KOKODA CHALLENGE
BRISBANE

After driving 30 minutes west from Brisbane CBD, you’ll find yourself in the leafy suburb of Brookfield aka your Kokoda Challenge Brisbane start line.

You’ll step foot into Brookfield Recreation Reserve where you’ll meet the thousands of other fellow hikers and trail runners who are there to tackle the 18, 30 or 48km course through rain, hail or shine.

You’ll gather with your team in front of the stage to hear from Founder of the Kokoda Youth Foundation and Vietnam Veteran Doug Henderson. He’ll tell you a little bit about the 1942 Kokoda Campaign, because a big part of the reason this event exists is to honour the men who fought for our freedom in New Guinea during WWII, and to ensure their legacy lives on. We’ll read The Ode, and reflect during a moment of silence after the bugler plays The Last Post to honour the fallen.

That’s when the time comes to take your first step of what will be a long journey with your team.

Soon you’ll find yourself in the dense forest of D’Aguilar National Park that boasts exceptional views and brutal inclines. The downhills will test  your knees and when nighttime falls, and so too will the temperature, that’s when the mental game begins. That’s when you’ll need to remind yourself of the hardships our Diggers faced while battling malaria, steep elevations and not to mention a fierce enemy. 

But there’s no greater feeling than reaching that finish line. After hours and hours of walking or running, uphills, downhills, battling wind, rain or whatever else the weather throws your way, you take your final steps over the finish line. You’re presented with your dog tags and you’re overcome with emotion knowing that you have just conquered Australia’s toughest team endurance event; The Kokoda Challenge.