Another great day trip with "A Tour With A Difference", this time along Victoria's Great Ocean Road. This one hundred fifty-one mile stretch of road between the towns of Torquay and Allansford was constructed (between 1919 and 1932) by approximately 3000 returned soldiers as a memorial to their comrades killed during World War One. That makes the Great Ocean Road the world's longest war memorial. Prior to WWI, Australia's south coast was pretty much accessible only by sea or over very rough bush tracks. So the plan was to build a road that would connect the isolated settlements, act as a war memorial, and provide better transport for Australia's burgeoning timber industry. The Great Ocean Road Trust was formed as a private company to solicit funds, from the public, for its construction efforts. Toll booths were set up along the road, also to help defray costs. In October of 1936 ( four years after construction was completed) the road was gifted to the State of Victoria, and the toll booths were removed. Hugging much of the Southern Ocean coastline, the road passes through surfing beaches, rain forests, and cliffs. Leaving Melbourne by 7:00 am, we spent the whole day exploring the many beautiful sights along the way (Bells Beach; the Twelve Apostles - limestone formations created by erosion; the Maits Rest rain forest - named after the districts first forester; and the cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge, also known as the "Shipwreck Coast"). We arrived back in Melbourne by 9:00 pm (a fourteen hour day), exhausted but thrilled by what we had just experienced.
The start of the Great Ocean Road is marked by the Memorial Arch, where the first toll booth stood.
The Island Archway in Apollo Bay was formed by erosion of the soft limestone cliffs.
Bell's beach is a renowned surfers location, and home of the world's longest running surfing competition, the Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival...
...and where we stopped for a bit of tea made in a "billy bucket."
A little further down the road, we stopped to feed some of the local residents.
Maits Rest rain forest was named after the district's first forester.
Some of the giant trees have a naturally formed hollow. In ancient times, the Mora aborigines, and in more recent days, loggers, would use these hollows as shelters because they remained dry.
One of the Twelve Apostles (now only numbering eight because of further erosion) in Port Campbell...
...and the remaining members of the Twelve Apostles.
Wind-blown spray created the sharp edges and bumps of the Razorback ...
...which also helped to create caves in the cliff face.
A short distance from the Twelve Apostles is "Shipwreck Bay" where, in 1878, the sailing vessel "Loch Ard" ran aground and sank.
Old photo of the "Loch Ard."
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