But 17-year-old Mount Austin High School year 12 student Courtney Smith's feet will instead be walking the Kokoda Track.

Courtney flew out of Wagga on Friday with fellow trekker, 19-year-old Laura Kane, of Henty, bound for Papua New Guinea.

The pair's trip is being sponsored by the Wagga RSL Club as part of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge.

They will start walking the 96-kilometre track over the Owen Stanley Ranges on Sunday with 45 others and hope to finish on October 1.

The gruelling Kokoda Track is the scene of one of Australia's greatest military efforts in World War II.

It was where Aussie Diggers in 1942 began pushing back the Japanese for the first time since the start of the war at the cost of 2480 casualties, including 600 dead.

The soldiers fought in appalling tropical conditions.

Courtney, who will sit the Higher School Certificate English exam 12 days after her walk ends, said she hoped to get a closer understanding of what the Australian soldiers endured.

"I just want to see what the Diggers put in for us so we have what we have now," said Courtney, who has trained by walking up and down Willans Hill and Pomingalarna.

Laura, a legal secretary with Commins Hendriks studying law by distance, said she hoped to pass on her knowledge of the Kokoda Track and what our soldiers suffered.

She has been training by climbing The Rock and hiking along the Bridle Track near Beechworth.

"I've done The Rock a lot," Laura said.

"I think I know the track off by heart."

Wagga RSL Club business manager Terry Williams was at the airport to farewell the girls.

"At their age, it will be a great experience for them," Mr Williams said.