Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch - VIC

The Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch was built in honour of the 3,000 returned soldiers who worked on the road and its creation after World War I. The project commenced in1919 and the 243 kilometres stretch of road was completed in 1932. A sculpture of two returned soldiers working on the Great Ocean Road was commissioned to commemorate the road’s 75th anniversary. It is mounted at the side of the arch. It is in part a memorial to those who lost their lives while working on the project. The road itself was built as a memorial for all those who lost their lives in the war. It is the longest war memorial in the world and extends from the town of Torquay to Allenstown.The Memorial Arch is made out of wood, with the sides being made out of stone and concrete for support. The first arch that was erected in 1939 and weighed in at 50 tonnes. It has been replaced on a number of occasions due to events like bush fires and road accidents that damaged the structure that was there at the time.The parking area at the arch is a popular stopping point for those wishing to photograph the structure and to stand in remembrance of the men who not only survived World War One but laboured on this huge manual task, completed long before the advent of modern road machinery and construction methods.