There is a lot of history down on the Surf Coast, as well as lots of caches and a big event later in the year. I learnt a few things about the Great Ocean Road today. Even though I have lived in Victoria all my life, I didn’t know these things, so I thought I would share them with you.
Did you know – History
- The Great Ocean Road was surveyed in 1918
- It was built from 1919 – 1932 (13 years!)
- It was built be returned soldiers from World War 1
- The Great Ocean Road is dedicated to soldiers killed during World War 1 and,
- the road is the world’s largest war memorial
- The original name as going to be South Coast Road
- Prior to the road being built, most of the towns could only be accessed by sea
Did you know – Numbers
- Running from Torquay just out side Warnambool, the road is 244km long
- 3000 men worked to construct the road
- progress was around 3km per month
- Built by a private company, the road cost £81,000
- Workers were paid 10 shillings and sixpence per day
- It was a toll road until 2 October 1936
- Tolls were two shillings for cars, and 10 shillings for wagons with more than two horses
