The Twelve Apostles (Victoria)
| The Twelve Apostles | |
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 The Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia
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| Nearest city: | Princetown, Victoria |
| Coordinates: | 38°39′57″S 143°06′16″E / 38.66583°S 143.10444°ECoordinates: 38°39′57″S 143°06′16″E / 38.66583°S 143.10444°E |
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction.
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[edit] Features
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of eight miocene limestone rock stacks[1] jutting from the water in Port Campbell National Park, between Princetown and Peterborough on the Great Ocean Road.[2]
Tourism activities (including helicopter tours)[3] are conducted from a visitor centre, situated on the inland side of the Great Ocean Road; with parking and viewing areas.[4] Parks Victoria classifies the structure as nationally significant,[1] with the area being one of Victoria's major tourist features; attracting approximately two million visitors a year.[5] Parks Victoria was responsible for the construction of board-walks, tracks, and viewing areas.[6]
[edit] Formation and history
The apostles were formed by erosion: the harsh weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed; leaving rock stacks up to 45 metres high.[6] The site was known as the Sow and Piglets until 1922 (Muttonbird Island, near Loch Ard Gorge, was the Sow, and the smaller rock stacks the Piglets);[7] after which it was renamed to The Apostles for tourism purposes. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks.[8]
In 2002, the Port Campbell Professional Fishermen's Association unsuccessfully attempted to block the creation of a proposed marine national park at the Twelve Apostles location,[9] but were satisfied with the later Victorian Government decision to not allow seismic exploration at the same site by Benaris Energy;[10] believing it would harm marine life.[11]
The stacks are susceptible to further erosion from the waves. On 3 July 2005, a 50 metre tall stack collapsed, leaving eight remaining.[12] On 25 September 2009, it was thought that another of the stacks fell, but this was actually one of the smaller stacks of the Three Sisters formation.[13] The rate of erosion at the base of the limestone pillars is approximately 2 cm per year.[14] Due to wave action eroding the cliff face existing headlands are expected to become new limestone stacks in the future.[15]
[edit] Gallery
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The Twelve Apostles from the air, December 2010
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The Twelve Apostles in 2006
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The leftmost stack disintegrated on 3 July 2005
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An hour after a stack had crashed on 3 July 2005
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The Twelve Apostles as seen eastward from the lookout point
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The Twelve Apostles
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The Twelve Apostles, taken in April 2007
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Sunset at the Twelve Apostles
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An evening shot of the Twelve Apostles
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The Twelve Apostles in 1998
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Entrance to The Twelve Apostles, Victoria.
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Lone Apostle. 2010.
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[edit] See also
- Australian landmarks
- Gibson Steps
- London Arch (formerly London Bridge)
- Loch Ard Gorge
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 1 - Twelve Apostles Marine National Park". Marine Natural Values Study. Parks Victoria. p. 38. http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources/20_1037.pdf. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ "Pedal to the metal". www.montrealgazette.com. Reuters. 18 May 2010. http://www.montrealgazette.com/cars/Pedal+metal/3044031/story.html. Retrieved 27 May 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Scenic Flights, Great Ocean Road". Visit Victoria. Tourism Victoria. http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Activities-and-attractions/Outdoor-activities/Scenic-flights.aspx. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre 2003 AILA Victoria & Tasmania Awards in Landscape Architecture
- ^ "Tourists banned from Twelve Apostles viewing platforms". www.theaustralian.com.au. Herald Sun. 8 July 2010. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/news/tourists-banned-from-twelve-apostles-platform/story-e6frg8ro-1225889243236. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Twelve Apostles". Visit Victoria. Tourism Victoria. http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000B0BDC-CFBC-1A5C-BC6180C476A90000/. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
- ^ Twelve Apostles Sign.
- ^ La Canna, Xavier and Murphy, Mathew (4 July 2005). "Ninth Apostle crumbles". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/07/03/1120329326001.html.
- ^ "Port Campbell bid to block marine national park". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 April 2002. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200204/s531471.htm. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ "Fishermen welcome decision against national park seismic exploration". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 October 2003. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200310/s969092.htm. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ "Otway Basin seismic survey work set to start". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 October 2003. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200310/s971651.htm. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ "Apostles lose one of their own". CNN. 4 July 2005. http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/07/04/australia.apostles/.
- ^ Hunter, Thomas (28 September 2009). Sister, not apostle, crumbles into sea. The Age.
- ^ (At a destructive rate of 2-3 cm per year)
- ^ Porter, Geoff (2006). Little Bites of Australia. Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu. p. 203.
[edit] External links
- Twelve Apostles Official Site
- 12 Apostles - Government tourism site
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