Torquay statue to mark ocean road’s start

Alex de Vos
A statue will officially mark the start of the Great Ocean Road at Torquay.
Surf Coast Shire tourism coordinator Simon Loone said the monument would also commemorate the 2900 men and women who built the road after World War One.
Mr Loone said the shire had yet to choose a design or set a date to erect the statue.
However, the shire would soon install a $7000 plaque as a precursor mark for the start of the Great Ocean Road.
The shire had prepared draft text for the plaque and expected manufacture to take about six weeks, Mr Loone said.
Surf Coast Shire mayor Dean Webster, who in 2005 kick-started the campaign for a structure to announce the start of the ocean road, said the plaque and monument plan was ideal.
“We need a gateway statement that respects the area and represents the road,” Cr Webster said.
“I’d personally like to see a complementary statue figure.”
Geelong Otway Tourism boss Roger Grant backed the project.
“There’s a lot of logic behind it,” Mr Grant said.
“I think a sculpture or something that reflects Torquay is a great idea.”
In 2005 the Independent revealed Barwon Heads was seeking recognition as the official start of the road while Queenscliff wanted to promote itself as the “entry point” to the internationally renowned coastal route.
However, authorities gave the nod to Torquay as the official starting point, noting the eastern side of Torquay’s Spring Creek bridge was gazetted in 1936 as the beginning of the road.
Torquay Golf Club has the address 1 Great Ocean Road.
However, Mr Grant said a new project would promote Barwon Heads as a link to the road.
Mr Grant said a public artwork in Barwon Heads would commemorate former Geelong mayor Howard Hitchcock, who was a driving force behind development of the Great Ocean Road.