If I had to make a bucket list, driving this highway would be on that list. The Great Ocean Road is actually route B100. It hugs the shoreline from the city of Torquay (pronounced tor-key) to Warnnambool which is the largest city on the road. It's a tourist attraction, for sure, but that doesn't negate the fact that the road has historical significance. It was built by soldiers who returned home after fighting the first world war and then dedicated to those who died during that war.
The area benefits greatly from the attraction this route has. The beauty of the ocean and the land meeting is unmatched. Victoria, or perhaps the federal government, has ensured that the view of the sea isn't blocked by buildings and development. Well, other than this one lighthouse that towered above everything.
The Split Point Lighthouse was built in 1891 to warn ships passing through the treacherous Bass Straight of land. It operated using a gas light and needed two people to operate up until the 1900s when the gas was replaced with electric light. Further improvements now utilize a high output light that pulses several times every few seconds. The Fresnel lens made in Britain is still used, however the factory that made the lens was bombed by those pesky Germans, so if a replacement is ever needed, the Victoria government will need to shop elsewhere. (They'll probably have to buy one from China nowadays.) The lighthouse is now unmanned. I guess lighthouse keepers are the victim of yet another technology taking their jobs, so I guess this isn't a uniquely 21st century concern.
I love taking photos. Pictures do a brilliant job of capturing the moment was we see it. But, at the same time they always leave me disappointed when I look at the image I've just taken on my phone.
(And I have an excellent camera phone, too!)
REally though, pictures are great. They allow us to relive an experience by activating neuronal pathways in our brain. These pathways connect through other sensory input means such as smell, sight, and touch. So when we look at a photo we can relive the feel of the wind on our faces while we took that photo. We can experience the smell of the salty air and breathe in again and feel the humidity as it warms our nostrils. And we can look at a photograph that we took and hear the cacophony of a hundred waves pounding the shore. But when we show that same photo to a colleague at work while explaining just how incredible or life changing the journey was, the photograph simply doesn't evoke those same senses. I think that is why traveling and experiencing new things is so important. Having that empirical knowledge by far beats looking at photos on Google Earth.
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