The
Great Ocean Road stretches along the South
Eastern coast of Australia between the
Victorian cities of Geelong and Warrnambool.
It was built during the Great Depression,
between World War I and World War II by
returned servicemen as part of a government-funded
job creation scheme. The road took 16
years to build and it was all done by
hand using picks, shovels and dynamite.
The main gate has been rebuilt twice.
The first gate was demolished and rebuilt
when the road was widened, and the second
gate was razed during the Ash Wednesday
fires. 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. 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.
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