Victoria's most famous landmark along the Great Ocean Road is the
12 Apostles. They are a set of striking eroded towers along the coast.
There are similar features along California Highway 1, and in fact
along other stretches of the Australian coast, but these are the icon.
Of course, the puzzle is how to find 12 of them. There are not 12 in
any given view, and at the major viewpoint there used to be 9. However,
just a few months earlier, in July, one of the Apostles collapsed to the
ground, and now all that's visible is a pile of rubble.
Further west on the road are other areas just as striking, such as the
Loch Ard Gorge and the Bay of Islands. We were at the Apostles for sunset,
but that was a misjudgment as the viewpoint is to the east, so I had
to shoot into the sun. Which is still an interesting effect, of course.
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The Arch. What makes it different is that waves behind it crash into tidepools which then drain in a sea-waterfall into the pool in front.
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The famous 12 apostles. Well, some of them. One of them (foreground) crashed to the ground in July 2005. Victoria's signature landmark, seen here with the setting sun behind it. Check also the panoramas
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Detail on some of the apostles
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Closer detail on 3 of the 12 apostles
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Two of the "Rockery," behind the viewpoint so the setting sunlight is upon them.
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Detail on one of the apostles behind the viewpoint
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Glistening light from setting sun and mist among the apostles
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Island Arch in the Loch Ard Gorge at sunset
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Loch Ard Gorge. A German woman we met on the trail described what we would see as the "Pamela Anderson Bumps"
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Island Arch from the viewpoint, waves crash through it
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Sunset on way to Bay of Islands
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Entrance to the Bay of Islands, sun setting behind clouds
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More of the Bay of Islands
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Close up of sun setting behind towers in the Bay of Islands
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