Built by returned soldiers in the years after the First World War, the Great Ocean Road winds for some 240 kilometres along the south-west coast of Victoria and stands as the world's largest war memorial. Work began in 1919 and the road was completed in 1932, hand-cut by thousands of ex-servicemen using picks, shovels and explosives along cliffs and through forest, both as a tribute to comrades killed in the war and as a way to connect isolated coastal settlements. The result is a touring route that has become one of Australia's most famous drives. The road threads between the Southern Ocean and the ranges, passing surf towns such as Torquay and Lorne, the rainforest of the Otway hinterland and a coastline that grows steadily more dramatic to the west. Its most photographed stretch is the Port Campbell coast, where the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles rise from the sea alongside formations such as Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge, shaped and constantly reshaped by the waves. Lookouts, beaches, lighthouses and walking tracks line the route, and the surrounding waters and bush support whales in season, koalas in the trees and abundant birdlife. The drive can be done in a long day from Melbourne but rewards those who take several, stopping in coastal towns and exploring the Otway forests and waterfalls along the way. Because it is at once a memorial, an engineering feat and a scenic highway, the Great Ocean Road carries meaning beyond tourism, and roadside memorials and arches recall the men who built it. Heavy visitor numbers, especially at the Twelve Apostles, mean the best light and the quietest moments come early or late in the day, when the cliffs glow and the crowds thin. Practical planning matters on a route this long: fuel, food and accommodation cluster in the towns, and the winding, cliff-hugging sections demand unhurried driving, particularly in wet weather or at dusk when wildlife is active. The road is busiest in summer and around the Twelve Apostles, where a visitor centre, boardwalks and a helicopter pad serve the crowds, while quieter pleasures lie in the Otway rainforest walks, the lighthouse at Cape Otway and the surf breaks that gave Bells Beach its fame. Whale watching off Warrnambool in winter and spring, koala spotting near Kennett River and the small fishing town of Port Fairy at the western end reward those who press on past the headline stop. However it is travelled, the road remains both a memorial to its builders and one of the country's defining coastal journeys.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Melbourne, Australia

Opening Date: 26/11/1932