellow participants getting involved in some group training and recently went for a hike at Lerderderg Gorge in Bacchus Marsh, not far from the original 39th Battalion training ground.

Harold Bould was a resident of Cardinia and one of 5 brothers, who served Australia in WW2. On their tour they will visit the village of Oivi which is near to the place that Harold Bould of “B” Company 39th Battalion was killed in action on July 29th 1942, only 3 days after Captain Sam Templeton went missing and only 8 days after the Japanese invasion of Papua New Guinea commenced.

Harold’s remains were never found and neither were those of the other brother who didn’t come home. Brother Keith serving with the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion was taken prisoner by the Japanese. Keith was being transported from Singapore aboard the Kakuyo Maru, carrying 1317 prisoners back to work in factories in Japan. On the way it was sunk by a US submarine the USS Sea Lion on September 15th 1944.

The Memorial trek is named in memory of Harold Bould and commemorates all those gallant men who lost their lives defending Australia during the Kokoda Campaign. Mr Alan Jameson of the 39th Battalion Association and Cardinia Shire MP Edward O’Donohue have been the driving force behind the success of the Harry Bould Awards. Edward’s fundraising efforts and the generosity of Cardinia people have ensured that another two students from Cardinia can make the pilgrimage to Kokoda. Both students will follow in the footsteps of last year’s winners, Harry and Indie who both successfully completed the trek in June/July 2012.

You too can be a part of this pilgrimage; we have spaces available and are looking for people with an interest in history and a sense of adventure. It will not only be a great opportunity to trek the famous Kokoda Track but you will also be able to participate in the delivery of much needed school supplies to local villages that live within the Kokoda area.

To become a part of this very special trek, call or email David Howell direct on 0405 007 700 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. David is also running monthly meetings were the group gets together for a bush walk and information session. The dates for the trek are:

30 Jun - 11 Jul Kokoda Track Tour

30 Jun - 14 Jul Kokoda Track & Beachheads Tour

Read more about the Harold Bould Award here.