Cycling The Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road on the coast of Victoria is one of the top ten scenic routes in the world, It’s coastline, runs to 150 miles and is home to forest and spectacular limestone cliffs, Starting at the Arches War Memorial, you can cycle 60 miles to Cape Otway taking in Wreck Beach, the site of a famous colonial shipwreck and the world famous Twelve Apostles.
The arch memorial commemorates the building of the road as a memorial to those who served in the First World War.
From 1919, a total of three thousand ex servicemen worked with pick and shovel, using stone and natural materials from the area.
The idea was to link up the seaside settlements, and build one of the most beautiful ocean roads in the world.
The Cape Otway lighthouse built in 1848, is there oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia.Its also significant because of the number of ships wrecked along this coast.
Known as Bass Strait, tje body of water here was very treacherous, and ships had to come close to land, through the western strait, This stretch of coastline became known as the Shipwreck Coast, after more than 600 ships and 1000 lives were lost at sea. On board the Cataraqui, 400 souls perished in 1845..They we’re English immigrants on a journey that had taken three months.
The hike across the beach should only be attempted at low tide, otherwise there are large swells, which crash over the rocks.
At a place called.Wreck Beach there is a wreck of the Fiji. which had come from Hamburg in 1891 with a cargo of 400 pianos, and children’s toys for Christmas.All but 11 people managed to get off the ship.
Nearby s the Great Ocean Road’s most famous site. The Twelve Apostles are actually tonly eight in number and thave been eroding at two cm a year, and twere re-christened for tourist reasons. They provide one of the most memorable images of the Great Ocean Road.
As one of the Great Ocean Road’s iconic tourist spots, the Twelve Apostles is very crowded, attracting over 2 million visitors every year.
This entire coastline gives one great respect for the courage of Australia’s early settlers and the awesome power of nature.
Destination : Australia
