Great Ocean Road: a memorial highway between cliffs and surf
Published on 08/29/2026 at 15:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Great Ocean Road in Victoria is a coastal highway that begins at Torquay and follows the southern edge of Australia between cliffs and surf beaches. Conceived after the First World War, it was constructed in the early twentieth century as both a transport link and a large-scale memorial to Australian soldiers.
A coastal ribbon from Torquay to Allansford
Great Ocean Road runs along the south-west coast of Victoria, linking the surf town of Torquay with the rural community of Allansford near Warrnambool. The route is designated as route B100 and forms a recognised touring corridor on the state’s road network.The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed stretch of road about 240 km long, following the shoreline between these two towns.
From Torquay the carriageway heads west, curving around headlands and river mouths as it tracks the edge of the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean. The alignment links coastal settlements and reserves that share the same dramatic interface of rock platforms, sandy beaches and steep hinterland slopes.German-language mapping describes it as a 243 km road along the Australian south coast between Torquay and Allansford, a figure echoed in tourism material across Victoria.Visitor guides usually describe the journey as a 243 km coastal highway from Torquay to Allansford
A road built by returned servicemen
The idea of carving a road along this remote stretch of coast gained momentum in the 1910s, when Victoria’s Country Roads Board and local advocates promoted a continuous coastal route. Survey work for the project began in 1918, when teams marked out a line through dense vegetation and steep slopes above the ocean.The Heritage Council of Victoria records that initial surveys took place in 1918 and that construction commenced in 1919.
Construction unfolded as a repatriation project for Australian soldiers returning from the First World War. More than 3,000 servicemen worked on the alignment, using picks, shovels, explosives, wheelbarrows and horse-drawn carts to cut the formation into the cliffs and hillsides.The same heritage assessment notes that the road was designed and supervised by Country Roads Board engineer Major William McCormack and built largely by returned servicemen between 1919 and 1932. Sections opened in stages during the 1920s, and the through route between the Surf Coast and the western townships was officially opened in 1932 near Lorne.
Landscape, viewpoints and memorial character
Along its length Great Ocean Road crosses a sequence of landscapes that are immediately visible from the carriageway. Near Torquay it passes surf beaches backed by low dunes and grassed reserves, while further west cliffs and sea stacks stand beside the tarmac, separated from the road by fenced viewing areas and car parks. Inland from several stretches, forested slopes of the Otway Ranges rise behind the coastal strip, giving the drive a layered backdrop of water, rock and vegetation.
The road also carries an explicit commemorative role, recognised in national listings. It appears on Australia’s National Heritage List as a place that combines engineering, landscape and remembrance of war service.The listing identifies it as an Australian National Heritage place built as a memorial to casualties of the First World War. At some points along the route, memorial arches and plaques mark this history and frame the carriageway as a long roadside monument as well as a scenic drive.
Visiting Great Ocean Road: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Great Ocean Road begins at Torquay on the south-west coast of Victoria in south-eastern Australia and runs towards Allansford near Warrnambool along the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean shoreline.
- The carriageway has many bends and undulating sections, with cuttings, embankments and cliff edges; stopping places range from paved lookouts to coastal paths that include steps and uneven surfaces.
- Torquay lies south-west of Melbourne in the state of Victoria and is recognised in regional tourism material as the official starting point of Great Ocean Road, with signed highway connections from the city.
- The official language is English and the currency is the Australian dollar. Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Great Ocean Road on social platforms
These links open searches for Great Ocean Road on each platform.Frequently asked questions about Great Ocean Road
Where is Great Ocean Road?
Great Ocean Road is a coastal highway in the Australian state of Victoria, running between Torquay and Allansford along the south-west coast.
What should visitors expect on a drive along Great Ocean Road?
Visitors encounter a winding sealed road with sea views, beach access points, forested hillsides and signed lookouts that reveal cliffs, rock formations and open ocean.
What makes Great Ocean Road distinctive compared with other scenic routes?
Great Ocean Road combines a twentieth-century memorial to First World War servicemen with an extended coastal drive where the engineered road and the Southern Ocean landscape are experienced together.
