The Twelve Apostles are located along the spectacular Great Ocean Road. They were originally named the 'Sow and Piglets'. Located near Loch Ard Gorge, the Sow was Muttonbird Island, with the piglets being the smaller surrounding rocks.
At first glance the Twelve Apostles may not appear to be 12 apostles. From the lookout, you can only see a number of the twelve apostles. The others are located behind the rocky headlands that line the Victoria coastline, or hidden by other rocky outcrops.
Sunrise and sunset offer particularly impressive views as the Twelve Apostles change colour from dark and foreboding in shadow to brilliant sandy yellow under a full sun.
The Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion of the original coastline. The constant action of the sea on the limestone slowly wore down the rocky cliff, gradually leaving individual rocks.
The cliff is still being eroded at a rate of about 2cm each year, and in the future is likely to form more 'Apostles' from the other rocky headlands that line the Victorian coastline.
PLEASE NOTE: The Victoria travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for Victoria Holidays can be found on the main Victoria Holidays location guide.
