Australia tour - Part 6

Monday, December 23

When you are visiting places of tourist interest, it's not often one comes away with a feeling of having seen and known about something that is truly one of its kind. That's what I felt at the end of the day today. 

The Great Ocean Road stretches around 250 km with the Southern Ocean on one side and plains and hills on the other side. It takes around four hours one way and presents the traveller breathtaking view of the ocean and the landscape. 

We started around 10 am. The first halt was Lorne Pier. We had coffee at the seafood restaurant and took a walk along the pier, giving us a beautiful view of the ocean. 

The original pier was built in 1879. The one that's there now was built in 2007. It's a favourite spot for fishing. 

The road, an amazing stretch, is not just any road. It was built between 1919 and 1932 by the soldiers who returned from the World War I in memory of fellow soldiers who died in the war. It's a war memorial. 

The most popular attraction on the road is a place called Port Campbell. The cliffs there are made of limestone and sandstone that are susceptible to erosion. Because of constant pounding of the sea water the cliffs have given way leaving behind structures of various shapes and sizes. 

One of them is called the Twelve Apostles, a collection 12 stacks of limestone. From the viewpoint out of the original 12, one can see only seven stacks, after one of them collapsed in 2005. 

Over a period of time the existing stacks could collapse too, and the cliffs could also be susceptible to erosion giving birth to new stacks. 

There was a huge rush of tourists at the spot, with everyone looking for the perfect spot to click photos with stacks in the background. 

This is one of those rare natural formations, giving us an insight into the complex marine life. The cliffs and stacks are so captivating that one could just keep looking at them for ever.

(To be continued)