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The
12 Apostles
Great
Ocean Road
By
Richard Moore
Pictures
of The Great Ocean Road
Photos
of the 12 Apostles
Images
of The Loch Ard Gorge
Photos
of the London Arch, The Arch and the Grotto
The
undoubted stars of the Great Ocean Road would have to be the 12
Apostles.
 They
are majestic limestone rock formations that tower beside the mainland
in the Port Campbell National Park.
You
cannot see all of them from land - only seven in fact - with one
collapsing in 2005. The shame is that it was the one closest to
the official viewing headland and was also a really interesting
twisted teardrop shape.
The
Apostles are formed by the waves from the Great Southern Ocean rolling
in and hitting the coastline, eroding away the rock at about 2cm
a year. The power of the waves at times has to be seen to be believed.
Viewing
is best done from two spots - the official area for tourists and
then down on the beach near two of the most easterly Apostles.
 The
official area is perfectly sited on and near a narrow headland that
splits the seven remaining formations. When we first went to the
Apostles it was just a pathway, now it is fenced off and there are
viewing platforms.
These
give you top views to the west - for great sunset shots - and also
in the opposite direction to get the red glow on the separated pair.
For
morning shots you should be there when the sun comes up and its
beams light the tip of the Apostles and moves down their height
as the morning ages.
If
you are wanting something less photographed then stop at Gibson
Steps and head on down to the beach to the east of the viewing
headland. It isn't a hard journey, helped by a much improved stairway.
Gone are the wet, clay-like steps which have been replaced by good
solid ones.
 Anyway,
down on that beach you not only get to appreciate the size of the
Apostles, but also the ocean's power as the waves crash in. Remember
there is nothing between where you are standing and Antarctica!
You
need to be mindful of tide times if you are going down Gibson Steps
as the last thing you want is to be cut off while admiring or photographing
the formations.
The
days we were there the waves were big and were smashing up against
the sides of The Apostles giving us some great shots.
Again
keep one eye on the viewfinder and the other watching those waves.
 There
is a major carpark across the road from The Apostles and there are
good toilets available.
The
kiosk is a disappointment if you are after a place to sit and get
some food. Apparently the good folk of Port
Campbell didn't want a rival operation siphoning off any tourist
custom from their town and objected to a proper cafe catering for
visitors 12km away.
But,
there are helicopter operations flying from alongside the carpark
and they can take you up to see the coastline from the air. Next
time we go there I think we'll grab a flight because it is such
a spectacular area.
NB:
The Apostles were not always so impressively named. Up until 1922
the site was known as the Sow and Piglets - with Muttonbird Island,
near Loch Ard Gorge, being the Sow, and the smaller rock stacks
the Piglets. We think the name change definitely makes them much
more tourism friendly don't you?
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