Great Ocean Road, Scenic coastal route in Victoria, Australia.
The Great Ocean Road is a two-lane road (B100) running 240 km along Victoria's south-east coast from Torquay to Allansford. It hugs the Surf Coast east of Cape Otway and the Shipwreck Coast west of it, passing Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. Near Torquay it runs below steep cliffs, with signs warning of rockfalls.
War veterans built this route between 1919 and 1932 by hand, often using basic tools and working under difficult conditions. Its completion made it the largest war memorial in the country and opened remote coastal areas to travelers.
The road's name and its dedication as a war memorial stem from its builders: about 3,000 returned soldiers worked on it from 1919, and it was dedicated to soldiers killed in World War I. Before Europeans arrived, the Watha Wurrung and Gadubanud Aboriginal groups lived along this coast; shell middens along the shoreline mark their presence.
Several lookouts with parking allow travelers to stop and take in the coastal landscape, especially in early morning or late afternoon. The route remains open year-round, though weather shifts in winter sometimes cause brief delays.
Koalas can sometimes be spotted sleeping in eucalyptus trees near the road, especially during cooler morning hours. Some sections pass through rainforest where ferns and tall trees create a different feel from the open coast.
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