Page 12 - Exhaust Notes November

November 2022 Exhaust Notes - Edition No 319 

The Geelong mob on their Wednesday
ride, which visited the famous Great
Ocean Road arch at Fairhaven, north east
of Lorne.

101 Years of the Great Ocean Road and 25

Years of the Ulysses Club Geelong Branch
By Peter Barclay

Who has ridden our “great” Great Ocean Road? Whose bucket list contains a ride along the Great Ocean Road?
The year 2020 marks two anniversaries for motorcyclists in the Geelong area. It’s 101 years since the first sod was turned
on the construction of our great road, and it’s 25 years since the first meeting of the Geelong Ulysses Riding Group (Now
the Ulysses Geelong Branch).

The proposal for a road that followed the coast from the Geelong region down through Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo
Bay, around Cape Otway, through Port Campbell and along to Warrnambool, was proposed late in the First World War.
In March 1918, 500 people attended a meeting in Colac and the Great Ocean Road Trust was formed. Some members
of the councils involved made the statement that “They had no money to waste on tourists” (Bold statement!). The Trust
was a private company formed to build the road and was led by Cr. Howard Hitchcock, the Geelong Mayor. Howard
Hitchcock was labelled the Father of the Great Ocean Road, but sadly, he passed away before the road’s completion. He is
honoured on the Mount Defiance memorial wall just south of Lorne. There is a parking area just big enough for a couple
of cars, but you can get a lot more bikes in there. Trust me, I`ve parked there with many other bikes. At the right time of
the year, you may even spot a whale or two out from the coast.
The Great Ocean Road was a toll road for many years until the loans were repaid (Car and driver 2/6d and
each passenger 1/6d), with the first Arch/gate being one of the original toll booths and was located near the Cathedral
Rock area. Over the years there have been four arches, at Fairhaven, with the existing one being constructed after the

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