Work on the Great Ocean Road began in 1918, over 3,000 ex-servicemen were employed with picks, shovels & crow-bars, and were later joined by the jobless of the Great Depression.
The returned Diggers named vantage points and various landforms as reminders of World War One (Artillery Rocks, Mt Defiance, Shrapnell Gully & Cinema Point).At first it was just a track cut into the sides of hills and cliffs with steep gradients, narrow roadways, hairpin bends and treacherous corners to be negotiated.
The Great Ocean Road was officially opened by the Governor Sir William Irvine on 26th November 1932. Between 1932 and 1936 it was a toll road, as in this photo of the first gate at the eastern end.
Massive engineering difficulties had to be overcome, as for the most part the route is sandstones with interbedded mudstone, which have brought about landslides which have plagued the Great Ocean Road for decades. Unstable rock extends above the road and led to closures for 6 months in 1971 isolating several towns and settlements.
To stablise the slides the rock faces were to be tied back with cable anchors. Drilling rigs were suspended over the steep rock faces and holes drilled into the stable rock below. Thick metal cables were threaded into the bore holes, anchored and capped on the surface, exerting a force of 7,700 tonnes and locking the entire rock slide.
Information & photos from "Explore the Great Ocean Road".
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