Twelve Apostles

In answer to your question Aisha, the Twelve Apostles are one of the much-publicised highlights of the Great Ocean Road.

According to the tourist blurb: 'These giant rock stacks are a central feature of the spectacular Port Campbell National Park. The forces of nature gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs which became arches and when they collapsed, rock islands as high as 45 metres were left isolated from the shore.'

The rocks are giant sandstone monoliths which rise out of the sea ('majestically' I think the blurb is wont to claim). The tallest is about 45 metres high. The rock stacks have been carved into wonderful shapes by the wind and the waves. No-one seems to be clear as to how many of them there are remaining, or if they were ever twelve in number. What is clear is that some have collapsed into the sea over the years. The are a stunning sight when they come into view around a bend in the road, against the backdrop of cliffs and ocean. Even through the rain they were striking. It was raining heavily when I turned off into the car park and I waited for a few minutes for the rain to ease off, before getting out of the car to follow the path down to the viewing area. I managed to get down there and back without getting too wet, getting back to the car park just as another downpour began.

The Parks Victoria page has a couple of photos - copied below: 'The coast is slowly changing and there are frequent small rock falls. There are also infrequent major events, the most recent occurred on Sunday 3 July 2005 when a large stack collapsed. The before and after photgraphs, taken by a visitor who witnessed the collapse, are shown below.'