Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian towns of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial. Winding through varying terrain along the coast, and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction. The city of Geelong, close to Torquay, experiences great benefit from Australian and international visitors to the road, with Geelong Otway Tourism affirming it as an invaluable asset. In 2008, the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) listed the road as the state's top tourism experience in its Victoria 101 survey, based on places that members of the public would recommend to visitors. Route The Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay and runs westward to finish at Allansford, near Warrnambool. The road is two lanes (one in each direction), and has a speed limit which varies between 50 km/h and 100 km/h. A prime tourist attraction, much of the road hugs the coastline along what is known, east of the Otway Ranges, as the Surf Coast and, west of Cape Otway, as the Shipwreck Coast. It provides extensive views over Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean.