May Squares #28 The Grotto

Postcards from The Great Ocean Road ~ Joining Becky for May Squares, featuring scenes along Victoria’s  iconic Great Ocean Road.

#SquaresRenew ~ moving forward, reconstructing, renewing or burgeoning

The heritage listed Great Ocean Road follows the coast of south-eastern Victoria from Torquay to Allansford for 241 kilometres, past beautiful sandy beaches and bays, through lush rainforests and over rugged limestone cliffs. Built by soldiers returned from World War One between 1919 and 1932, and dedicated to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, the road is the world’s largest war memorial. Construction of the road provided employment for more than 3,000 returned servicemen, giving them purpose and providing much needed rehabilitation after the horrors of war. The Great Ocean Road linked towns along the coast previously only accessed by sea or tracks through the bush and created a route now acknowledged as one of the most scenic tourist drives in the world. 

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The Grotto, Port Campbell National Park

From above, the Grotto looks no different from the rest of the rugged and constantly changing landscape along the coast, and the weatherworn sign isn’t encouraging. 

But halfway down the twisting staircase into the small gorge, there are glimpses of something intriguing. 

It’s only when you reach the floor of the small gorge and turn to face the ocean that the true beauty of the Grotto is revealed.