Lighthouses of Australia Inc

The Great Ocean Road: Scenic & Historic Views

by Neil J. Leed, Author of The Great Ocean Road: Scenic & Historic Views

LoA member Neil Leed has been producing books, travel guides, postcards and other souvenir products on the Great Ocean Road since 1992. As a former secondary school teacher with a background in history, it was only natural for him to also research and describe his favourite subject's past.

The Great Ocean Road: Scenic & Historic Views was first published in 1995, and has proved so popular it has now reached its fourth edition, which includes 22 new pages and a new cover.

While this book is a photographic showcase for the Great Ocean Road in general, the lighthouses, which are scattered along this famous coastal route, form an integral part of the story. From Point Lonsdale and the Fort Queenscliff lighthouses on its eastern end, it continues to Split Point, Cape Otway, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and the westernmost Cape Nelson near Portland, the lighthouses all feature in the book.

The Cape Otway Lighthouse was usually the first landfall on the Australian coast for overseas ships sailing to Melbourne.

The Point Lonsdale Lighthouse stands as an imposing sentinel to safeguard shipping across the treacherous 1,200 metre stretch of water known as "The Rip" between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean.

Anchors from the wrecks of the sailing ships Fiji (1891) and Marie Gabrielle (1869) can be seen at Moonlight Head.

Both contemporary and historical photographs are included, sometimes juxtaposed next to each other, like the two pictures of the Twelve Apostles, one of which is missing the stack that collapsed into the sea as recently as June 2005.

Neil is a fan of the Great Ocean Road and in his works he strives to promote it, together with its lighthouses. He is particularly fond of Cape Otway, which he regards as the very heart of the Great Ocean Road's maritime history.

Neil says: "Like all of us with an interest and commitment to the maritime history of the Great Ocean Road, I owe a great debt to the scholarly research and writings of Don Charlwood - a great gentleman and a great Australian."

The 60-page The Great Ocean Road: Scenic & Historic Views, as well as Neil's other books, can be ordered directly from the author. The purchase price, including postage, is $22.