The Memorial Arch is a very quick tourist stop for tour guides because of the large number of vehicles that pass through a small parking area, 10 minutes is usually enough for tourists to get a quick snap and hop back on the bus. There is no toilet facilities at the Memorial Arch which is another reason tour drivers like to keep this stop short, access to the beach is possible for tourists wanting a quick chance to walk on the beach and see the waves first hand.

On March 22nd, 1918 at a town meeting in Colac the Great Ocean Road Trust was formed to build the world’s most magnificent ocean road to rival all others e.g. Pacific Highway (California) as a memory to all the fallen Victorian soldiers in the First World War. The proposed road was to stretch the distance of 100 miles and the budget was set at 150,000 pounds in today’s currency about half a million dollars despite the townspeople protesting about the high cost. The labourers of the Great Ocean Road were made up of about 3000 returned Victorian soldiers with upto hundreds working in gangs at a time, the camps constructed along the road to accommodate the soldiers were simple but workers enjoyed a balanced lifestyle of swimming, hunting and fishing. The first grand opening happened in 1922 but the road was soon after closed again for more improvements. In 1924 a ship became stuck near Cape Patton on a reef, to become more buoyant some of the cargo had to be dumped into the sea. Hundreds of barrels of wine and spirits were washed up on shore and the workers manged to collect the booty, a two week holiday was enjoyed by all the workers, noone complained as the workers were not compensated highly for their endeavours on the Great Ocean road.

8 years later in 1932 the second official opening of The Great Ocean Road took place boasting complete access from Geelong to Warnambool. The road stretches for 243 kilometres and is broken up into 3 sections. The Surf Coast begins at Torquay and finished at Apollo Bay. The Green Coast begins at Apollo Bay and winds through the mountains to the Port Campbell National Park (12 Apostles). The final section is called the Shipwreck Coast and follows the dramatic limestone cliff faces of the Port Campbell National Park consisting of sites such as Gibson’s Steps and The London Bridge.

Bells Beach is the first stop for most of the day tours that depart from Melbourne City in the morning, you will see views of the Southern Ocean and opposite in the distance the land you can see is Portsea at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula. Bells Beach is famous for it’s surfing which can often be viewed from the platform at the Bell’s Beach car park. A leg of the World Championship Surfing Competition is held at Bells Beach annually at Easter time however if conditions are unfavourable the contest can be moved to nearby breaks. There are toilet facilities available however there is no shop or canteen for people who haven’t had breakfast so make sure you eat before you get on the bus in Melbourne.

Since 1939 surfers have made the voyage from Torquay to Bells but access was an issue until 1960 when local Torquay surfers with Olympic wrestler Joe Sweeney obtained a bulldozer and graded a new dirt road which connects from Cobb & Co Road. This has now become part of the Torquay to Anglesea walking track on The Great Ocean Walk.

The surf breaks are named “Southside”, “Centreside”, “Rincon”, “Upper Winki Pop”, “Lower Winki Pop”,  aka: Boobs and Steps. Although Bells is renowned internationally as one of the best reef breaks in Victoria, “Winki Pop” is often what surfers have to ride rather than the other nearby breaks. Waves at Bells Beach have been known to get as big as 6 metres, these conditions are rare however there is always a break worth surfing within 30 minutes drive of Bells Beach.

Enjoy classic waterfront café lunches with views of the bay, fantastic cultural mix of foods for dinner including Italian, Indian, Thai and of course Australian. A famous place to eat in Geelong that needs to be mentioned is Ripper Roasts, you may need to book but I can guarantee that if you like Roasted Lamb or Beef you will be very satisfied with the price and quality. For any young people interested in nightlife there is about 10-15 decent pubs/clubs which are super busy on Friday/Saturday nights.  Lamby’s is a cool 3 story bar that used to be a woolshed and is more suited to the slightly older crowd 24-30. A night out in Geelong is cheaper for tourists and an excellent option and there is even a train that can take you to events in Melbourne which runs frequently. The roads in Geelong are much simpler than in Melbourne making it easier for you if you are driving, things on the road tourists will want to be aware of in Melbourne are hook turns and freeways with toll roads, you can’t always trust your satellite navigator in Melbourne but you have no issues navigating in Geelong. Geelong also boasts a large commercial centre which extends down to the foreshore, offering visitors the chance to explore popular beach-front attractions such as Eastern Beach with its salt water swimming enclosure, Beautiful Gardens, Cinemas, dining options galore, and several walking or cycling trails for serious cyclists looking to do some short hill climbing should do the Queenscliff to Geelong highway route or families with children can follow the Bellarine Rail Trail and maybe even see Thomas the Tank Engine on your way!! Geelong is dotted with collections of bollards depicting historic settlement. Wonderful spaced out architecture that adds character but isn’t annoying because too much is going on, and the backdrop of Corio Bay is symbolic of what locals refer to as the “city by the bay”.

Locations of interest for tourists or visitors include the Old Geelong Gaol,  Kardinia Park, the Botanic Gardens at Eastern Park, and a number of other museums, galleries and historical buildings and the Barwon River although the obvious and main reason people like to visit and live in Geelong is the close proximity to some of Victoria’s best coastal towns.

The Barwon River meanders through Geelong and its surrounding suburbs, this river is accompanied by a number of attractive parks and is mostly undisturbed by humans, there is also a nearby waterfall at Buckley Falls in Fyansford. On its path to the sea, the river flows through the wetlands of Lake Connewarre before arriving at Bass Strait at the twin towns of Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove.