Port Campbell National Park
Campbell Port is a national park located 190 km southwest of Melbourne. The peculiarity of this national park lies in its coastline. Along the entire coast, rocky islands in the form of pillars, wedges, grottoes, chimneys and arches are scattered for hundreds of kilometers. But the most picturesque place of the national park is a place called the Twelve Apostles.
Among the attractions of Port Campbell National Park are: Loch Ard Gorge ( the place is named after the Loch Ard, which crashed on June 1, 1878. Of the 53 people on the ship, only two survived ), « Gibson's steps », London arch, Grotto rock. They are also a symbol of « the Great Oceanic Path ». It is worth seeing the « rattling » cave, where the sea breaks in with a roar, and the beach between the rocks, which was nicknamed « the dead head ». The beach is known for sometimes here you can see a river flowing into the sea, as well as its unusual landscape.
Port Campbell's rocks consist of limestone formed 26 million years ago, when the entire territory was under water. As marine animals died at the bottom of the sea, millions of tiny skeletons rich in calcium accumulated. Gradually, a layer of limestone with a thickness of up to 260 m was formed on the soft clay. About 20,000 years ago, during the last glaciation, sea level dropped, and the rocks appeared on the surface. Wind, rain and waves pounced on soft cliffs, and for many centuries every 20 — 30 years a piece of rock came off and fell into the ocean. In some places, the coastline retreated evenly, leaving no signs of the previous shape, but in other places the softer sections collapsed earlier, and the pillars and arches that we see today arose.
The path to the Twelve Apostles runs along the picturesque coast of the Indian Ocean, which was long ago chosen by local residents and tourists, and which is called – the Great Ocean Road. This is one of the most beautiful coastal roads – magnificent views of the ocean, quiet towns on the shore and fishing villages. A large ocean road passes between beautiful rocks, past waterfalls, through the rainforest; from here amazing views of the sea expanses and sunken ships open. One of the most impressive stretch of track is – Port Campbell National Park. The twelve apostles interfere with navigation very much, so the area is also called the "Island of the dead ships". At first, the place was called « Pig and piglets », which in the 1950s was renamed « The Twelve Apostles » in order to attract tourists, while there were only 9 rocks in the group. Currently, there are 8 rocks left, since one of them collapsed in 2005, not withstanding the effects of erosion and wave strikes.
In Port Campbell Park, waves of up to 40 meters rage, which knock out ledges in limestone at an altitude of up to 60 m above the tide. A hole located near the Cave of thunder shows how the sea breaks through soft rocks to land. Here, water thunders underground in a 400-meter tunnel made by waves in the rocks. In some places, the roof of the tunnel collapsed, and through the outlet you can see the water boiling below.
The London arch - a rock formation about 20 million years old, exposed to the constant effects of ocean waves, gradually took the form of a two-spill bridge. Since there was a noticeable resemblance to the famous London bridge, this stone formation received the same name. On January 15, 1990, a span closer to the shore collapsed. Two tourists who were at that moment on the back of the « bridge » were trapped and were soon rescued by helicopter, no one was hurt. After the collapse, « London Bridge » turned into « London Arch ».
The picturesque Port Campbell Rock attracts not only numerous tourists. Birds, such as a thin-billed petrel, also arrive here. They breed on the rocky ledges of the greatest cliff - the island of Matton Bird, arriving here in late September from Siberia. To do this, they make a journey of 14,400 km long, crossing the Pacific Ocean. On the island, the nests are located in close proximity to each other, using any suitable crack. At an unattainable height, birds can grow chicks without fear of humans or rats. Other birds — albatrosses, boobies, cormorants and petrels — also flock to feast. In winter, southern whales sail past these shores on the way from Antarctica to breeding sites in the Great Australian Gulf. Some linger for reproduction, but most of the whales, reaching 15 m of length, pass further along the coast without fear of stormy waves and rocks.
