Surfcoast Highway (and its northern section within Geelong as Torquay Road, and its southern section as Surf Coast Highway)[2] is a semi-rural highway in Victoria, Australia, connecting the city of Geelong with the coastal town of Torquay. The highway runs through the Armstrong Creek Growth Area, which is the subject of extensive residential development; closer to Torquay, tourist attractions the Narana Creations indigenous centre, Surf Coast Plaza retail centre, and the Surfworld museum are located along the highway.[3][4]
Surfcoast Highway Torquay Road | |
|---|---|
  North end South end | |
| Coordinates | |
| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 17.8 km (11 mi)[1] |
| Route number(s) |  B100 (1996–present) |
| Former route number |  State Route 100 (1986–1996) |
| Tourist routes |  Tourist Drive 21 |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Torquay Road Belmont, Geelong |
| |
| South end | Great Ocean Road Torquay, Victoria |
| Highway system | |
Route
editTorquay Road starts at the intersection with Settlement Road in Belmont and runs south as a four-lane, dual-carriageway road through the southern Geelong suburb of Grovedale and crossing the Warrnambool railway line, continuing south until it reaches the intersection of Lower Duneed Road in Mount Duneed. It changes name to Surf Coast Highway and continues south, eventually running through central Torquay, before ending at the bridge over Spring Creek, where the road continues west as the Great Ocean Road.
History
editConstruction to duplicate the Surfcoast Highway, 13.2km total between Grovedale and Torquay, commenced in November 1990, to aid higher traffic levels due to tourism and holidays and the growth of Torquay and neighbouring Jan Juc. Work was completed and opened in June 1993, for a total cost of $13.3 million.[5] A link between Surfcoast Highway and the Geelong Ring Road, named Baanip Boulevard, was completed in June 2015.[6]
Surfcoast Highway was signed as State Route 100 between Grovedale and Torquay in 1986; with Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, this was updated to route B100 in 1996.[7]
The passing of the Road Management Act 2004[8] granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: in 2004, VicRoads re-declared the road as Surfcoast Highway (Arterial #6190), beginning at Corio-Waurn Ponds Road (today Settlement Road) at Belmont and ending at Great Ocean Road in Torquay;[2] this declaration formally includes today's Torquay Road, but signposts along this section have kept its original name.
Major intersections
edit| LGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torquay Road – Belmont | |||||
 Settlement Road (A10 west, A10/Tourist Drive 21 east) – Colac, Geelong | |||||
 Pioneer Road (C133) – Highton | |||||
 Baanip Boulevard (B130) – Colac, Melbourne via  Geelong Ring Road (M1) | |||||
 Lower Duneed Road (C122 east) – Barwon Heads, Ocean GroveMount Duneed Road (west) – Mount Duneed | |||||
| Great Ocean Road (B100/Tourist Drive 21) | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Surfcoast Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ a b VicRoads. "VicRoads – Register of Public Roads (Part A) 2015" (PDF). Government of Victoria. p. 960. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "More residents sell to make way for Armstrong Creek reserve". Geelong Advertiser. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ Cornish, Richard (15 June 2013). "Six reasons to visit Torquay". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ "VicRoads Annual Report 1992-93". VicRoads. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 29 September 1993. p. 47.
- ^ "Geelong Ring Road". VicRoads. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ "VicRoads Annual Report 1996-97". VicRoads. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 27 August 1997. p. 24.
- ^ State Government of Victoria. "Road Management Act 2004" (PDF). Government of Victoria. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.