Governance, Objectives & History

Name: Kokoda Day
Start: 2020-11-03T10:30:00+11:00
End: 2020-11-03T12:00:00+11:00
Location: Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway

The late G. E. (Rusty) Priest (1927-2013). Foundation Chairman of the Walkway.

The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway is a community project spearheaded by Concord Repatriation General Hospital, involving City of Canada Bay, Concord Rotary, the Returned and Services League of Australia.

The plans, launched in 1994 under the Australia Remembers Program, envisaged a Memorial Walkway to be constructed along Brays Bay, running alongside Concord Road from Brays Bay Reserve towards Hospital Road, providing a link from Rhodes station to the Hospital.

Access to the walkway is via Hospital Road, Concord or Bray Bay Reserve.

The objectives of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway:

To provide a living memorial to all veterans who served in world war II with a particular focus on the South West Pacific area;

To provide an educational experience relating to this significant part of our heritage for current and future generations.
To improve access to the Hospital for patients, visitors and staff who travel by train to Rhodes station;
To provide facilities for healthy lifestyle programs and;
Act as a tourist attraction for visitors to the region.

A Short History of the Kokoda Track Memorial [PDF]

The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway is a living memorial and a principal site of commemoration honouring all those who fought for Australia during World War II.

A principal focus is on the sacrifices made during key Papua New Guinea battles which took place in 1942-43 along the Kokoda Track, at Milne Bay on the south-eastern tip of Papua, and at Buna, Gona, and Sanananda on the northern coastline.

The Walkway covers more than 800 metres from Rhodes Station to Concord Hospital in Sydney’s inner-west, and runs along the mangrove-studded shores of Brays Bay on the Parramatta River.

At the centrepiece are magnificent granite walls bearing photographic images of the Kokoda campaign. There are 22 audio-visual stations along the Walkway, each describing a significant place or military engagement. The Walkway has been planted with lush tropical vegetation simulating the conditions of The Kokoda Track.