Articles on this page with permission from GREG WANE, are taken from the Barwon Heads,Ocean Grove, and Wallington news .

Issn 13290371  Published by Whistler Publishing PO. Box 358, Ocean Grove Editor Greg Wayne

Barwon Avenue becomes Hitchcock

BARWON Avenue, Barwon Heads? Until 1924, the central business street in town was called Barwon Avenue. But the street was renamed Hitchcock Avenue in honour of Howard Hitchcock CMG, OBE.

A former Mayor of Geelong and son of the founder of Geelong department store Bright and Hitchcocks Pty. Ltd. Mr Hitchcock also spent his weekends and holidays at Barwon Heads. But his greatest legacy was his vision to build a road that skirted the coast from Barwon Heads to Warrnambool. He founded the Great Ocean Road Trust in 1918 and it was his determination and advocacy that ensured its success.

The Great Ocean Road officially begins at the Barwon Heads bridge, but a section between 13th Beach Road and Torquay was never completed, Gazetted as the 'Ocean Road' in 1936 and proclaimed a Tourist Road, it was re-gazetted in February 1972 as the 'Great Ocean Road'. Howard Hitchcock died in August 1932, three months before the official opening drive of the Ocean Road to Wye River

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