The
Twelve Apostles are a collection of
natural limestone stacks standing
just off shore in the Port Campbell
National Park, on the Great Ocean
Road in Victoria, Australia. Their
proximity to one another has made
the site a popular tourist attraction.
Originally the site was called the
Sow and Piglets. The name was changed
in the 1950s to the more majestic
"The Twelve Apostles" to
lure more visitors, even though there
were only nine stacks. The stacks
have been formed by erosion, and are
varying heights and thicknesses. A
number have fallen over entirely as
waves continually erode their bases.
A 50-metre tall Apostle collapsed
on July 3, 2005, leaving eight. The
previous well known feature in Port
Campbell National Park to succumb
to erosion was the 'London Bridge.'
Two visitors were trapped when a natural
arch collapsed - the people were rescued
by helicopter a few hours later. The
island of rock has since been called
'London Arch.' The rate of erosion
at the base of the limestone pillars
is approximately 2 cm per year.
The
Twelve Apostles are a collection of
natural limestone stacks standing
just off shore in the Port Campbell
National Park, on the Great Ocean
Road in Victoria, Australia. Their
proximity to one another has made
the site a popular tourist attraction.
Originally the site was called the
Sow and Piglets. The name was changed
in the 1950s to the more majestic
"The Twelve Apostles" to
lure more visitors, even though there
were only nine stacks. The stacks
have been formed by erosion, and are
varying heights and thicknesses. A
number have fallen over entirely as
waves continually erode their bases.
A 50-metre tall Apostle collapsed
on July 3, 2005, leaving eight. The
previous well known feature in Port
Campbell National Park to succumb
to erosion was the 'London Bridge.'
Two visitors were trapped when a natural
arch collapsed - the people were rescued
by helicopter a few hours later. The
island of rock has since been called
'London Arch.' The rate of erosion
at the base of the limestone pillars
is approximately 2 cm per year.
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