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T
here are a number of great driving experiences
in Australia, but none to equal that of Victoria’s
Great Ocean Road, running for 244 kilometres
along the coast from the town of Torquay, near
Geelong, west to Allensford, near Warrnambool.
The Great Ocean Road was planned and built for and by ex
servicemen between the years 1919 and 1932. It was dedicated
as a memorial to servicemen killed during the First World War,
and at the same time provided work for up to 3000 returned
veterans.
Work was undertaken using picks and shovels, wheelbarrows
and dynamite through dense scrub and forest and along
precipitous hills and cliffs. The only break in the process was
when the steamer Casino ran aground near Cape Patton in 1924,
forcing it to jettison 500 barrels of beer and 120 cases of spirits.
To prevent damage to the environment the workers took a two-
week break to consume the lost cargo!
The road, when completed, joined a series of small coastal
hamlets that until then were accessible only by water and
the occasional rough bush track and opened the area for
development. It is now one of the most popular holiday
destinations in the state, not just with Victorians but many
thousands of interstate and overseas tourists, who flock to see
the majestic wonders of a wild shoreline that, from Cape Otway
west had become known as the Shipwreck Coast.
This section of the coast, from Cape Otway around to
Warrnambool, which projects southward into the Southern
Ocean, intersected many a ship on its way to Melbourne, most
especially in the days of sail. Every little cove seems to have its
tale of tragedy and heartbreak.
Explorer Matthew Flinders wrote of it, “I have seldom seen a
more fearful section of coastline.” There were literally hundreds
of wrecks along the coast between Port Fairey and Cape Otway
and over 50 of the better known wrecks are commemorated in a
shipwreck trail, starting at Port Fairey.
But it’s those little coves which trapped the ships and provided
a haven for the few survivors that bring the tourists today. The
road skirts along the top of the cliffs in places, and only the
briefest diversions are necessary to bring you to well made car
parks and winding tracks to lookouts and even rock ledges
above the sea.
Here golden limestones have been etched into a fantasy land
of sea level caves, great arches and towering pillars, backed
by lunettes of soft sand that are accessible via winding sets of
wooden stairs.
It’s this section of the coast that features the much spoken of
Twelve Apostles, though today erosion has cut that back to just
seven, and threatens to further diminish the number in the near
future. From here you can take helicopter flights along the coast,
giving you a true understanding of the beauty of the shoreline.
Don’t limit yourself to the summertime to explore this area. Even
in mid winter, with a biting south-westerly wind forging across
the sea from Antarctica and misty showers falling this whole
coastline has a special feel. This is when the seas are at their
wildest, crashing against the rocks and surging up the beaches,
and you are forced to wrap yourself in warm clothing, when you
and your partner can find yourself truly alone and able to soak
up the atmosphere.
The road was considered, when first built, to be a “challenging
drive”, with really only one lane available for most of its
course with just occasional spots where one vehicle could
pull in to permit another to pass by. Even into the 1960s it was
still a lengthy and difficult trip to attempt to cover in a day.
Now the road has its many passing lanes, is well signposted and
a traveller can make the entire trip easily in a few hours. But why
would you? Not when you have so much to stop and see. Every
few kilometres it seems that there is a new and more marvellous
vista to take in. The little villages along the way are littered with
great restaurants and coffee shops.
You can spend the good part of a day in the Otway Fly treetop
walk, the longest and highest forest experience of its kind in
the world. Much of the walk is over 30m above the forest floor,
and you can ascend a spiral staircase around one forest giant to
reach up to 45m above the ground. For the adventurous there is
the Zipline Tour which allows you to experience flying from one
treetop platform to another.
Alternatively you can take a walk through one of the cool
temperate rainforests that populate the eastern side of the
Cape, some with great waterfalls and even glowworms in some
of the darker gullies. Or climb the Cape Otway lighthouse or
visit the world famous Bells Beach which attracts surfers from
around the world to its great waves.
Take your time and enjoy it all. There are camping spots all
along the coast, ranging from formal caravan parks with their hot
showers and toilet facilities, to little roadside stops.
For the more active there are walks ranging from a few hundred
metres, usually to specific attractions, to lengthier trails, such as
the Surf Coast Walk, which takes you 30km from Jan Juc Beach
near Torquay to Moggs Creek in the Angahook-Lorne State Park. If
you’re feeling really healthy there is the Great OceanWalk, a trek
of 104km from Apollo Bay to the 12 Apostles.
And don’t just think that you have to stop at the western end of
the Great Ocean Road. Continue on to Warrnambool, just a few
kilometres long the road, then another 30km to the beautiful old
world charm of Port Fairey, and another 75km on to Portland.
This whole coast just keeps offering up great experiences.
It’s for good reason that the Great Ocean Road has been
declared to be one of the world’s great scenic drives, and has
been added to the Australian National Heritage List, as well as
being declared Victoria’s single greatest tourist attraction. If
you’ve never been, make sure it’s on your to-do list this year.
''... golden limestones have been etched
into a fantasy land of sea level caves ,
great ar ches and tower ing p illar s ..."
''Ever y few kilometres it seems that
there is a new and more mar vellous
vista to take in.."
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OZTRAIL
THE GREAT DRIVE