The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles cliffs are one of Australia's most memorable landmarks, most often depicted in the tourist brochures. The 243-kilometre road winds along the southeast coast of Victoria between small towns of Torquay and Warrnambool. In 2011, the road was listed as a National Treasure of Australia.
The idea of building this motorway first emerged as early as 1864, but it was not until half a century later, in 1918, that a full-fledged project was realised. And the construction lasted from 1919 to 1932 - the road was built by 3,000 soldiers, who came back from the First World War, and today it's considered a memorial to them them and their unreturned comrades.
Much of the Great Ocean Road runs right along the coast of the Southern Southern Ocean, offering breathtaking views. The scenery is particularly picturesque between the town of Anglesey and Appleton Bay. Another noteworthy stretch near the town of Lorne, where hilly terrain is punctuated by mountain streams and waterfalls. The road also passes Otway National Park, which is home to rare species of rainforest plants in the southern rainforest plants of southern Australia.
But perhaps the main attraction of the long drive is the famous Twelve Apostles, limestone cliffs that grow straight out of the ocean. They are located off the coast of Port Campbell National Park between the towns of Peterborough and Princeton. They were once called "Pig and Piglets", but in 1922 they were renamed the Twelve Apostles to attract tourists, even though there were nine cliffs, not 12. In 2005, one 50-metre cliff collapsed from erosion that had been undermining it for thousands of years. Sooner or later, the waves and wind will do their work and the remaining eight apostles will also be buried in the depths of the ocean. In the meantime, up to 2 million tourists a year come to see this amazing work of nature.
