Sogeri – A Road Warrior Adventure

by Jaive

Sogeri is one of those special places for any person who grew up in Port Moresby or spent some time here. One reason is that Sogeri is a massive departure in terms of environment from dry, dusty and boring old Port Moresby.

Sogeri

It’s an ever green cool environment with beautiful rivers, lush savannah, waterfalls and great look outs. The Hombrom’s bluff epic ridge line dominates the landscape, heavily vegetated; its majestic presence captivates the imagination and makes you wonder what lies beyond it.

Down below that flows the Laloki River whose waters over thousands of years has created the magnificent gorge up here.
When we were kids, our Dad would to take us up for weekend drives up the 46km Sogeri stretch and I can remember water falling from rocks, the Rouna Falls thundering down during the wet season and crossing the Laloki River on a narrow bridge. Other fond memories include picnics at the Crystal Rapids, walking along the Sirinumu Dam and visits to the Varaita National Park.

Back then the large Ilimo Chicken Farm was still operating at 14 mile and we would hold our breath as we drove through the area because of the smell of the chicken manure. Other times we would stick our heads out of the car to point at horses galloping along the side of the road and scream excitedly in pidgin ‘Hos yah! Hos yah!’ (Which means Horses!! Horses!! in English. If you are wondering why were so excited – horses are not native to Papua New Guinea and the only other time we saw horses were in John Wayne’s cowboy movies)

Anyway, it’s all changed now. So many more people on the road sides, no chicken projects, no horses on the side of the road and landowners who charge you a K1 to take a photo of the falls! But, like they say, nothing ever stays the same.

Recently I took a Honda CRV up for a run on the Sogeri Road, all the way to McDonald’s Corner and turning back and going up to the Sogeri National High School.

Sogeri Road was previously a donkey track, where Donkeys carried the rubber from the Sogeri area down Hombrom’s bluff. It became a road by the work of the colonial powers, winding its way from Port Moresby along the Laloki River Gorge up to the Sogeri Plateau.

Sogeri is quite an important place in Australian and Papua New Guinea military history as Allied troops fought to repel a Japanese invasion along inhospitable mountain passes in the Kokoda area. Eventually, it was referred to by Australian War Journalists as the Kokoda Trail or the Kokoda Track, a name that is part of Australian War History today.

There is a memorial at Ower’s Corner and a small park. The memorial reads;

”In Memory of the Officers, NCOs & Men of the Australian Military Forces Who Gave Their Lives on the Kokoda Track.”

Today, Sogeri is still very important as the hydroelectric and water projects up here supply Port Moresby city with its needs.

I took a tonne of pictures from the car, some of which I am sharing in this post. The road condition was Ok though a bit narrow with large potholes in some places.

The biggest worry is the crazy drivers speeding down the slopes in the opposite direction. The road as mentioned winds its way along the Laloki River Gorge so there are some spectacular cliff edges you will drive along. There have been some accidents here previously with vehicles speeding of the edges. They were caused by some really bad drivers who ignore warning signs or were intoxicated.

There was grading work on the Owers Corner road by the Kokoda Track Initiative of the Australian Government and the PNG Government’s Department of Works. This was great as it made the trip much smoother where the road was not sealed.

There is a lot of farming activity up here. Food gardens can be seen, tobacco plots, cattle on the road herded by cowboys riding with no saddles on large horses, farmers on tractors roll past you in the opposite direction, people sell fresh peanuts, bananas, pineapples and vegetables on road side markets.

There is a memorial at Ower’s Corner and a small park. The memorial reads;

”In Memory of the Officers, NCOs & Men of the Australian Military Forces Who Gave Their Lives on the Kokoda Track.”

Rubber trees dominate the landscape in places and you can see rubber being tapped.

Plantations here include the famous and former Burns Philip owned Itikinumu rubber plantation. PNG writer Malum Nalu has a great Itikinumu Plantation story on his blog.

I had one upsetting moment on the trip that almost led to a fist fight when ‘landowners’ tried to charge me K1 for taking a picture of the Rouna Falls after charging us K1 for just being there. Eventually they didn’t but for other travelers heading up that way, standing at the Rouna Falls lookout is not free. Probably cost you K1.00.

Other interesting sites include Bisiatabu station, the original site of the first SDA Mission in PNG, established in 1913. Bisiatabu means holy or sacred in the local dialect.

Another is the site of the Salvation Army headquarters up here.

There is a lot of human activity beginning at 8 mile up to 15 mile. At 8 mile is the turn off from the Hubert Murray Highway up the Sogeri Road.

You will past the 9 mile cemetery and as you travel you will see the signs indicating you have reached Bomana which is the area where the Bomana War Cemetery, the Bomana PNG police station and training facilities and the Bomana jail plus schools and churches are located.

A bit further up is the 11 mile area where there is a city recreational park and the entrance to the Pacific Adventist University.

At 14 – 15 mile you will find a lot of signs advertising pigs for sale because of piggeries there as well as the operations of the Hugo Canning Company who produce our favourite Ox&Palm tinned meat.

Go past that you will get to 17 mile, where you should see especially on the weekends cars parked along the roads as people love to come and spend the weekends swimming, washing and mucking around in the cool waters of the Laloki River.

This is also when the road begins the steep winding inclination to Sogeri, and the thrill really begins.

Enjoy the pictures. I hope you go for a drive there soon. If you have any corrections (especially with the ‘miles’ as I get confused) or information, please add in the comments section below.

To learn more visit the Papua New Guinea Tourisms Page on Port Moresby.