365 Places: Great Ocean Road

Day 46: Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

By now many of you have figured out that I love the coast. Being by the sea makes me happy, as I love to feel closer to the beauty and power of nature. The movement of the tides and the impact of weather at sea is a humbling reminder of our transience as human beings and the constant change of our universe. The ocean has also been part of my earliest childhood memories and continues to be a significant place for me to be inspired and mindful of the wonderment of our beautiful planet  earth.

So today, I would like to share with you a special journey along the coast from a couple of years ago, along the Great Ocean Road. It is a road trip that is also on many Australian’s bucket list – for good reason. This heritage listed 243 kilometre long piece of bitumen takes travellers along the Victorian coast from Torquay to Allansford, taking in some incredible coastline along the way.

Some of the most iconic Australian scenery is located along this route, for example; Torquay Beach, Bells Beach and the 12 Apostles. But it is not just the beautiful scenery that makes this road important for Australians. Great Ocean Road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and is dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, making the road the world’s largest war memorial.

For many years the Great Ocean Road has been considered one of the world’s most scenic roads. Even back in 1962, The Age newspaper reported that the Tourism Development Authority  recognised the opportunities for commerce and tourism for the region making the decision to generate tourist interest through publicity.

Over time, I will write about some of the lovely places to visit along the way, but for now I hope you enjoy a little teaser article about this amazing Australian road trip. For now, here are some images from our journey.