The town is located within the area in which the invading Japanese army
suffered their first land defeat in the Pacific War in 1942, before the
Kokoda Track battle. A memorial park at the old battle site commemorates
the event. Alotau became the provincial capital in 1969 after it was
shifted from Samarai.
There is a road from Ulumani to Alotau which
passes the local Gurney Airport, named after squadron leader Charles
Raymond Gurney of the RAAF, who was killed in the area in 1942. The
airport is located 12 km from the town. Alotau is the gateway to the
Milne Bay Province which contains some of the most remote island
communities in the world. Milne Bay is noted for its coral reef and
scuba diving experiences.
Alotau is also the annual forum for Australian and Papua New Guinean ministers
