With the end of the First World War, many soldiers found themselves lucky and survived the war. Some managed to adapt to the changing environment whereas others found themselves in unpleasant situations of unemployment. To ensure the employment of the returned soldiers, the chairman of the country’s roads board, William Calder proposed the construction of the road connecting the hitherto isolated settlements on the southwest coast of Australia.
In 1918, they started examining the layout of the South Coast Road. They designed a route that began from the town of Barwon Heads, engulfed the coast west around the Cape Otway, and ended near Warrnambool. The Great Ocean Road Trust was formed which was headed by the president of the country to undertake the project.
The construction of the road commenced on September 19, 1919. Around 3,000 Australian soldiers who fought in the First World War participated in the construction work. The road was built by hand using explosives, shovels, picks, and wheelbarrows. Very little machinery was used. Within a month, the road advanced to 3 kilometers through the desert. The rugged coastal mountains, the final part of the mountain, was a tedious and dangerous task.
Like a military mission, the soldiers undertook the job. By 1922, the first section was completed and was opened in December. It took more than ten years to complete the 243 kilometers road between the towns of Torquay and Allansford which was opened in November 1932.
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