A truly great ocean road

There’s no doubt the Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most spectacular drives, as anyone who has traversed the 250 kilometre road between Torquay and Allansford will testify.

The road hugs the contours of Victoria’s rugged south west coast and offers stunning views across Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean and leads to many of the State’s iconic tourist attractions.

>> Destination Great Ocean Road, Weekends For Two

Now is the perfect time to experience all the road has to offer.

Firstly 2007 marks the 75th anniversary of the construction of the road. While the Great Ocean Road is renowned for its scenic beauty, it is much more than a scenic road. It’s also one of Australia’s most important, and the world’s biggest, war memorials.

The road was carved from the rocky cliffs and bluffs between 1919 and 1932 by more than 3000 returned soldiers and sailors, in honour of their comrades who died in the First World War at Gallipoli, at the Somme and the many other battlefields.

To celebrate the opening of the road, a new life-size statue has been built at Eastern View adjacent to the famous Great Ocean Road arch.

The sculpture, aptly named the Diggers, was modelled by prominent sculptor Julie Squires, who spent weeks researching the history of the road and its brave builders before beginning her work.

Another reason for visiting now is the weather. While the road is spectacular all year round there are benefits of a visit during the warmer months. Most importantly it’s the perfect time to take full advantage of the fantastic beaches found along the road. There are over 20 which are easily accessed, including such delights as Apollo Bay. Here you can swim in the clear water, sea kayak among local seals, indulge in deep sea fishing or learn to surf along the town’s wide, crescent-shaped sandy swimming beach.

Lovers of great surf head to world renowned Bells Beach, while around Warrnambool you’ll find several beaches, including Lady Bay and Logans Beach.

Port Fairy’s East Beach is renowned for its safe swimming and surfing. The wide, sandy foreshore extends in a gentle arc from the mouth of the Moyne River.

If beaches aren’t your scene you can always head inland to the Otway Ranges. Here you’ll find magnificent tall-timbered rainforests showcasing nature at its best. Waterfalls, lakes, glades of massive tree ferns and native animals abound.

Several drives offer the perfect way to explore the 88,000 hectare ranges. The Waterfalls and Rainforest and Forest and Views drives will take you into the heart of this towering-timber country allowing you to explore such delights as Triplet, Beauchamp and Hopetoun Falls and Otway National Park’s rainforest at Maits Rest. The Forrest-Apollo Bay Road provides magnificent views as it makes its way along the spine of the mountain ridge towards Mt Sabine. The road looks out over lush green valleys before it twists into the cool of the rainforest. For the more active there’s also a number of walking trails.

Understandably one of the most visited parts of the road is Port Campbell National Park. Buffeted by wild seas and fierce winds, the coastline here has been sculpted over millions of years to form a series of striking rock stacks that rise out of the Southern Ocean. Known as the Twelve Apostles, they are one of the most spectacular natural attractions in Victoria and certainly one of the most photographed.

The dramatic and imposing limestone cliffs that are the backdrop to the Apostles, tower up to 70 metres, while the tallest of the rock stacks is around 45 metres high.

While the Twelve Apostles are the most photographed there are a host of other stunning natural features along this beautiful and wild stretch of coastline. Among them are Pudding Basin Rock, Island Arch, the Razorback, Muttonbird Island, Thunder Cave, the Blowhole, Bakers Oven, London Bridge and the Grotto.

Numerous boardwalks and viewing platforms ensure stunning views, with sunrise and sunset particularly awe-inspiring providing some amazing colour changes.

Visiting these attractions it is easy to understand how so many ships have come to grief off the coast, victims of the wild winds and dangerous waters.

At Loch Ard Gorge, within the Port Campbell National Park, for example, 52 people died after the sailing ship, the iron clipper Loch Ard, rammed into the sheer cliffs of Muttonbird Island in stormy weather.

One of the best ways to learn more about the maritime history of the region is to visit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum at Warrnambool. The museum recounts the treacherous history of Victoria’s southern coast. There are many shipwreck relics on display including the famous porcelain peacock washed up from the tragic wreck of the Loch Ard in 1878.

Warrnambool also has a thriving arts and events scene, excellent restaurants serving the best of the freshest local produce and a relaxed café scene, most evident at the bottom end of Liebig Street.

Warrnambool is one of several fascinating historical towns along the Great Ocean Road which bring to life the history of this region. Another is Port Fairy. This old fishing village features more than 50 National Trust classified buildings. Walk its streets and you’ll find many fine examples of architecture of the 1800s, charming, fully restored white washed cottages, built by whalers and seamen, beside Georgian-style merchants’ homes and grand public buildings.

Whichever town you choose to stay at you can be assured of a relaxing and scenically stunning escape along the Great Ocean Road.