Australia The Great Ocean Road1

1. The Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road is a 243-kilometre stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. It is an important tourist attraction and was added to the National Heritage List in 2011.

2. Besides standard vehicular travel, a 45 kilometer section between Lorne and Apollo Bay is used for the annual Great Ocean Road Marathon, first started in 2005

3. At the conclusion of the First World War the Country Roads Board chairman William Calder proposed a to employ returned soldiers on a number of road-building projects. Among his ideas was a road along the south-eastern coast

4. Geelong mayor, Cr Howard Hitchcock saw Calder's plan as a way of attracting thousands of visitors to Geelong and the coast, and as a means of constructing a permanent memorial to Victorian soldiers killed in the war.

5. Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia after Sydney (approximate population of four million). The proposal to employ returned soldiers was initially unpopular with some who considered it an inappropriate "punishment" to put soldiers to work on such an arduous project

6. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world's largest war memorial dedicated to casualties of World War I

7. During the 13 year construction period, nearly 3000 returned soldiers labored on the Great Ocean Road

8. Bush camps were established near the construction areas, with the workforce at times numbering in the dozens and at times in the hundreds. The difficult and dangerous nature of the work led to a high level of turnover and a small number of deaths

9. On Friday October 2, 1936, the Great Ocean Road was gifted to the State Government by the Great Ocean Road trust. The deeds of the road were presented to the Victorian Premier, at a ceremony at the Cathedral Rock toll gate

10. Four memorial arches have to date stood over the Great Ocean Road

13. The second Great Ocean Road arch built as a tribute to the soldiers from the First World War who were engaged in the construction of the Great Ocean Road provides a useful photographic opportunity for travelers along the road

15. It was suggested that using prisoners would be more appropriate, but proponents insisted the fresh coastal air and camp life with opportunities for swimming, fishing and shooting would help restore those jaded by war

16. Eastern View is one of the many travel destinations  which lie along the coastal road known as the Great Ocean Road

21. Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route

23. The Port Campbell National Park is home to some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the world, located towards the western end of the Great Ocean Road. Stretching some 32 kilometers long, and adjacent to some of the richest dairying country in the world, it contains a wide range of towering rock formations

25. The Twelve Apostles draw tens of thousands of visitors every year. Close to the Great Ocean Road, these lonely rocky stacks were formed some 20 million years ago, created as the sea gradually eroded the soft limestone cliffs between Port Campbell and Princetown

26. Timber boardwalks run around the cliff tops, providing viewing platforms and seats

32. Internet image

33. Melbourne Pictures and presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu https://www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda https://ma-planete.com/michaelasanda 2011 Sound: Australian national war memorial song. Heroes anthem Somewhere over the rainbow - Iz Kamakawiwo