As the Australians harassed and wore down the Japanese in the Central Sector, the campaign in the Northern Sector also gathered momentum. Having effectively cut Japanese communications between the north and south by controlling the Numa Numa trail, Savige wanted the Japanese in the north contained to the narrow Bonis Peninsula, Bougainville's northern tip, and Buka Island. This would prevent them from reinforcing the Japanese in the south. The ultimate goal in the Northern Sector was the destruction of the Japanese. Here the campaign was free from some of the restrictions Savige imposed in the Central Sector. Moving from Torokina along the northwest coast by foot and by landing craft, the Australians progressed steadily until June 1945 when an ambitious amphibious landing at Porton Plantation went horribly wrong. This was the only Australian defeat suffered during the campaign. It became an epic of courage and endurance. After Porton, the Australians struggled to regain the initiative. This reverse, however, did not affect the outcome of the main campaign being fought in the south.