Our Spirit

27/08/2024

Ever wanted to walk The Camino de Santiago? Not sure what it is?

The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, is an ancient pilgrimage that has been undertaken for over a 1000 years, and offers a physical challenge along with a rich view of the history & culture of Spain

It spans various paths across Europe, all leading to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and is completed by 300,000+ people every year

Our Spirit has locked in our 2025 dates for the 12 Day Camino de Santiago Trip and will be running 2 Treks – 27th Aug to 7th Sept & 10th to 21st Sept

With Our Spirit, this journey becomes more than just a walk, as it is full of historical knowledge of the towns and villages along The Way, describing significant events, people and legends.

Our Spirit's Camino adventure is led by one of our qualified Australian leaders and includes a pre-trek training program, accommodation, transfers and much more.

Please follow the link below and refer to the tabs for details on our inclusions, exclusions and pricing for this adventure

Don’t miss out on your chance to complete one of the great walks with Aidan & the Team

https://www.ourspirit.com.au/www.ourspirit.com.au/services/2025-camino-de-santiago-12-day-trip/

17/08/2024

The Group have made their way from Owers Corner to Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby

The Cemetery is the resting place of over 3820 soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in WW2, which is a shocking number when you physically see that many stark, white headstones.

Even more upsetting is the fact that 699 headstones are simply marked “Known Unto God” as they are unidentified soldiers buried there.

It’s heartbreaking.

Bomana is a serene place, landscaped, with well maintained lawns & flowering shrubs that create a peaceful environment, and a fitting location for the final resting place of so many true heroes

The Group will spend an hour or 2 there paying their respects before heading back to the hotel this afternoon.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

17/08/2024

Some more pics from Owers Corner after the Group finished today

A great achievement

17/08/2024

THEYVE MADE IT!! The Group has passed through the arches at Owers Corner after their final stretch along the Kokoda Track!

A great accomplishment from the Group and something they will remember forever

The Group have rightly celebrated their achievement together and are now headed back to Bomana War Cemetary to pay respects to the fallen heroes of the Kokoda Campaign

It’s a very solemn place & when you see all the headstones (almost 4000)
It really makes you aware of how many paid the ultimate price to defend our country.

Lots of pics and videos to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

16/08/2024

Final Day - This morning the Group will leave camp and complete the climb up Imita Ridge, down to Goldie river & climb up the final climb and pass through the Kokoda Arches at Owers Corner.

For 6.5 days they have put their body and mind through an experience that they could never have expected when they set off

The physical side of the challenge is tough, but the mental strength required to get up each day and go again is even harder to explain

As they make their way today in a short, sharp walk of about 4hrs, the Track has one final trick up its sleeve.

You hear that after Goldie river it’s only 1hr, you are told it’s only about 6-7kms and you think “I’ve walked all that way to this point, the last bit will be a piece of cake”

But the Track again shows you differently because the last few hundred metres is as steep as almost any section to this point

Your brain has prepared you for a “walk in the park” but you realise that isn’t the case & have to shift back in to fight mode to get to the end.

And to be honest that is exactly the way it should be

This is one of the toughest walks in the world and to finish thinking any section of it is easy would be wrong.

The Group will make it there soon, celebrate their achievement together and then head to Bomana Cemetery and pay their respects to those who made the supreme sacrifice. Then head back to the hotel for possibly the best shower of their lives!

A great accomplishment from the Group and something they will remember forever

The feeling as they walk across the finish line is almost indescribable

Lots of pics and videos to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

16/08/2024

Day 6 update - Final full day on the Track and the Group have had another big day making it to camp at Ua-Ule, after climbing Ioribaiwa Ridge

Ioribaiwa Ridge is one of the most significant locations along the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea due to its crucial role during the Kokoda Campaign

It marks the farthest point on the Track that the Japanese reached during their advance on Port Moresby, and the Battle for Ioribaiwa Ridge was a key turning point in the Kokoda Campaign, and stands as a symbol of the resilience and courage of the Australian forces

The Group will spend their last night on the Track together, no doubt reflecting on the adventure to this point & looking forward to making it to the end for a well earned rest

But true to the challenge of the Kokoda Track, they still have to make it up Imita Ridge, through Goldie River & the final push up to the arches at Owers Corner tomorrow

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

15/08/2024

Day 6 - the last full day on the Track!

Today the Group will leave Naoro with a small uphill section before a long and continuous descent that progressively gets steeper as you get closer to the bottom.

It takes all of their concentration because as they get more tired, the Track gets harder to navigate successfully

Once at the bottom a rest is well and truly needed at ofi creek before the serious push to Ioribaiwa Ridge

This is a very significant place on the Track because Ioribaiwa Ridge marks the furthest point reached along the Track by Japanese forces during World War II

Once they set off from Ioribaiwa Ridge, it’s a sharp descent down to tonight’s campsite at Ua-Ule Creek, where a swim in the river is one of the great feelings as you know you are covering the final stages of this historic track and will be at Owers Corner tomorrow.

The Group are 1 night away from the finish of the Track but there are still a couple more uphill sections in particular the biggest of them all..imita ridge, before completing the Track tomorrow

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

15/08/2024

Day 5 Update - the Group have made it all the way to Naoro to camp tonight!

It’s another massive day, & to be expected if they plan to complete the Track in 6.5 days, but it’s still a hell of an accomplishment!

There will be some tired legs after coming down The Wall today, as the downhill sections take more out of you than the uphill sometimes, and they will be enjoying the chance to sit in camp to process what they’ve achieved to this point

Still some of the toughest parts of the Track to come and as is fitting for a place like Kokoda, it will ask a lot of questions of everyone right until the end!

And that is what makes the completion of the Track such an amazing personal accomplishment!

2nd last night on the Track, and the Group are getting closer to Owers Corner with every step.

Not long now until they complete one of the toughest walks in the world

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

15/08/2024

Just had a few pics of the Group come through from the Track

Pic 1 - after the climb out of Menari

Pic 2 - Swrvice on Brigade Hill

Pic 3 - Efogi halfway point

We’ll post more pics as we receive them

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

14/08/2024

Day 5 - Today the group have another gruelling day ahead of them on the Track, but hopefully a good nights sleep will have them ready to go

They will start the day across the ridge at Brigade Hill and a long steep descent down to the river then a short climb back up to Menari

Here the Group will visit the location where Col Ralph Honner famously addressed the 39th Battalion during the Kokoda Campaign

They will then walk through Menari Village, up a 350m steep hill to the top of the ridge before starting downhill on one of the most treacherous sections of the Track, The Wall - an extremely steep, sometimes almost vertical descent where they’ll be gripping roots, rocks, and vines to maintain balance and sometimes even needing to slide on their backside or use your hands for extra support.

After making it to the bottom (& a well earned break) they will walk through the swamps to Agulogo Village, across the Brown River before climbing the 9 False Peaks - This is a challenging part of the Track that tests the Group as much mentally as it does physically due to a series of steep climbs that appear to have a summit but it’s not.

By the time the Group makes it to camp tonight, they will have put in probably their biggest day so far on the track, & their fuel tanks will be starting to run down.

They will need to rest tonight for the remaining couple of days but they are not too far away from completing the trip of a lifetime at Owers Corner

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

14/08/2024

Day 4 - Today the Group have had a MASSIVE day and after 9hrs walking, made it all the way to Brigade Hill!

As we mentioned in this mornings post, they made it over Mt Bellamy, through the Mossy Forest, Efogi (halfway pt) & finally to tonight’s camp at Brigade Hill

Today, Brigade Hill features memorials and plaques commemorating the soldiers who fought and died there & serves as reminder of the sacrifices made during the campaign. Here the group will be immersed in the history of the campaign as we present an in-depth homage to the diggers.

It is a place for reflection, where trekkers can pause to honor the history and bravery of the soldiers who fought there as well as offering a chance to regroup and look back on their journey to this point

After a massive day they will need & deserve a good rest before going again tomorrow.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

14/08/2024

Day 4 on the Track & today the Group will leave Templetons Crossing to head uphill, through the Kokoda Gap to the highest point on the Track - Mount Bellamy (2100m) before starting down through the Mossy Forest, listening to the “machine gun birds” that chatter when they hear Trekkers nearby

A stop for lunch at Camp 1900 (surprisingly 1900m above sea level!) followed by a relatively “easy” climb to Myola Track Junction where they will divert to Bombers Camp, named after an American B17 Bomber that crashed during the campaign, and view the wreckage that still lies there.

The last bit of the day is a tough 750m downhill to their camp, with the descent marked by a series of natural steps formed by tree roots, and rocks that will give their legs a good workout!

The Group are now well and truly in the daily swing of waking up, having breakfast followed by a long hard day before making camp for dinner and a rest to be ready to go again the next day.

Not long now until they complete the Track, but there are still some long hard sections to go.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

13/08/2024

After a solid 8hrs today the group have made it to the camp for tonight at Templetons Crossing

They have passed through Alola Village, situated on a ridge with a clear view of the surrounding area, made it a valuable observation and communication point during the war

The Group then continued across many log bridges and across Eora Creek, an area which saw some of the fiercest of the entire Kokoda Campaign.

Many Australian soldiers lost their lives in the battle, and the area became a site of significant casualties

They then finally made it to Templetons crossing for what I’m sure will be a well deserved rest before doing it all over again tomorrow.

(Check out the pic in this post showing the plaque outlining the story of Lt/Col Colin Richardson. No spoiler alerts here but it’s a fantastic story!)

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

13/08/2024

The power of Social Media!!

Following on from our post about Local Land Owner David receiving an updated pair of glasses for an eye condition, Aidan had an old friend reach out to him with an amazing offer.

He received a message from Mike Reynolds, an Optometrist on the Gold Coast, who would like to help out professionally in any way that he can

So Aidan & Mike will chat and put together an action plan to help as many people along the Track as possible

It’s another example of the network of good people that surround Our Spirit, and how much can be done when we all band together.

Great work again Aidan and thanks so much to Mike & Robina Optical!!

A link below to Mikes Business, Robina Optical, and if anyone in the area needs an Optometrist, I think we know where to go!!

At Robina Optical we are committed to improving your vision. We offer a range of services including Comprehensive Eye Tests. Book in an appointment today.

13/08/2024

Day 3 - Today the Group leave Isurava after a fully immersive experience to explain the significance of the Battle that ensued there and the impact it had on the overall campaign, including paying respects to Bruce Kingsbury, Butch Bisset, etc

On a day that’s mostly downhill but still definitely very tough, they will pass through Eora Creek, a critical supply route during the war.

The area around Eora Creek witnessed intense fighting, with Australian and Japanese forces clashing in the dense jungle.

The Group will see remnants of the wartime camps and battle sites & the entire route between Isurava and Templeton’s Crossing is marked by the remains of wartime bunkers, weapons pits, and memorials.

Once the group reaches camp after a solid 8hrs, they will be well & truly ready for a rest, to be ready to go again tomorrow.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

12/08/2024

Day 2 - After a big day the Group have made it to the Isurava Battlesite to camp tonight.

Today they walked through the Choko fields with landscapes that look like something from Jurassic Park, & finally onto 1 of the most significant places on the Track - the Isurava Battlesite.

The memorial commemorates the battle fought there & features four Australian black granite pillars that are each inscribed with a single word - 'courage', 'endurance', 'mateship', and 'sacrifice' - representing the values and qualities of those Australian soldiers who fought along the Kokoda Trail.

There is also a plaque to commemorate the posthumously awarding of a Victoria Cross to Pr Bruce Kingsbury at the

During the Battle of Isurava, Pr Kingsbury, saw his company in danger of being overrun, and charged with a Bren gun to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy

After driving them back and allowing his comrades to regroup, unfortunately Pr Kingsbury was killed by a sniper following his heroic act.

Pr Kingsbury displayed all 4 of the values on three granite pillars & it’s a fitting tribute to a great man.

A good nights sleep will be had by all,
& fingers crossed the perfect weather stays that way for the rest of the trip.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

12/08/2024

Everyone might remember on the last Trek that we did, we posted about David, a local land owner on the Track who had battled with eyesight issues his whole life, receiving a pair of glasses to help his vision?

Well today David received an updated pair of glasses that are more suited to his eye condition, as his last pair were a bit more generic to help in the short term.

Look at both pics & see the smiles on his face!

That’s the effect that people like Aidan & organisations like Our Spirit can give when they help out unconditionally.

David’s life is even better now from such a small gesture!

12/08/2024

After a big day yesterday The Group camped overnight in Hoi at the beginning of the Track

Today they have passed through Deniki, where you first get a sense that you’re getting higher up in the mountains, and have a solid 6-8hrs today, pretty much all uphill!!

The weather has been dry humid & warm, which equals perfect weather to walk the Track!!

A good solid introduction into what it takes to complete the Trek & we’re sure all will be enjoying the challenge

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

11/08/2024

The Group has been welcomed at the local village & have now started on the Track!

A great moment walking beneath the arches at Kokoda to start the journey to Owers Corner

As we’ve said a few times this is an accelerated Trek finishing in 6.5 days, so the Group will be pushing hard each day

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

10/08/2024

The Group have made it to Poppondetta & started their journey on “The Bus” to the start of the Kokoda Track

A very exciting day as they make them way to begin their trek through a very special part of Australian Wartime History

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

10/08/2024

One more sleep before the Our Spirit Team head off to PNG on their 6.5 day Trek along the Kokoda Track.

A great adventure awaits them but also a chance to walk in the footsteps of the Australian & PNG heroes who fought there

They will never have faced a challenge like this but no doubt they are all ready & raring to go

More updates from Brisbane tomorrow morning

05/08/2024

Aidan & The Team are putting together final preparations for the next Trek in Kokoda

They leave Australia on Sunday 11th August & will complete a faster trip of only 6.5 days on the Track.

All the participants are very excited to be following the footsteps of our Diggers in PNG, in one of the most hallowed places in Australia’s war history.

Further updates to come but it’s not long now til they will be completing one of the world’s most spectacular and challenging treks.

14/07/2024

Aidan & the Group are on the bus heading to Bomana war Cemetary.

Almost 4,000 soldiers are buried there with a headstone for each of them.

A very sobering place after the emotion of completing the Track.

14/07/2024

THEYVE MADE IT!! Aidan & the Group have finished the Track!

Lots of pics & videos coming in so there will be a few posts in the next little while.

14/07/2024

14/07/2024

Day 9 - Goldie River to Owers Corner

This morning Aidan and the Group will leave camp at Goldie River and complete the final stage to pass through the Kokoda Arches at Owers Corner.

For 9 days they have put their body and mind through an experience that they could never have expected when they set off

The physical side of the challenge is tough, but the mental strength required to get up each day and go again is even harder to explain

As they make their way today on a very short, sharp walk of about 1hr, the Track has one final trick up its sleeve.

You hear that it’s only 1hr, you are told it’s only about 6-7kms and you think “I’ve walked all that way to this point, the last bit will be a piece of cake”

But the Track again shows you differently because the last few hundred metres is as steep as almost any section to this point

Your brain has prepared you for a “walk in the park” but you realise that isn’t the case & have to shift back in to fight mode to get to the end.

And to be honest that is exactly the way it should be

This is one of the toughest walks in the world and to finish thinking any section of it is easy would be wrong.

The Group will make it there soon, celebrate their achievement together and then head back to Bomana War Cemetary before making their way back to the hotel for possibly the best shower of their lives!

A great accomplishment from the Group and something they will remember forever

The sense of accomplishment as they walk across the finish line is almost indescribable

Lots of pics and videos to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

#133

13/07/2024

Day 8 - Ioraibaiwa to Goldie River

Today Aidan & the Group set off on their last full day on the Track as they make their way to one of the great campsites of the trip, Goldie River

The Group will initially have several short sharp down & uphill sections as they descend to Uaule Creek before they continue to the base of Imita Ridge

The climb to the top of Imita Ridge is one of the hardest sections of the Track as it is a 2-3hr effort that gets steeper for the last push and when you make it to the top, you are completely spent.

Imita Ridge is also significant to the war effort as this was the last location the Australian troops withdrew to during their “Fighting Retreat”

They were advised that they could withdraw no further than here because if the Japanese took Imita they could bomb Port Moresby, take the Port & resupply from there.

So the Australian troops were told to “hold Imita Ridge or die trying” which is a sobering thought as you sit there during the walk.

The Australians actually did hold Imita & this is where they then started to push the Japanese back along the track all the way to
Buna-Gona

After the Group rest at Imita they will descend down “The Golden Staircase” to camp alongside Goldie River for their final night on the Track.

A swim in the river is one of the great feelings as you know you are covering the final stages of this historic track and will be at Owers Corner tomorrow.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

#133

12/07/2024

Day 7 - Nauro to Ioraibaiwa

Today Aidan & the Group leave Nauro and make their way along the section known as the 9 False Peaks, which is a series of steep climbs that appear to have a summit but are not, hence the name!

It’s a challenging part of the Track that tests the Group as much mentally as it does physically

And once they make it to the actual summit, there is a long and continuous descent that progressively gets steeper as you get closer to the bottom.

It takes all of their concentration because as they get more tired, the Track gets harder to navigate successfully

Once at the bottom another rest is well and truly needed before the last push of the day to camp at Ioribaiwa Ridge

This is a very significant place on the Track because Ioribaiwa Ridge marks the furthest point reached by Japanese forces during World War II

The Group are getting closer to the finish of the Track but there are still a couple more uphill sections before the reach Owers Corner

They will need to rest tonight for the remaining couple of days but they are not too far away from completing the trip of a lifetime.

Further updates to come & please like & share this post around to all of your friends.

#133