THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD, A “MUST-DO” AUSTRALIAN roadtrip is considered to be one of the most spectacular driving routes in the world. It runs almost 250 kilometers westward from Torquay to Allansford, ten minutes from our AirBnB in Warrnambool. The drive sometimes hugs the coast, sometimes meanders through dense rainforest and pretty little towns.
A battle between the Sea and Cliffs
Cliffside viewpoints abound, often obscured by the morning sea mist but most folks head directly for the Twelve Apostles. Originally called “Sow and Piglets,” these limestone stacks have been waging a battle against the unrelenting waves for millions of years. There were never twelve stacks even when they received their name—poetic license, you know—and there were only nine in 2004 when we first saw them. A year later one of the stacks—Judas perhaps?—crumbled without warning leaving the eight we saw yesterday. It's beginning to sound like an Agatha Christie book title. Can the Seven Dwarfs be next?
12 Apostles 2023
12 Apostles, 2004
12 Apostles 2023
12 Apostles 2004
And then there were Eight
The Twelve Apostles haven’t been the only victims of time and tide. In the 90s the rock linking the mainland to the formation known as London Bridge fulfilled the children’s song prophecy and came tumbling down.
Island Archway aka Tom and Eva
In 2009 the arch for which Island Archway got its name crashed into the sea leaving two formations. Since it was near where the Loch Ard shipwreck occurred, the rocks are sometimes called “Tom and Eva” in homage to the only two survivors.
