Facts about the Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostle is a series of majestic limestone stacks that exist just off the shoreline of the Port Campbell National Park. They exist near the Great Ocean Road that is located in Victoria in Australia.

The proximity of the limestone stacks to one another made them noteworthy, and they quickly became a popular tourist attraction in the region. The viewpoint, 7 of the 8 original limestone stacks are standing after one of them sadly collapsed in 2005.

The Twelve Apostles limestone stacks were caused by the natural process of erosion. The extreme and harsh weather of the Southern Ocean would eventually erode the softer limestone, and this would form caves in the cliffs. The arches that form the roof of the caves would collapse and leave behind the rock stands that became known as the Twelve Apostles.

The stacks are still being eroded by waves, and it is predicted the rest will suffer the same fate as the stack that collapsed in 2005. The stack that collapsed was 160 ft tall. However, it is expected the new stacks will form when the process of erosion affects headlands that already exist.

The stacks were once originally called the Pinnacles, as well as the Sow and Pigs or Sow and Piglets. The name was officially named the Twelves Apostles, even though there were only ever 8 stacks (more were identified further down the coast, but not within visible range).

The Twelve Apostles is one of the most famous natural landmarks of Victoria and is a big tourist attraction on the Southern Coast of Australia. It has a similar appeal to The Three Sisters rock formation in the NSW Blue Mountains, in that they are novel rock formations left behind due to erosion effects.