The Twelve Apostles (Victoria)

Last updated

The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles 2011.jpg
Australia Victoria Corangamite Shire location map.svg
Red pog.svg
The Twelve Apostles
Location within Shire of Corangamite and, inset, Victoria
Geography
LocationNear Port Campbell, Victoria
Coordinates 38°39′57″S143°06′16″E / 38.66583°S 143.10444°E / -38.66583; 143.10444
Administration
Australia
State Victoria
LGA Shire of Corangamite

The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. The Twelve Apostles are located on the traditional lands of the Eastern Maar peoples. [1]

Contents

Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. Eight of the original nine stacks remain standing at the Twelve Apostles' viewpoint, after one collapsed in July 2005. [2] Though the view from the promontory by the Twelve Apostles never included twelve stacks, additional stacks—not considered part of the Apostles group—are located to the west within the national park. [3]

Formation and history

The limestone unit that forms The Twelve Apostles is referred to as the Port Campbell Limestone, which was deposited in the Mid-Late Miocene, around 15 to 5 million years ago. [4]

The Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion. The harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually erode the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then become arches that eventually collapse, leaving rock stacks up to 50 m (160 ft) high. The stacks are susceptible to further erosion from waves. In July 2005, a 50-metre-tall (160 ft) stack collapsed, leaving eight standing at the Twelve Apostles' viewpoint. [2] Due to wave action eroding the cliffs, existing headlands are expected to become new limestone stacks in the future. [5]

The stacks were originally known as the Pinnacles, and the Sow and Pigs (or Sow and Piglets, with Muttonbird Island being the Sow and the smaller rock stacks being the Piglets), as well as the Twelve Apostles. [2] [6] The formation's name was made official as the Twelve Apostles, after the Apostles of Jesus, to attract more tourists, [7] despite only ever having had nine stacks. [2]

In 2002, the Port Campbell Professional Fishermen's Association attempted to block the creation of the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park at the Twelve Apostles site. [8] The association approved of a later decision by the Victorian government to prohibit seismic exploration at the site by Benaris Energy, [9] believing such exploration would harm marine life. [10]

In March 2023, the Federal Court of Australia ruled in favour (under the Native Title Act of 1993) of formally recognising the Eastern Maar people as traditional owners' of 8,578 km2 of land located in south-west Victoria, including the Twelve Apostles. [11] [12] [13] [14]

Apostles 3 GOR.JPG
2003 before the collapse
Twelve Apostles, East view 20230218 2.jpg
2023 after the collapse

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Ocean Road</span> Road in Victoria, Australia

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed 240-kilometre (150 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian towns of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial. Winding through varying terrain along the coast, and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Campbell National Park</span> Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Port Campbell National Park is a national park in the south-western district of Victoria, Australia. The 1,750-hectare (4,300-acre) national park is situated approximately 190 kilometres (120 mi) south-west of Melbourne and approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Warrnambool. The park is located adjacent to the Great Otway National Park and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Bridge (Victoria)</span> Natural offshore rock arch in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia

London Bridge is an offshore natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia. The arch is a significant tourist attraction along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria. This stack was formed by a gradual process of erosion, and until 1990 formed a complete double-span natural bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Moyne</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Moyne is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of 5,481 square kilometres (2,116 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 16,887. It includes the towns of Port Fairy, Koroit, Mortlake, Macarthur, Peterborough, Caramut, Ellerslie, Framlingham, Garvoc, Hawkesdale, Kirkstall, Panmure, Mailors Flat, Purnim, Wangoom and Woolsthorpe. It also entirely surrounds the City of Warrnambool, a separate local government area. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Belfast, Shire of Minhamite, Borough of Port Fairy, and parts of the Shire of Mortlake, Shire of Warrnambool, Shire of Dundas, Shire of Mount Rouse and Shire of Hampden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stawell, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Stawell ( "stall"), is an Australian town in the Wimmera region of Victoria 237 kilometres (147 mi) west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. Located within the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area, it is a seat of local government for the shire and its main administrative centre. At the 2021 census, Stawell had a population of 6,220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peterborough, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Peterborough is a town on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, approximately three hours' drive from Melbourne. The town is situated on land to the west side of the mouth of the Curdies River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ararat, Victoria</span> City in Australia

Ararat is a town in south-west Victoria, Australia, about 198 kilometres (120 mi) west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera. Its urban population according to 2021 census is 8,500 and services the region of 11,880 residents across the Rural City's boundaries. It is also the home of the 2018/19 GMGA Golf Championship Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Gambier</span> City in South Australia

Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 as of 2021. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about 450 kilometres (280 mi) south-east of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Victorian border. The traditional owners of the area are the Bungandidj people. Mount Gambier is the most important settlement in the Limestone Coast region and the seat of government for both the City of Mount Gambier and the District Council of Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Fairy</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Warrnambool and 290 kilometres (180 mi) west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Campbell</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Port Campbell is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Great Ocean Road, west of the Twelve Apostles, in the Shire of Corangamite. At the 2016 census, Port Campbell had a population of 478.

<i>The Border Watch</i> Australian newspaper

The Border Watch is an Australian newspaper based in Mount Gambier, South Australia, as of October 2020 owned by TBW Today Pty Ltd. The paper services Mount Gambier, the South Australian Limestone Coast, and parts of Western Victoria. It is the oldest and largest regional newspaper in South Australia. After 159 years of publishing the newspaper was briefly discontinued on 21 August 2020. However, The Border Watch resumed operation, under a consortium of new publishing owners, in an initial weekly format on 16 October 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Julia Percy Island</span> Island in Victoria, Australia

Lady Julia Percy Island, known as Deen Maar or Dhinmar in the Gunditjmara language, lies 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi) off the coast, in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia in Bass Strait. The island is an unincorporated area under the direct administration of the Government of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal in Australia</span> Coal is or has been mined in every state of Australia

Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity generation. In 2019-20 Australia exported 390 Mt of coal and was the world's largest exporter of metallurgical coal and second largest exporter of thermal coal. While only employing 50,000 mining jobs nationally coal provides a rich revenue stream for governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yambuk</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Yambuk is a small town in Victoria, Australia. The Yambuk township was established in the 1850s, and the Post Office opened on 1 March 1859. Yambuk is sited where the Princes Highway crosses the Shaw River. At the 2006 census, the town and surrounding area had a population of 540. The 2016 census recorded a population of 267.

Caramut is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Hamilton Highway. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon.

Hexham is a township in Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garvoc</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Garvoc is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Moyne Shire local government area, 223 kilometres (139 mi) south west of the state capital, Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelve Apostles Marine National Park</span> Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Twelve Apostles Marine National Park is a protected marine national park located on the south-west coast of Victoria, Australia. The 7,500-hectare (19,000-acre) marine park is situated near Port Campbell and is named after the scenic Twelve Apostles rock stacks, and contains the wreck of the clipper Loch Ard, wrecked on Mutton Bird Island in 1878. The marine park borders Port Campbell and Great Otway National Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sukkar</span> Australian politician (born 1981)

Michael Sven Sukkar is an Australian politician has served as the Shadow Minister for Housing, NDIS, and Social Services since 2022. Previously he had served as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing and as the Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing. Sukkar has been a member of the House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Deakin in Victoria for the Liberal Party.

Cathrine Mary Burnett-Wake is a former Australian politician, who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Eastern Victoria Region representing the Liberal Party between December 2021 and November 2022. Burnett-Wake was appointed by a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament on 2 December 2021 to fill a vacancy brought about by the resignation of Edward O'Donohue. She is the first Liberal female upper house member for Eastern Victoria.

References

  1. ↑ "About". Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Twelve Apostles". parkweb.vic.gov.au. Parks Victoria Information Centre. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  3. ↑ Thomas Hunter (September 28, 2009). "Sister, not apostle, crumbles into sea". theage.com.au. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. ↑ Tassone, David R.; Holford, Simon P.; Hillis, Richard R.; Tuitt, Adrian K. (2012). "Quantifying Neogene plate-boundary controlled uplift and deformation of the southern Australian margin". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 367 (1): 91–110. doi:10.1144/SP367.7. ISSN   0305-8719.
  5. ↑ Porter, Geoff (2006). Little Bites of Australia. Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu. p. 203.
  6. ↑ Biunv (1 January 1898). "A picturesque resort". The Leader . p. 36. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Twelve Apostles | Rock Formation, Australia, Description, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Port Campbell bid to block marine national park". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 April 2002. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  9. ↑ "Fishermen welcome decision against national park seismic exploration". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 October 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "Otway Basin seismic survey work set to start". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 October 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  11. ↑ "Austin on behalf of the Eastern Maar People v State of Victoria [2023] FCA 237". www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Twelve Apostles are back in Aboriginal hands after Vic's first native title determination in 10 years". NITV. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  13. ↑ Latimore, Jack (28 March 2023). "'Arduous road' leads to native title ruling that returns Victorian land to traditional owners". The Age. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Emotions run high as traditional owners secure land rights after more than a decade of petitioning". ABC News. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.