Popondetta Travel Guide

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Walk to the site of the former Government Station at Higaturu which was destroyed in 1951 resulting in the death of over 3000 Papuans and Europeans. A local guide would be needed to make the walk and transport required to reach the start of the treck which is off the Kokoda Road some 20 klm from Popondetta.
In 1951 Higaturu situated some 12 klm from Mt Lamington was capital of the Northern Province with many small plantations and small villages in the vicinity. Mt Lamington was not recognised as a volcano until it began erupting mid January that year and on the 21st January there was a massive eruption which destroyed everything within 12 klm of its path.
Some 3500 in that that path of destruction died immediately and hundreds on the perimeter suffered horrific burns.
21st January 2011 is the 60th Anniversary of the eruption and will be marked by a memorial services in the nearby villages.

The area around Popondetta and up into the Owen Stanley Range separating the town from Port Moresby saw some of the most vicious fighting of the Second World War. The Japanese had siezed all the outlying islands to the north and also made a landing here on the main island of New Guinea. Rather than trying to capture POM by sea, they decided, in 1942, to attack from the north over the mountain range. Australian and local forces fought pitched battles here and in the mountains and were able to stop the advance. In fact, a few months later they had completely defeated the invading force, in the first land defeat of the Japanese army during WW2. A lot of American airpower was involved in the struggle, with many of the relics still very much visible when I was there. These ones were just sitting there beside the local airport. Even up to recent years, old aircraft remains have continued to be stumbled upon in the thick forests of the mountain slopes.

As we took off for Port Moresby, I was surprised to see these aircraft revetments still very much visible, as a white Cattle Egret flew by. These earthen-walled horseshoe-shaped structures each sheltered a parked aircraft during the War. The idea was that, other than a direct hit in a bombing attack, the walls would shield the parked aircraft from flying bits of shrapnel.

This is what one of the few streets in town looked like 25-years ago. In more recent reports I read that the main area of shops and stores is further dilapidated and all stores have to have guards to protect them. However, the outlying villages are still quite well-kept with their typical construction using local materials such as palm fronds and wooden poles.

Local industries consist of Palm Oil processing and a lumber sawmill. The villagers get in on the act by collecting the palm oil fruit and then deliver it to the nearest road for pick-up by company trucks from the processing plant.