The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Today is Sunday, and for most religious people, it is the day to go to church and engage with Jesus.

We are not religious, but today we wanted to explore the 12 Apostles. However, not in a church, but on the beach of the Port Campbell National Park along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. With a lot of imagination and extreme foresight, one can catch a glimpse of Tasmania over the sea and with even more foresight, the Antarctic behind it … ;-)

But we don’t want to look that far.

The weather initially promises again only a short window of “sunshine.” And that only in the early morning and late afternoon … Bad prospects for sunny pictures … Anyway, we have no choice and just set off. Et kütt, wie et kütt, as the Kölner say …

The drive along the Great Ocean Road, the B100, takes about an hour, during which it does not really lead us past the ocean, but rather runs more inland.

Only after Princetown does the B100 lead back towards the ocean … and shortly afterwards, we arrive at the first lookout in the “Twelve Apostles Marine National Park.”

The name is a bit misleading, as there are not twelve 50-70m high limestone pillars standing in the sea, but only eight. There used to be nine of these formations. However, in 2005, one of the “Apostles” collapsed because the sea constantly eroded it like all the other “Apostles” as well. And it does so with a force that is not insignificant. The sea is quite turbulent here. And the wind blows fiercely in our faces.

We don’t really find out why these formations were called the Twelve Apostles in the last century, there were never twelve … it seems they were just named that to attract more tourists … I think they could have called it “Little Red Riding Hood and the Seven Dwarfs.” The tourists would have come anyway …

The view from the observation platform, which only opened in the summer of 2024, is simply fantastic. The weather has, to our delight, changed its mind, and the sun gave us a dreamy view of the scenery under a blue sky with a few white clouds …

The limestone cliffs can not only be seen from above, but one can also run down a steep staircase, the Gibson Steps, to the beach. From there, you have yet another perspective on at least two of the Apostles. They are not all lined up next to each other, but are spread out over a longer stretch of beach.

We are totally thrilled by this view, whether from above or below.

This section of the Great Ocean Road also offers more highlights concerning the coastal segments. So we continue driving and next arrive at the Razorback. This rock formation has truly earned its name. The elongated rock formation, which stands without connection to the land in the sea, has a very sharply looking stone ridge, and the side edges also appear jagged and sharp. A truly interesting structure.

The next stop is a cove, the Loch Ard Gorge, which tells the tale of a ship named Loch Ard sinking there in 1878 after it crashed against the cliffs. The part of the crew that initially survived was said to have ultimately starved because they could not overcome the smooth and steep rocks.

Afterwards, we drive to the London Bridge. It is also a limestone formation with an archway. Like the 'Razorback,' this formation stands isolated in the sea. However, it had a connection to the land until the 1990s. Unfortunately, this connecting piece unexpectedly collapsed, thereby separating the London Bridge from the mainland. Unfortunately, at that very moment, tourists were on the London Bridge. Almost all could foresee the disaster and managed to escape to the land. Two tourists did not manage to do so and were left alone on the isolated rock. They had to be rescued by helicopter from the rock. Quite a shocking realization to suddenly find that the land you are standing on is breaking away.

The last attraction on this magnificent route along the sea was “The Grotto.” The path to the grotto led downwards, and upon arriving there, one found oneself in front of a crowd of Asian tourists, all wanting to take a photo of themselves in front of this grotto. There was a large opening in the rock through which one could see the roaring sea outside. You are always willing to wait when someone wants to take a photo of this beautiful view. But when ten girls are standing there, and each one must be photographed in twenty different poses, your patience quickly wears thin. Especially since the beautiful view can only be perceived from a small vantage point.

Once again, we realize that it is best to be at the photo spot before the Chinese, who make up 90% of all the Asians I have described so far, because afterwards, you can only expect “chaos and hustle.”

We conclude our drive along the Great Ocean Road, which is soon coming to an end, and head to our next overnight stop in Warrnambool. Unfortunately, there is no sign at the end of the Great Ocean Road, as there was at the beginning.

Only the town of Nullawarre indicates upon entering that it is the last village on the Great Ocean Road.