Services Oppertunities Services and and Oppertunities Accessibility Luckily for us, there was an abundance of cars to go around and no one had to take public transport to the campsite. Had we all been international students here for only a few years, without a car and without an extensive knowledge of the area, things would not have been as easy. The only other option we had would have been public transport. Bus from Southern Cross to Geelong followed by train to Apollo Bay. (Both subject to availability and with limited timeframes).
The lack of existing transportation gives way to a variety of possible methods of getting to and along the Great Ocean Road. These methods could be both drastic and passive and could include the following. - An online ‘hitch-hiking’ service where people can arrange lifts with one another and car pool. - A bicycle only lane along the road (logistically challenging due to the road conditions and problems it is currently facing. - Additional or more frequent transport methods.
Localised Produce Whilst exploring Apollo Bay and it’s surroundings, I was shown a leaflet advertising Otway Prime. A local beef and mutton producer specialising in quality freerange meat. To my surprise the local butcher not only didn’t carry the meat, but was rather clueless as to what I was talking about. It was a similar story with much of the local fruit and veg (blueberries and potatoes being the exception), as well as milk. The only local produce readily available was fish from the local pier and that still wasn’t available at the IGA.
There are several reasons both logical and personal for chosing certain brands or types of produce to import and sell. The local meat is advertised as better quality and could possibly be sold for far more outside the area then if it was sold locally. The local council (depending on their power in the area) could try promote and localise the produce, making the town not only self sustainable, but free of unwanted waste that comes with the packaging of meat and veg during transportation.
When exploring the area, the one thing that was not immediately apparent was recycling and waste management. With an isolated town such as Apollo Bay, waste management should be a high priority, and waste avoidance should be even higher. The bins scattered around town advertisted themselves as being for ‘recyclables only’ yet the corresponding waste bins weren’t always right by. For an outsider, this can often be mistaken as a general bin for all types of waste.
Waste Disposal
With this in mind, towns all along the Great Ocean Road should follow strict and obvious methods of recycling and waste management. There should be signs and waste should be properly disposed of. Education for locals as well as tourists should take place. Recycling isn’t difficult.
Oscar Langley S3231372