Great Ocean Road’s builders sought for documentary

January 2, 2019 BY James Taylor

Construction of the Great Ocean Road began in 2019, and was done with picks and shovels in the early stages.

THIS year marks 100 years since construction began on the iconic Great Ocean Road, and a documentary is being produced to tell the story of the road and celebrate the milestone.

The film, which is being supported by state government funding, will show how the road came to be – detailing its construction by World War I returned servicemen and how they lived as they built the road, joining the isolated towns lining the western Victorian coastline.

The documentary will be launched in September 2019 as part of a month-long event, which will include gala screenings and several pop-up cinemas housed in shipping containers across the region, showing short films specific to each location.

Production company Clothesline Content has been commissioned to produce the documentary and are presently in the research stage of the project.

Clothesline Content is on the hunt for any stories relating to the building of the Great Ocean Road.

The producers are interested in speaking with relatives of the soldiers, engineers and labourers that built the road, families that have lived on the Great Ocean Road for a significant amount of time, Indigenous stories from the road, and stories about living on the Great Ocean Road.

If you have a story that you think fits the bill, email [email protected] by February 28.

This project is supported by the state government’s Victoria Remembers Major Grant Program.

“The veteran community has done so much to make Victoria what it is today and these grants will help maintain their stories for future generations,” Minister for Veterans Robin Scott said.