Road Trauma Memorial

Solace is Victoria’s first-ever state-wide road trauma memorial aimed at giving people a space to reflect on the impact of road trauma and remember those who have lost their lives on Victoria’s roads.

Located in Geelong, Victoria, the north-facing waterfront location gives uninterrupted views of Corio Bay from its site on Hearne Pde, Eastern Beach. It has been a partnership between Amber Community, Transport Accident Commission, City of Greater Geelong, and the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Uniting Church in Australia.

The Artwork

The memorial is also a piece of public art created by Ocean Grove artist Don Walters.

Using the cyclical moon phases to represent the experience of grief, Solace takes the lunar phase as a metaphor for the constantly changing range of emotions those experiencing loss through road trauma. The semi-circular shape and space within the structure also encourages visitors to experience and ‘move through’ the space.

The sculptural aspect of Solace is in 7 parts made of a combination of stainless steel and stone. A stainless steel rim encloses and holds the stone that is shaped into segments that represent phases of the moon’s cycle.