one My first immersion trip was with the class camping at Skenes Creek. In the group we had six cars which allowed greater mobility and access to places unreachable on foot. The avalibility of personal transport makes a difference on the type of holiday to be had. The places we visited (Apollo Bay, Cape Otway etc) were all very much mainstream tourist places which catered to both local and international tourists. The most interesting part of the trip, I found, was when we went off the beaten track because we didn’t want to pay the entry fee for the lighthouse and discovered a Great Ocean Walk campsite and a bit further on a small pioneer cemetery in the middle of bushland. Most of the people we spoke to were from Melbourne on a weekend trip, such as the man fishing off the wharf below. They generally come down for a “quiet and relaxing weekend” away from the rush of the city, and came down in a car. The amount of tourist buses passing through the town was also noted, where international tourists pay up to $100 to be driven to the 12 Apostles with a few short stops along the way. They do not interract with the local community and are shown a very limited amount of what the area has to offer.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Picked up from home
Drive to Apollo Bay
Pack up
Lunch in Torquay (fish and chips)
Breakfast in Apollo Bay
Drive to Melbourne
Skenes Creek Campground
Walk around town and wharf area
Set up campsite Drive to Apollo Bay
Fish co-op
Pub for dinner
Cape Otway Lighthouse walk through the bush around lighthouse
Campsite
Campsite
two For my second immersion trip down the Great Ocean Road, we opted for public transport the entire journey. We did not have any set plans of where we wanted to camp and decided to hop off the V-line bus at Eastern View because it was the bus stop furthest from a town. We then walked for 15 minutes and discovered a trail which led from the road down onto a secluded beach with a rivermouth and a small section of the Otway National Park. We set up the tent on a grassy area and had a camp fire on which we cooked on the beach. Rather than waiting four hours for a bus into Torquay we hitch hiked first to Aireys Inlet and to Torquay. We had been picked up within 5-10 minutes both times and found that people were more than willing to share a ride. One driver stopped to apologise that his car was too full of blue heeler and surfboards to fit us.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
This journey showed that the Great Ocean Road is still accessable and enjoyable without the use of a car and without spending much money. There were things that we couldnt do without a car, such as visiting certain tourist attractions, however we would not have found the beach or creek had we been in a car or on a tourist bus.
Route 1 Route 2
Car
Australia’s premier driving road. Provides access to most tourist points Rising cost of fuel
Motorcycle
Touring Individuals or small group camp or stay in towns day trips
Public Transport Train from Southern Cross Station to Geelong V-Line bus from Geelong station Stops in most towns Two-three buses a day Three hours to Apollo Bay
Bicycle No bike lane Steep hills Scenic ride Great Victorian Bike ride Car and bus traffic poses danger Camp overnight or accomodation in towns
Tourist Bus Costs $80-170 for a day trip incl. lunch stops at major tourist attractions limited community interraction
proposal the
My proposal is for infrastructure along the Great Ocean Road to facilitate and encourage hitch hiking both by locals and tourists. The infrastructure will consist of shelters on the side of the road with a safe area for cars to pull off. The shelters contain an interactive information board and map, rainwater tank, composting toilet, solar powered lights and power points, bike racks and guestbook. To use the facilities, both drivers and the hitchers register on hitchvictoria.com, and are able to unsubscribe at any time. The driver has to enter their drivers license number and other details and a sticker is sent to them to affix to their windscreen to show that they have been cleared to pick up hitch hikers. Users only need to register once and then can use the service at any time. The website contains an overview of the service, a stop map, frequently asked questions and a digital guestbook. A forum on the site allows discussion, photo uploads and an oppotunity to organise a ride prior to the trip. The system will rely on Wi-Fi communication between the shelters and the drivers’ GPS or smartphone. When a hitcher checks in at the shelter a message is sent to the driver alerting them that someone is in need of a lift and the driver can choose whether to pick him up or ignore it.
hitch victoria .com
hitch victoria .com
hitch victoria .com
hitch victoria .com
Hitchhiking is a means of transport gained by asking a stranger for a lift in their car in exchange for conversation and company and in some cases a contribution to fuel costs. Most popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, hitchhiking has declined immensely in the last thirty years. This decline has been contributed to the stigma attached to the practice in society after a number of ‘Backpacker murders’, as well as the rise in private car ownership. The authors of Lonely Planet have omitted all references to hitchhiking in their recent editions, author Jennifer Fox feels ‘it is so dangerous we would rather people didn't take the risk’. Organised and regulated hitchhiking has potential social and environmental benefits. These include increased sociability and interaction with local residents, cooperativeness and enabling people to ‘cross the barrier of fear and the barrier of selfishness’ as well as reducing the amount of cars on the roads.
map stop
The stops will be located on the road into each town, and at each tourist attraction, roughly 10km apart. This means that along the Great Ocean Road hikers are never more than a few hour walk from transportation and allows access to areas that would usually be inaccessable without a car.
The drivers do not have to drop the passengers only at the designated shelters, however it is recommended as these will be the safest spots along the road for both the car and the pedestrian.
users the
The service is avaliable to anyone who is registered on hitchvictoria.com, however it is not recommended that people under the age of 18 hitch without a parent or guardian. The service is designed to make travel along the Great Ocean Road free, which makes it accessable to people of all levels of income. Hitchhiking is generally the domain of students and backpackers however by implementing infrastructure and reducing the risk factors associated with hitching the activity becomes practiced by anyone who wishes to travel through the area regardless of background and finances. Drivers willing to pick up passengers can be locals who regularly travel the road and pick up passangers on their daily commute, through to travellers who can squeeze an extra person in the back of their campervan. The only requirement for drivers is that they have a current drivers license and have passed a police check when they register online. Once registered, a sticker is sent to the driver to affix to the windscreen. The sticker has a photo of the driver and other information.
REGISTERED DRIVER
Name: Michael Doolan ID: 234123445M Town/City: Torquay www.hitchvictoria.com.au
Hitchhikers will generally be tourists travelling the area without a car and on a budget. However, the service is not limited to just travellers, locals are also invited to use the facilities as it is an alternative to the limited public transport services offered along the Great Ocean Road.
journey user
register online as a passenger
arrives in australia
camping near eastern view
walk to hitchhiking post
continue on holiday
hitch victoria .com
post on guestbook
hitch victoria .com
hitch victoria .com
hitch victoria .com
register online as a driver
fly home
download application to GPS unit or smart phone
daily commute lorne to torquay
alert on GPS that someone needs a lift
continues to work
hitch victoria .com
shelter the
Due to the nature of hitch hiking, travellers may have to wait for extended periods. The shelter provides refuge from the sun, wind and rain and has a bench seat as well as room for baggage storage. The lighting and power points are powered by solar panels on the roof and a skylight provides illumination during the day. A sliding door allows the shelter to be fully enclosed for protection from the Roaring Fourties winds and is not lockable
Guestbook
scanned and uploaded
Along with the shelter is a safe area for cars to pull in to so they do not obstruct traffic while picking up hitchers. The road will be well lit and the shelter is on a raised platform for extra pedestrian safety
The information board is located on the inside wall of the shelter
A rainwater tank catches run off from the roof and the water is filtered for use as drinking water and hand/face washing.
The shelter features composting toilets, an enviromentally friendly way of disposing waste where after each use a small amount of untreated sawdust is thrown on top for better aerobic processing, smell reduction and to absorb liquid.
information
board
The information board is located inside the shelter It contains all of the information that a tourist would need about both the service and the Great Ocean Road Notices
A large map shows the road, hitch hiking points, recommended campsites and points of interest. A legend links different sites to the information surrounding the map.
The board also features tourism information, and a concise history of the area from indigenous tribes and colonial settlement through to the construction of the road. Also included is information about the local fauna and flora and geological features.
The information caters for both Australian and international travellers, with a list of handy numbers including a translator service. Also on the board is emergency contact details such as 000, CFA and local medical centres.
When a traveller arrives at the shelter, they press the button on the board. A built in camera takes a photo of the hitcher and automatically sends the photo and a message to any registered cars passing within 200m of the shelter letting them know that someone needs a lift. The driver can then choose to accept or ignore.
Guestbook
scanned and uploaded
A series of power points provide somewhere for the travellers to recharge any devices they may have such as mobile phones and laptops. These are powered by solar panels on the roof of the shelter.
A comminity noticeboard provides a space for locals and tourists to advertise local events such as markets and fairs, as well as items for sale such as campervans, camping gear and surfboards.
A guestbook comprises part of the table area, where a roll of paper over a flatbed scanner allows visitors to leave a message about their experience which is then scanned and uploaded to hitchvictoria.com. The messages then exist in both physical and digital forms. The roll is advanced by rotating the handle, so a clear part of the guestbook is avaliable or it can be scrolled back to view previous travellers messages.
website
hitchvictoria.com
hitchvictoria.com
about the service about the G.O.R
register
F.A.Q forum guestbook
stop map
driver
hitcher guestbook
name: james from UK
name: nath from US
comments. fantastic. had a great trip on the Great Ocean Road. will be back soon!
comments. saved lots of money on transport and met lots of cool people!
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safety As hitchhiking is percieved to be a risky activity, there are a number of safeguards to ensure the safety of both the drivers and the hitchhikers.
Drivers wishing to pick up passangers are required to register on the hitchvictoria.com website. They must enter their name, address and current drivers license number. A criminal record check then takes place automatically and if cleared the driver is posted a sticker with their information and driver number to put on the windscreen of their vehicle.
CCTV cameras on the outside and inside of the shelter record both the hitchhiker and the cars which use the service. The footage will be used in the event of an emergency as well to monitor the condition of the shelters.
Hitchhikers are are not reqiured to register online, however it is advised as emergency contact details are then avaliable in the event of something happening and they can be kept up to date of any changes to the roads or shelters. Registration also entitles them to recieve the emergency text message if they opt for it.
As an optional service, both drivers and passengers are able to have an automatic message sent to their smartphone or GPS, If there is no reply to the message an emergency signal is sent to authorities along with the video footage of the most recent people and vehicles to use the service.