Mount Defiance Lookout

Mount Defiance Lookout is a small roadside viewpoint at Separation Creek, between Lorne and Wye River, where the Great Ocean Road skirts steep coastal cliffs. From the stone parapet, look across surf and headlands toward Artillery Rocks. It makes a useful pause in the drive, though the outlook is compact and some visitors prefer larger stops along the coast.

There is a small parking area, but no public facilities at the lookout. Space is limited, so pull in only when it is safe and take care rejoining the road. Plan restroom and water stops separately.

For a photo that shows this lookout, keep the low stone parapet in the foreground and leave room for the cliffs and white surf behind it. The wall gives the view a sense of place. Stay on the viewing side of the stonework; the drop beyond it is steep.

The lookout was built in 1934 as a memorial to Howard Hitchcock, the Geelong mayor who helped establish the Great Ocean Road Trust. Its plaque was unveiled in 1935. The Trust, formed in 1918, funded construction through subscriptions and borrowing, then repaid its debt with road tolls before the road passed to the state.