Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road was constructed between 1919 and 1932 by around 3,000 returned servicemen as a memorial to their fallen comrades. It remains the largest war memorial in the world, stretching 243 kilometres along Victoria's Surf Coast and Shipwreck Coast. The road was carved into cliff faces and punched through dense Otway rainforest using picks, shovels and occasionally gelignite, and the engineering achievement still draws admiration nearly a century later.

The eastern section between Torquay and Apollo Bay is the classic surf coast stretch. The road hugs the edge of Bass Strait, passing through Anglesea, Aireys Inlet (home of Split Point Lighthouse), Lorne and Kennett River. This part of the drive is all open ocean views, golden sand beaches and small holiday towns where the coffee culture is surprisingly good for their size. Bells Beach, just south of Torquay, hosts the longest-running professional surfing competition in the world every Easter.

West of Apollo Bay the road climbs into the Otway Ranges, passing through cool temperate rainforest before dropping to the coast again at the Twelve Apostles. These towering limestone sea stacks, standing in the wild Southern Ocean, are the single most photographed natural landmark in Victoria. Originally there were nine stacks visible from the lookout, but one collapsed in 2005, and ongoing erosion means the current formations will not last forever. Loch Ard Gorge, London Arch and The Grotto are other limestone formations within a few kilometres.

The western section beyond the Twelve Apostles is less visited but arguably more rewarding. The Bay of Islands coastal park has its own set of sea stacks without the crowds, and the road passes through quiet dairy country before ending at Allansford near Warrnambool. Between June and September, southern right whales calve at Logans Beach in Warrnambool, one of only a handful of reliable land-based whale watching sites in Australia.

Most visitors drive the Great Ocean Road as a day trip from Melbourne, but the road deserves at least two days. Staying overnight in Lorne or Apollo Bay gives time to explore the Otway forests, and a second night in Port Campbell puts you at the Twelve Apostles for sunrise, which is when the light is at its best and the coach crowds have not yet arrived.