LAKE MACQUARIE KOKODA CHALLENGE 2023
That's right! The Kokoda Challenge is coming to the Lake Macquarie for the very first time in 2023! We're very excited to be bringing our events to New South Wales for the first time in the Kokoda Youth Foundation's 18-year history and offer a new course for all of our Kokoda Challenge fanatics.
Find all the details abot the 2023 Lake Macquarie Kokoda Challenge below ↓
WHEN WILL THE EVENT BE HELD?
The Lake Macquarie Kokoda Challenge will start on Saturday the 14th of October, 2023 and go through to the early hours of Sunday morning like all of our other events!
WHERE WILL THE COURSE START AND FINISH?
Your event village will be located at Cooranbong Equestrian Park located along Kings Road in the Lake Macquarie City Council. This area is about an hours drive from Newcastle and an hour and 30 minutes from Sydney. Most of the course will have you hiking or trail running through Olney State Forest, with parts venturing through Watagans National Park too. Your start line will be the same location as your finish line and each of the three trails will walk via a loop.
WHAT DISTANCES WILL THERE BE?
Your team can choose to tackle either the 18km, 30km or 48km course map, the Gold Coast will continue to be the only event location offering a 96 kilometre course.
WHERE CAN I VIEW THE MAP?
Your map will arrive early next year! Please bear with us while we work with the local authorities to finalise course details and checkpoint information.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AGE TO PARTICIPATE?
Competitors are required to be 9 years of age and above.
WHEN CAN I REGISTER MY TEAM?
Registrations are OPEN NOW! Register your team via the button below!
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO REGISTER A TEAM?
It depends on what distance your team chooses to tackle!
SCHOOL TEAMS
18KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $250
30KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $300
48KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $350
OPEN TEAMS
18KM
2 person team: $170
3 person team: $215
4 person team: $240
30KM
2 person team: $190
3 person team: $240
4 person team: $320
48KM
3 person team: $300
4 person team: $400
HOW MUCH will i need to fundraise?
Again, it depends on what distance your team chooses to tackle!
SCHOOL TEAMS
18KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $250
30KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $350
48KM
1 teacher/guardian
and 4 students: $500
OPEN TEAMS
18KM
2 person team: $180
3 person team: $270
4 person team: $350
30KM
2 person team: $300
3 person team: $450
4 person team: $600
48KM
3 person team: $750
4 person team: $1,000
HISTORICAL INFORMATION OF OLNEY STATE FOREST
1. The wishing well you may spot on Martinsville Hill Road is a site of a once important spring for watering bullocks.2. Strickland, Ourimbah and the Watagans have the longest harvesting history in the state from the 1820s. ie over 200 years of harvesting
3. Many turpentine piles have come from Olney State Forest over the years for piles for Sydney Wharves. They were hauled for many years by army blitzes.
4. There is evidence of long use of the general area by Aboriginal people including the Awabakal, Wannangini and Darkinjung.
The area is part of a cultural landscape, used for everyday and ceremonial activities including seasonal food and resource gathering, and as a travel route from the mountains to the coast.
Tangible aspects of these activities are evident as walking tracks, habitation shelters within the many rock overhangs, rock art within shelters and on rock platforms, axe grinding grooves where water collects and scar trees as well as scared features and places created at the being of time.
5. Discovery of coal in the early 1800’s saw the arrival of European people to the general area. This led to the use of timber resources for the construction of railway lines, bridges, wharves, in the coalfields and as fuel for steam engines. The opening of the Watagan Road in 1945 saw an increased access to the timber resources.
CHECK OUT WHERE YOU'LL BE WANDERING:
