Twelve Apostles, Limestone rock formations at Port Campbell National Park, Australia.
The Twelve Apostles are limestone pillars on the southern coast of Victoria, roughly two hours by car west of Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. The seven remaining pillars rise between 45 and 50 meters (148 and 164 feet) above sea level and show horizontal layers of yellow and gray stone shaped by waves and salt water.
The Port Campbell Limestone was deposited in the Mid-Late Miocene, roughly 15 to 5 million years ago. Wave action cut caves into the cliffs, which became arches and then collapsed into stacks up to 50 m high. A 50-metre stack fell in July 2005 and another in 2009, leaving seven of the original nine.
The stacks were first called the Pinnacles and the Sow and Pigs, with Muttonbird Island as the Sow and the smaller rocks as the Piglets. The name Twelve Apostles, after Jesus's apostles, was made official to attract tourists even though only nine stacks ever existed. In March 2023 the Federal Court recognised the Eastern Maar people as traditional owners of the land including the site.
The main viewing platform is a short walk from the car park and wheelchair accessible, with paths made of concrete and wood. Mornings and late afternoons offer quieter hours and soft light for photography, while fog is common and can limit visibility.
The name was made official to draw tourists even though there were only ever nine stacks, and six of the seven survivors can be seen from the main viewing platform, the seventh a few metres past its corner. The soft Port Campbell Limestone erodes at roughly 2 cm a year, so headlands are expected to become new stacks.
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