Editing Great Ocean Road (section)

===Completion and early use===
[[File:Hitchcock GOR.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Howard Hitchcock|Hitchcock]] Memorial at Mount Defiance]]
[[File:Great ocean road toll tickets.jpg|thumb|Tickets for the toll fee, circa 1930]]

On 18 March 1922, the section from Eastern View to [[Lorne, Victoria|Lorne]] was officially opened, with celebrations. However, it was then closed from 10 May 1922 for further work, opening again on 21 December, along with tolls to help recoup construction costs. The charge, payable at the Eastern View toll gate, was two [[shillings]] for motor cars, and 10 shillings for wagons with more than two horses.<ref name="75anniversary" />

In November 1932, the section from Lorne to [[Apollo Bay]] was finished, bringing the road to completion. It was officially opened by Victoria's Lieutenant-Governor [[Sir William Irvine]], during a ceremony near the Grand Pacific Hotel at [[Lorne, Victoria|Lorne]], and the road has subsequently been acknowledged as the world's largest war memorial.<ref name="geelong">{{cite web |url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/06/09/180781_opinion.html |last=Grant |first=Roger |title=Extra Tiger flights make Geelong a must-see |date=9 June 2010 |access-date=9 June 2010 |work=geelongadvertiser.com.au}}</ref> At the time, ''The Age'' commented, "In the face of almost insurmountable odds, the Great Ocean Road has materialised from a dream or 'wild-cat scheme', as many dubbed it, into concrete reality".<ref name="75anniversary">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/great-anniversary-at-75/2007/04/09/1175971018222.html |title=Road's still great, 75 years on |last=Rood |first=David |date=10 April 2007 |access-date=26 June 2010 |work=The Age}}</ref> Although Hitchcock had died of heart disease on 22 August 1932, before the road was completed, his car was driven behind the governor's in the procession along the road during the opening ceremony.<ref name="hitchcock" /> A memorial in his name was constructed on the road at Mount Defiance, near Lorne, and he is generally considered to be the Father of the Road.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hard-road-to-honouring-diggers/story-e6frg6nf-1111113340576 |title=Hard road to honouring Diggers |last=Davis |first=Michael |date=14 April 2007 |newspaper=The Australian |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501164049/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hard-road-to-honouring-diggers/story-e6frg6nf-1111113340576 |archive-date=1 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

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In its original state, the road was considered a formidable drive, comfortably accommodating only a single vehicle at a time. Areas with sheer cliffs were the most hazardous, with only few places where drivers could pull over to allow others to proceed in the opposite direction. For £5, any "public-spirited citizen" could request that a crossover be cut into the road.<ref name="50years" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31575432/double_lines_needed_on_ocean_road/ |title=Double Lines Needed on Ocean Road |date=10 June 1961 |via=Newspapers.com |work=The Age |access-date=21 June 2019}}{{Free access}}</ref> On 2 October 1936, the road was handed to the State Government, with the deed for the road being presented to the Victorian Premier at a ceremony at the Cathedral Rock toll gate. Tolls were removed at that time.<ref name="75anniversary" />

In 1939, following the death of the chairman of the [[Country Roads Board]], W.T.B. McCormick, who was also honorary engineer for the Great Ocean Road Trust, it was decided to build a memorial arch in his honour, across the road at Eastern View.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1939-06-06 |title=Memorial Arch at Eastern View |page=14 |work=The Age (Melbourne) |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205636596 |access-date=2020-05-03 |via=Trove}}</ref> The arch was opened 4 November 1939, and was built of timber logs on a stone base, with a tablet memorial to Mr McCormick on one side, and another to the returned servicemen on the other.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1939-11-04 |title=Ocean Road Pioneer |page=36 |work=The Age (Melbourne)|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205585876|access-date=2020-05-03 |via=Trove}}</ref> The arch was rebuilt in 1973, and again in 1983, after being destroyed in the [[Ash Wednesday bushfires]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch |url=https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/31148-great-ocean-road-memorial-arch |website=monumentaustralia.org.au |access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>

In 1962, the Tourist Development Authority deemed the road to be "one of the world's great scenic roads".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=Xl8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jJYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4214,2226082&dq=great+ocean+road&hl=en|title=Great Ocean Road in World Class|newspaper=The Age|date=15 August 1962|page=4|access-date=25 June 2010}}</ref> Despite improvements, the road was still considered a challenging drive, and the [[Victorian Police]] motor school was using it for training around 1966.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=J6EpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5301,6321932&dq=great+ocean+road&hl=en|title=Tighter averages on poor roads in tough run|access-date=29 June 2010|date=4 December 1966|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>

Over its life, the Great Ocean Road has been susceptible to natural elements. In 1960, the section at [[Princetown, Victoria|Princetown]] was partially washed away by water during storms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=RxETAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tqkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6794,3596374&dq=great+ocean+road&hl=en|title=Washaways|newspaper=The Age|access-date=29 June 2010|date=23 April 1960}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> There were landslides on 11 August 1964,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=Tx0TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=15YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4686,2044336&dq=gret+ocean+road&hl=en|date=12 August 1964|access-date=25 June 2010|work=The Age|title=Landslide Closes Great Ocean Road}}</ref> and 1971, both closing sections of the road near Lorne.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=VpAQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r5ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5915,1903737&dq=great+ocean+road&hl=en |title=Ocean Road open – but watch out |newspaper=The Age |access-date=29 June 2010 |date=9 December 1971}}</ref> Because of the terrain surrounding the road, it was also closed due to [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfires]] in 1962<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31575595/fire_survey_finds_another_200_homes/|title=Fire Survey Finds Another 200 Homes were Lost |date=20 January 1962 |via=Newspapers.com |work=The Age |access-date=21 June 2019}}{{Free access}}</ref> and 1964, particularly in areas with nearby campsites.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=TKIQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6068,800843&dq=great+ocean+road&hl=en |title=Great Ocean Road Closed |date=8 January 1964 |access-date=29 June 2010 |newspaper=The Age}}</ref> In January 2011, a section of a cutting collapsed due to heavy rain.

In 2011, the road was added to the [[Australian National Heritage List]].<ref name=ANHL>{{cite news|last=Johnston|first=Matt|title=Great Ocean Road added to Australia's national heritage lis|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/great-ocean-road-added-to-australias-national-heritage-list/story-fn7x8me2-1226035330649|access-date=7 April 2011|newspaper=Herald Sun|date=7 April 2011}}</ref>