Day 1. Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch

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1 Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch The Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch was erected to commemorate the servicemen who lost their lives during WWI and to thank the ones who returned to make the road. The Road has subsequently been acknowledged as the worlds largest war memorial. There have been in total four arches spanning their way over the Great Ocean Road. The first was a toll gate arch which was demolished in 1936 when toll were abandoned. The second arch, weighing fifty tonnes was built in 1939, however the Country Roads Board Redevelopment commenced in mid 2013 wanted it taken down as it was deemed a traffic hazard as it was too narrow. As this debate went on, a truck crashed into the arch and knocked it down, putting an end to the debate. The third arch, very similar to what you see today, was built soon after and lasted up until the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires in The fourth was built soon after the fires and in 2001 an interpretation and information board was added to the area, explaining the story of the road, along with photographs of the returned servicemen at work and of the well organised campsites that would move along the road during construction. TIP: As you approach the Arch, you will see a beach access to the left. Head through for great vistas of Fairhaven beach Access to Fairhaven Beach The Pole House at Fairhaven beach is the most photographed house on the Great Ocean Road. It is suspended 40 metres above Fairhaven beach and is one of Australia s most iconic homes. The house was built by architect and engineer Frank Dixon, completed in 1978 gives an on water feel. The tiny 8x8 metre house was bought by Mr and Ms Adams in 2005 for $1.75m and from 2013 (time of printing) will demolish the house, stating that the original had drawbacks as none of the windows would open and people sitting at the fireplace had their backs to the views. The new house will feature retractable floor to ceiling windows, a perimeter walkway and a floating fireplace in the living area. 10

2 Bullseye GPS: Mountjoy Parade, Lorne(gor1e) Destination: Lorne Distance: 12.8km, 14min Instruction Town Drive For From carpark turn Left onto Great Ocean 1. Road (B100) 12.8km 2. Arrive at Mountjoy Pde, Lorne town centre LUNCH: Head to the centre of Lorne for a well earned lunch break. Feel free to choose from one of the many cafes, restaurants and bakeries. Lorne The Beautiful seaside town of Lorne is nestled between the shores of Louttit Bay and the Otway Forest. Lorne has plenty going for it, from its Mediterranean like weather, stunning two kilometre sheltered beach, rainforests, waterfalls, café culture, restaurants and galleries, Lorne has been attracting visitors for over a century. In the 1800 s, Lorne was declared a place of natural significance and beauty by the Victorian government, and since the opening of the Great Ocean Road, it has now become easily accessible and is now one of the most popular holiday destinations along the Victorian coast. The permanent population of 1000 increases to over 10,000 during the summer holidays. Popular events include the Falls Festival. Starting in 1993 as a modest one day music and art festival, has grown now to a three day festival attracting both international and local bands entertaining the thousands of NYE revellers. Headline acts have included Franz Ferdinand, Kings of Leon, Groove Armada, The Temper Trap, Silverchair, Powderfinger etc The Pier to Pub Swim is another popular annual event which started in the 1970 s when two of the Lorne Surf Lifesaving Club members dared each other to swim the 1.2km from the pier at the end of Louttit bay, swim and body surf their way to the foreshore, before retiring to the pub for a beer. With each passing year the event has grown into what it is now, the worlds largest open water swim. It entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 with 3,071 participants. In ,500 people took part in the event which raises money for the surf lifesaving club and other services in the area. The average time for the swim is 22 minutes, however the record in 10min 30sec. The weekend attracts over 20,000 visitors for the event. A little busy, one might say. 11

3 GPS: Erskine Falls Access Rd, Lorne (gor1f) Destination: Erskine Falls Distance: 10km, 14min Instruction Town Drive For 1. From Town Centre, turn Right onto William St at Sandridge Motel Lorne 600m 2. Continue straight onto Erskine Falls Rd 7.9km 3. Turn Right onto Erskine Falls Access Rd 1.4km 4. Arrive at Erskine Falls carpark at end of road Right to Erskine Falls TIP: An easy five minute walk from the carpark takes you to the upper falls lookout, while the base of the falls are some 250 steps down a walking track which can be steep in some places Steps to base of waterfalls Erskine Falls One of the best ways to get to the heart of the regions stunning beauty is to head in to the heart of the range and go for a walk. Erskine Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in the Otway Ranges. The waterfalls are thirty metres in height and the water cascades into the tree fern gully and flows out of the Otway Ranges into Sluggy Island and Louttit Bay. 12

4 GPS: 85 George St, Lorne (gor1g) Destination: Teddy s Lookout Distance: 11km, 17min Instruction Town Drive For 1. Exit carpark straight onto Ersking Falls Access Rd 1.4km 2. Turn Left onto Erskine Falls Rd 7.9km 3. Turn Right onto Gay St Lorne 250m 4. Straight at roundabout onto George St Lorne 1.5km 5. Arrive at Teddy's Lookout carpark at end of George St Teddy s Lookout Follow sign to lookout Teddy s Lookout was named after a local ranger who would often head there to locate stray cattle. It offers spectacular views of the coastline and the Great Ocean Road. 13

5 GPS: Apollo Bay (gor1h) Destination: Mount Defiance Lookout Distance: 10.8km, 14min Instruction Town Drive For 1. Exit carpark straight onto George St Lorne 1.3km 2. Turn Right onto Bay St Lorne 450m 3. At roundabout turn Right onto Great Ocean Road Lorne 9.1km 4. Arrive at Mount Defiance roadside carpark on your Left TIP: The Mount Defiance carpark only has parking for approx. 4 vehicles. There are 2 carparks a few hundred metres before the lookout. If you look ahead as you approach Mount defiance and see that the carpark is full, take one of these earlier spots. Mount Defiance Map leaving Lorne, From Teddy s Lookout In November 1932 the section from Lorne to Apollo Bay was officially opened with celebrations at the Grand Hotel in Lorne. It was at this time that the road was acknowledged as the worlds largest war memorial. Mr Hitchcock, who was Geelong s Major and the driving force behind the Great Ocean Road Trust and committee, died three months before the road was completed of heart disease and consequently never saw the completion of the project. A memorial was constructed in his name at Mount Defiance. He is still affectionately known as the Father of the Road. Left into tight carpark 14

6 You ve got two chances, Buckley s and none! William Buckley William Buckley, aged 23, was a convict transported to Australia in early October He was a prisoner in the short lived convict settlement near Sorrento where he was a model prisoner and was treated well as a result, however he still wanted to escape the compound. Buckley and three others hatched a plan to escape the compound and having a vague idea that Sydney was somewhere north, he would then be lost amongst the population and could start a new life. On December 27, 1803 Buckley and his companions escaped the settlement. One of his companions were shot, but the others managed to escape into the thick bush. They weren t chased as their chances of surviving the bush were considered slim and gave rise to the expression Buckley's chance! They wandered around starving and exhausted for several days. After seeing white sails of a ship, they realised that instead of being on the track to Sydney, the completely rounded the bay. It was at this stage that his companions starving and exhausted started to get the attention of the ship, however Buckley, without provisions or weapons, only a fire stick, decided to stay. Buckley sheltered in a number of spots along the coast, one of them was here at Mount Defiance, where he found a cave and fresh water. He stayed here for a number of months living of shellfish, pigface and a kind of black and white currant. However facing loneliness and the onset of winter, Buckley decided to give himself up. On his return journey he was rescued by the Wathaurong people and nursed back to health. Buckley lived and travelled and learnt from the local indigenous people for the next 32 years. In July 1935 a very tall man dressed in animal skins and carrying spears and other hunting and war implements appeared at John Batman s camp at Indented Head, and the Wild White Man reentered the European world. It had been so long since he had mixed with his countrymen that he forgotten his mother tongue. Buckley s new knowledge of the countryside and its people made him extremely valuable and was pardoned by Governor Arthur in 1835 on the proviso that he worked as a guide and interpreter. 15