The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road begins at Torquay and travels westward to finish at Allansford near Warrnambool.
It was built between 1919 and 1932 by more than 3000 returned soldiers as a memorial for the Australians killed in World War I.


The road crosses the following "cities" : Torquay, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne, Wye River, Kennett River, Apollo Bay, Lavers Hill, Port Campbell, Peterborough, Warrnambool.

The Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles - the major attraction on the Great Ocean Road, is a collection of eight miocene limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, between Princetown and Peterborough , by the Great Ocean Road.



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. 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). It was renamed to The Apostles for tourism purposes. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks.

The stacks are susceptible to further erosion from the waves. On 3 July 2005, a 50 metre tall stack collapsed, leaving eight remaining. The rate of erosion at the base of the limestone pillars is approximately 2 cm per year. Due to wave action eroding the cliff face existing headlands are expected to become new limestone stacks in the future.

Tourism activities, like helicopter tours, are conducted from a visitor centre, situated on the inland side of the Great Ocean Road with parking and viewing areas.

More info :
Great Ocean Road
The Twelve Apostles
Great Ocean Walk