Great Ocean Road
The
Great Ocean Road (known as the
Surfcoast Highway between Geelong and
Torquay) which stretches along the South Eastern coast of
Australia between the
Victorian cities of
Geelong and
Warrnambool is the world's biggest war memorial. It was built between
World War I and
World War II by returned servicemen in honour of their fallen comrades. The road took 16 years to build and it was all done by hand using picks, shovels and dynamite.
The main gate, an arch, has been rebuilt a number of times. The first gate was demolished and rebuilt when the road was widened, another was knocked over by a truck and and a third arch was razed during the
Ash Wednesday fires. The gate is not actually located at the beginning of the road.
Hugging tightly to the coast, the road offers outstanding views of
Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean and covers some of the most photogenic coastline in the world, because of its striking and dramatic natural rock formations. These formations include
Loch Ard Gorge,
the Grotto, London Bridge (renamed to
London Arch in recent years after the 'bridge' partially collapsed), and most famously
The Twelve Apostles. A visitors centre has recently been built near
Peterborough to provide some basic facilities for the thousands of tourists who visit each year. The building of this centre was controversial, as there were concerns among many over whether it would impede access to the formation for tourists who did not wish to pay an entrance fee, cause pollution and excess traffic congestion, and spoil the natural environment.
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Great Ocean Road |
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Main Gate at Eastern View |
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Great Ocean Road |
The road's speed limit fluctuates from 80km/h (50mph) to 100km/h (62mph). However, its sharp curves make it impossible to reach those speeds in most places. It is a two lane roadway (one lane in each direction) and, as always in Australia, vehicles must drive on the lefthand side of the roadway.
*
Howard Hitchcock*
Highways in Victoria*
Official Great Ocean Road website*
Great Ocean Road Accommodation and Travel Guide Web Site*
- Information, accommodation, history etc.*
Intown Locals - Geelong and Surrounds Guide*
Another Great Ocean Road tourism site*
Great Ocean Road photographs*
Great Ocean Road videos and map
