On my travels a few weeks ago when I went down to Victoria to explore the Victorian countryside with Leanne Cole, one of my requests was to see the 12 Apostles (see previous post here).
After we saw them we kept going down the track a while further to Razorback and Loch Ard Gorge. We then had a bite to eat in Port Campbell and headed west still a ways more to The Arch and London Bridge. There was so much to see and take in, all in one day. It is such a beautiful part of our rugged coastline, a not to be missed experience.
Razorback at Loch Ard Gorge is a ridge of standstone rock just off the shoreline (an elongated stack apparently).
You can park the car and go to the left to see Razorback and then over to the right is Loch Ard Gorge where you can go down the steps into the gorge. It can be quite an eerie feeling being down there with the tide coming in and looking up at the high cliffs. Lucky there was a staircase for us but not so lucky for the ship that was wrecked near there on Muttonbird Island which was named Loch Ard. It had sailed from England for three months and was nearing the end of its journey when it went aground. Only two of the 54 passengers and crew survived. One of these was Tom Pierce, a ships apprentice who made it to shore then heard cries coming from the water so went back in to rescue Eva Carmichael. Luckily he was agile enough to climb out of the gorge to find help from the locals.
Further west after Port Campbell we headed to The Arch, then London Bridge.
The Arch is the first attraction just about 6km west of Port Campbell and so named as wave erosion has worn out the middle of this stack and created an arch.
London Arch was called London Bridge until one day without warning (1990) and after some people had just crossed back to the mainland, it gave way and fell into the ocean, leaving two people stranded on the stack. They had to be rescued by helicopter. Lucky not to be on the bridge itself when it gave way I am sure they had a great story to tell of their narrow escape. The headlines in some Victorian newspapers stated “London Bridge has fallen down”.
Next time I visit, a helicopter ride is in order to see these beautiful natural wonders from the air to gain another perspective.
A gorgeous part of our country which I do hope to return to one day.
daysandmonths 
Very informative and great pictures! 🙂
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Thanks for reading and looking Moonskittles 🙂
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You are welcome 🙂
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Beautiful pictures of a lovely place.
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Thanks Sonya 🙂
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That shot from the beach (I assume?) is absolutely gorgeous. Great shots Karen.
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Thanks Desley. That was at the bottom of Loch Ard Gorge, very eerie when we were there just the two of us, it felt quite isolating but beautiful at the same time 🙂
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I can imagine…
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We should have spent a couple of days there, and really explored it more. I think the helicopter ride is a must and from what other people have told it is amazing, I might have to try it I think as well, that is when I don’t have a trip overseas to save up for.
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Oh I forgot to say the photos were great too, you got some I didn’t get, great to see how you photographed it.
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Thanks Leanne, that’s very nice of you 🙂
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Yes sometimes life gets in the way of a good time…. always a next time to see things you miss the first time around. 🙂
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Yes, that’s for sure, glad you want to come back, would be great to see you down here again. 😀
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Beautiful but eerie after reading your story.
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Thanks Bebs. Yes we found it a bit eerie as well as we were down there by ourselves which made it feel more isolating but still magical. 🙂
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Gorgeous photos. That’s an area I really want to explore, but never seem to actually leave Melbourne when I’m in that neck of the woods. 🙂
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Thanks Su. It is so worth it. I had been to Melbourne quite a few times just staying in the city but from now on its worth my while to hire a car and get out and about. There is so much to see that is rugged and beautiful. 🙂
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As always, beautiful, interesting photos. I always love your little tidbits of information too, the icing on the cake (or picture).
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Thanks Claudette very much. Icing hmm that reminds me of cake of which I have none right now.. 🙂
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A well written and very informative post with stunning photos of a beautiful landscape. Thanks for explaining the London Bridge story. Smiles. Reinhold
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Thanks so much Reinhold 🙂
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Thanks again! My favourite is the one on the beach, great angle and the water is beautiful! Story is sad about the shipwreck. I tried to imagine feelings of having spent that time getting to Aussie shore and then to have hope and life ended except for two people. One very brave indeed. Our coasts could tell a few likewise stories of loss and courage.
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Thanks so much. I quite liked the photo on the beach as well. So much of the Great Ocean Road has to be taken from above so to get down there and experience a different perspective, especially after the shipwreck, was great. Yes if we could research shipwrecks and stories along our vast coastline, what a book that would be 🙂
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A glorious part of the world you have there Kaz and beautifully captured as usual in this set of photos 🙂
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Thanks Jane, it was truly beautiful and stopped me in my tracks! Cant wait for my next adventure! 🙂
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Beautifully captured Kaz 🙂
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Amazing series of photos of this stunning coastline.
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Thanks so much Simon 😊
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Wow, some lovely inspiration here Kaz. We are planning to do the Great Ocean Road ourselves sometime soon so it’s great to see it through your eyes. Love them. ❤
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Thanks so much. It was breathtaking and I literally cried, having seen a lot of scenic places in this world, it simply so far is the best. I didnt do it but a helicopter ride with a good lens would be in order and definitely on my list next time I visit there. There is also Gibson’s steps but the tide was in and it was rough so we couldnt go down there which was disappointing. You will have endless photo ops in that area around Apollo Bay onwards.
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Looking forward to it even more now!
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These are gorgeous- love the colour contrasts..
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Thanks so much 🙂
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