Wairopi, Papua, c. 1942-11-17. Carrying 20-pound sandbags of supplies on their backs, two Papuan ...

Wairopi, Papua, c. 1942-11-17. Carrying 20-pound sandbags of supplies on their backs, two Papuan carriers carefully pick their way across a makeshift bridge over the swift-flowing Kumusi River at Wairopi on the northern section of the Kokoda Trail. The two Papuans are followed by an Australian soldier and a line of other native porters carrying supplies. As no steel hawser of sufficient length was available, the bridge had to be suspended between the banks of the river on a single strand of manilla rope.