Late in October, after the Second Battle of Eora Creek – Templeton's Crossing, the battalion was withdrawn from the line for a brief period of rest at Myola, before assuming defensive responsibilities for Kokoda village on 3 November 1942. The battalion joined the Australian pursuit towards the Kumusi, taking part in the fighting around Oivi–Gorari before taking part in the fighting around Buna and Gona later in the month. Around this time, the battalion's machine gun company was detached and in conjunction with several other Militia machine gun companies, it was used to form the 7th Machine Gun Battalion.