Port Moresby | Saturday, 28 June 2025 — A leading Australian Kokoda advocate has issued a stark warning that Papua New Guinea’s most iconic wartime trail is heading for disaster unless urgent action is taken to restore confidence and reform its management.
Major Charlie Lynn, a decorated former Australian Army officer and long-time Kokoda tour operator, likened the current state of Kokoda Trail management to the doomed voyage of the Titanic, with officials “rearranging the deck chairs” while international confidence sinks.
His statement follows the continued listing of Papua New Guinea on Australia’s Smartraveller advisory website as a high-risk destination, particularly for trekkers along the Kokoda Trail. Lynn argues that this portrayal — which highlights incidents of crime, health risks, and community blockades — is fuelling a steep decline in trekker numbers and causing lasting reputational damage.
“Kokoda’s iceberg moment was last year’s illegal blockade which disrupted treks, caused cancellations, and left tour operators and village communities seriously out of pocket,” Lynn said.
According to Lynn, many Australian schools and trekking groups are now bypassing PNG in favour of more predictable and cost-effective pilgrimage routes such as Gallipoli, the Western Front, and Sandakan Death March, or adventure destinations like Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, and Tasmania’s Three Capes Track.
“Of greater concern is the reputational damage to the aura of pilgrimage across the Kokoda Trail,” he noted, adding that Kokoda is no longer listed among the world’s top 10 trekking destinations due to what he calls “dysfunctional management.”
Lynn criticised PNG’s tourism officials for failing to publicly guarantee that future illegal blockades would be prevented. Instead, he said, they are preoccupied with drafting a new bill for a Kokoda Track Management Authority — an exercise he equated to “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Call for PNG Leadership
Lynn challenged Papua New Guinean leaders to confront what he described as a “neo-colonial” portrayal of the country as violent and lawless — claims he says are exaggerated on the Smartraveller advisory.
“A glance at the Smartraveller website is enough to deter anybody from visiting PNG or trekking Kokoda,” Lynn said, citing references to armed robberies, medical evacuations, and community blockades.
He strongly contested these claims, arguing that over 65,000 Australians have safely completed the trek in the past two decades. Most villages along the trail, he noted, are Seventh Day Adventist, and free of drugs, alcohol, and violent crime.
“Our experience over the past 33 years confirms that Kokoda is safer than some parts of Alice Springs, Darwin, or suburban Sydney and Melbourne.”
He further argued that local frustration, not criminality, is behind recent blockades — pointing to financial mismanagement and lack of transparency within the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) since control of the trail was placed under a joint PNG–Australia agreement in 2008.
Lynn claims this mismanagement has led to a 42% drop in trekker numbers and an estimated K50 million in lost income for village communities from wages, campsite fees, and local purchases.
“Villagers have every right to be frustrated by the siphoning of funds and the failure to account for millions in permit fee income. But instead of holding those responsible to account, our leaders have remained silent.”
A National Challenge
The statement concludes with a call for greater accountability, leadership, and reform — both from Papua New Guinea’s political leaders and from Australian officials responsible for travel advisories and aid program oversight.
“It’s time for Papua New Guineans to take back Kokoda, restore its dignity, and reclaim its rightful place as one of the world’s great treks,” Lynn said.
ENDS
Contact:
Major Charlie Lynn OAM OL
Email: charlie@kokodatreks.com.au
Date: 28 June 2025