The Andrews Labor Government is taking action to protect one of Victoria’s best loved tourist attractions, building a temporary wall to keep drivers safe on the Great Ocean Road this summer.
As many Victorians look forward to a holiday down the coast, work is underway on a temporary “container-wall” close to the cliff-face east of Cumberland River to prevent rock falls or landslips impacting the road.
The project will mean this section of road can be restored to two lanes ahead of Christmas, with more complex rock removal works planned at the site in the new year.
The structure will be 17 containers long and two containers high, with the containers lifted into place by a crane, before being anchored to the cliff with steel posts.
It will be the first time this innovative solution has been used on the Great Ocean Road.
Thanks to drone surveying carried out earlier in the year, Regional Roads Victoria’s (RRV) geotechnical team identified that specialist rock removal would be required at this site.
To keep everyone safe, concrete barriers and traffic management have been in place since September – with only one lane open.
The road will not be closed during installation of the containers, with works expected to take three days. Once complete, two lanes will be reopened to traffic under a 40km/h speed limit.
On top of this work, around 100 new “drive on left” signs and around 100 new and repainted directional arrows are also being rolled out along the Great Ocean Road to provide simple and constant reminders to drivers unfamiliar with travelling on the left side of the road.
Currently, there are about 160 arrows and about 200 “Drive on Left” signs along the road, as well as multilingual Variable Message Signs in operation at the Twelve Apostles and at various worksites where drivers need to be alerted to changed road conditions.
To find out more about works planned for the Great Ocean Road, visit .
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford
“This innovative solution will ensure the Great Ocean Road is safe, accessible and ready for summer.”
“This container-wall will be a strong and effective measure to protect drivers across the Christmas period.”
Quotes attributable to Chief Regional Roads Officer, Regional Roads Victoria Paul Northey
“We want everyone to be able to experience everything the Great Ocean Road has to offer – and most importantly to be safe while doing so.”
"Simple measures like installing more directional arrows and signage will help keep road users stay safe by reinforcing the “Drive on Left” message.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020