Great Ocean Road

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 acheme.

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.