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B17 Bomber
On 8 January 1943 an American B-17E Flying Fortress, crippled by flak sustained while attacking a Japanese convoy near Lae, crashed while searching for the Wau airstrip. The remains are in fairly good condition on a hillside, a four-hour return trek from Biawen Junction, 13km from
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Hansa Bay
Hansa Bay is a popular diving spot past Bogia, where the wreckage of 35 Japanese freighters and US aircraft lie in a shallow harbour. The upper deck of the 6000-ton Shishi Maru lies in just 6m of water, two anti-aircraft guns on the bow point upwards and brass shell castings litter
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Mission Point to Cape Boram
Near the main wharf lie the rusting remains of MV Busama . Further down at Kreer, on the road to the airport, there’s the wooden hulk of a Taiwanese fishing junk. On the beach between Kreer Market and the hospital are some rapidly disappearing rusting Japanese landing barges. The J
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US airbase
If you head to Los Negros Island, east of Lorengau, check out the remains of the US airbase at Lombrum. Theres a fine anti-aircraft gun as you enter, and rows of old hangers. General MacArthurs HQ is still in use by the PNG Navy. The former Australian refugee detention centre, wher
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Asaro Mudmen
Asaro village, northwest of Goroka, is famous for its mudmen – warriors who traditionally covered themselves in grey mud and wore huge mud masks before heading off on raids. It’s a very striking image, and the Asaro men re-create the scene for tourists. The number of mudmen is in d
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Loloho
Four kilometres northwest of Arawa is Loloho on Arawa Bay, the port to which the copper concentrate was piped down from Panguna, the site of the power station and home to many of the mine workers. Theres a palpable feel of nostalgia in Arawa. The old buildings and the workers quart
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Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens offer a pleasant stroll through a small patch of rainforest and grassland in the centre of Lae. The huge, vine-covered trees host colourful birds and butterflies, and the gardens have an exotic orchid collection. Officially, it’s closed on weekdays but the gua
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uplifted marine terraces
Further down the coast towards Sialum are some of the worlds best examples of uplifted marine terraces. From the air it is possible to appreciate the ancient coral reefs that have been thrust upwards to form a geological staircase. The entire area, which also incorporates the Bobon
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Old Parliament Building
The Old Parliament Building was never an architectural wonder, but its opening as the House of Assembly in 1964 was a significant milestone on PNGs road to independence. Sadly, the shell it has become symbolises the countrys steady decline in recent years; it is occupied by squatte
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Bogia
Bogia is 185km northwest of Madang and the departure point for Manam Island. The road is sealed all the way to Bogia but peters out a short distance thereafter before the mighty Ramu River. At Bogia Bay, a Japanese Zero fighter lies upside down in the water a few hundred metres out
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Wuvulu Island
Manus Province comprises a handful of very remote offshore islands, including Wuvulu Island, which was made famous by Jean-Michel Cousteau when he conducted several Project Ocean Search expeditions in the 1970s. Other islands worthy of note are Hermit and Ninigo, about 240km to the
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Hombrum Bluff Lookout
A few kilometres down the dreadful Kokoda Track road (barely navigable in a 2WD in the dry season only) is a turn-off left (west) back towards Port Moresby. This is the Hombrum Bluff road that runs along the top of the Laloki River canyon wall. It leads to Hombrum Bluff Lookout tha
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Mt Kis Lookout
A track just off Wisdom St climbs to an excellent lookout, Mt Kis, so-called because it’s the lovers’ leap of Goroka. There are two large water tanks halfway there, and a ladder you can climb to catch spectacular views of the distant valleys through the pine trees and the Highlands
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Watam
If you are heading up the Ramu ask the men around here about boat departures otherwise continue walking along the coast (low tide only), through Marangis village, to Watam. Due to its strategic position, it is not surprising that Watam is one of the bigger villages in the area. Ask
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Kokopo Waterfront
The best place to soak up the atmosphere is the Kokopo Waterfront, where banana boats (speed boats) pull up on the east end of the beach, and their drivers wait for a fare or theyre fishing. These boats come and go from all over the province, the Duke of Yorks and New Ireland. The
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Butterfly Ranch
Perhaps the most viable of the WEIs activities is its Butterfly Ranch. It supplies collectors around the world with examples of PNGs astounding variety of insects. The philosophy is that villagers earn money by collecting and selling butterflies, beetles and other insects that have
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Admiral Yamamotos aircraft wreck
Admiral Yamamotos aircraft wreck is the areas most historically interesting wreck. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbour, left Rabaul in a Betty Bomber on 18 April 1943 with a protective group of Zeros, not realising that US fighters were waiting for him
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Mt Lamington
The 1585m peak of Mt Lamington is clearly visible from Popondetta. The mountain still shakes and puffs a little and local residents paid no attention to a slight increase in activity in 1951. However when the mountainside suddenly blew out and a cloud of super-heated gases rushed d
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Bagail Cemetery
The closest thing Kavieng has to a regular sight is the Bagail Cemetery, where Baron Boluminski was buried. The tough guys grave is right before you as you enter the cemetery. The tyrannical German Baron Boluminski became district officer of Kavieng in 1910 and built the highway th
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Unitech
About 8km from the centre of town and located in some nicely landscaped parks and gardens, Unitec has a number of notable buildings, including Duncanson Hall with its 36 Sepik-style carved pillars, and Matheson Library , one of the largest libraries in the South Pacific and home to
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