Twelve slabs of limestone,
Sitting on a beach.
When the ocean got hungry,
They were the only meal within reach.
On a fine Sunday morning,
The slabs were down to eleven.
The ocean is rather a glutton,
For, now, there are seven.
– Yours Truly.
The Queen of Crime, who?
hehe.
With that bit of ominous poetry, Imma dive right in to the second stop on the reverse Great Ocean Road tour, namely the Twelve Apostles and the Gibson Steps. The Apostles are just a short drive away from the Loch Ard Gorge and are a part of the Port Campbell National Park as well. I already yapped about the Loch Ard Gorge, here, so without further ado, let’s get the Apostles on the road!
hehe.
The Twelve Apostles are perhaps the most iconic things on the Great Ocean Road. The small trail leading to the Twelve Apostles viewing deck is lined by railing, in order to protect the scrub because the area is very biodiverse and also vulnerable. Every stone and every wave of the ocean is bustling with life, and even the monoliths have a very uncanny ability, which I will reveal shortly.
It is safe to say that the Twelve Apostles prove that rocks are indeed an active ecosystem and the term as hard as a rock, should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt.
hehe.
There is a deep and invigorating thrill, in finally glimpsing a sight that one has seen only in pictures. We reached the Twelve Apostles rather early in the day, so we were lucky not to encounter the peak tourist crowd, which enabled me to get pictures of the Apostles in every angle possible.
This here, is a glimpse of the Apostles, as we approached the viewing point. The trail from the sign in the previous picture is not a long one, but when I crash landed onto the trail, all I wanted was to see the rocks in all their glory so each step that I took was accompanied by a peer on the sides, in the hopes of seeing the rocks, because I thought that the Apostles would be a constant view all along the Great Ocean Road.
Whoever visited the Apostles on the same day as me, may recall seeing a figure in green darting about and checking for the Twelve Apostles behind random scrub bushes, like….
hehe.
When I finally glimpsed the monoliths, I was like, “Look, it’s the Apostles!”, like the Sherlock Holmes incarnate that I am, and ended up taking pictures of it in all light settings that my phone camera was capable of.
The picture here shows the remnants of a fallen Apostle, right in the front. Also, notice how some Apostles are literally giving in to the waves? Well, hereby hangs a tale.
When I first glimpsed the Twelve Apostles, I did what any curious cat would do, and counted the number of stones.
Imagine my shock when I counted seven Apostles instead of the marketed twelve.
When I began this blog, I said that the Twelve Apostles will challenge the phrase, as hard as a rock. So, I want ye wee folks to think of the Twelve Apostles as the anti-Stonehenge.
The Stonehenge is all like….
While the wee Apostles are….
hehe.
The Stonehenge is the epitome of the above simile, with rock formations standing the test of time, but the Twelve Apostles are a constantly changing sight and this photograph is not going to look like this in a few years’ time.
Since the Apostles are made of limestone, they are rather vulnerable to weathering by the ocean, the wind and other elements, so these monoliths will vanish over time, as long as the ocean keeps crashing upon the shore.
But here’s the catch. There is also a possibility that the Apostles will rebuild because the monoliths are nothing but accumulations of limestone deposits, so there is a full chance that the seven Apostles may multiply to eight Apostles or reduce to six.
So, the next time anybody accuses ye folks to be as hard as a rock, I give you full permission to use this blog as a clap-back and say that rocks are fluid, feeling beings and too much stress disturbs the rock.
hehe.
Rocks have feelings.
This is a sign that I came across along the trail. It shows all the wee animals that live in the area. Again, Australian wildlife is a bunch of adorable introverts so even though the scrub houses all these little critters, they won’t be making an appearance during tourist hours.
Also, the white stones in the background are all natural limestone and if you happen to look closely at the stones, you will see bugs that are far beyond one’s imagination, simply going about their day.
Everything, right from the waves in the ocean to the pebbles lining the scrub is some being’s home. The water here houses some of the richest aquatic fauna and it is important that tourists and humans in general are mindful of their surroundings. The trail has no dustbins, so one must actually avoid generating trash or keep the trash with themselves till they reach the souvenir shop area. This is a place where human footprints are not required as it is a foreign element in the habitat, so all a human must bring here is a vibe of respect and positivity and leave with nothing but a memory and leave behind only the echoes of presence that are immortal.
Now, Imma show ye folks a pageant of the Twelve(Seven) Apostles, just to showcase the magnificence of the place.
Hit It!
The Apostles are a sight that one can’t get enough of and it was hard to leave the trail.
I was thrilled, however, that the place had a souvenir shop because I definitely wanted all the Apostle Merch that my mum’s budget would get, hehe…
So, here’s my Twelve Apostles’ haul.
Ok, story time, you see the wee seagull out there?
Now, I had first seen the seagull plushy at the Melbourne Zoo but since I built Noah’s Ark in that souvenir shop, I did not end up buying the seagull. However, the toy kept appearing in my daydreams, so I did the only wise thing and scoured through every toy shop in Melbourne, trying to find it.
All my efforts were in vain and it became rather bittersweet till I saw the seagull staring at me in the Twelve Apostles shop. I made a beeline for it and kept staring at it the entire trip, just to believe that I finally had the toy.
hehe.
The tote bag is one of the softest bags that I have and the stubby holder has a proud place on my souvenir shelf. I wanted to use it to hold my Stanley Cup(I’m just a girl, ok) but my mum said that it is a souvenir meant to be looked at. I got the Australian Road Signs holder for myself though, so happy stuff:)
The surfboard magnet cum bottle opener is a cutie too!
Finally, here’s a bit of surprise cardio that none of us really expected. A little away from the Twelve Apostles, we have this stairway, leading to a beach called Gibson’s Beach. The stairs are called Gibson Steps.
As you can see, we have my(very “cough, cough” athletic) mum, who is limping er….walking like a cardio queen, after having descended the steps. The stairway is rather steep so conquering it is quite a task.
The beach, however, is a treat. It is like standing amidst Nature in all her powerful glory.
Among the limestone rocks, one actually feels quite tiny, especially with the magnitude of the Southern Ocean’s crashing. It is so refreshing to feel the spray of water on one’s face, and I did get close enough to touch the waves, without getting my shoes wet.
The descent down to Gibson Beach and the ascent back up may not be suitable for everyone, but whoever can do it, I would definitely advise not sitting this one out, because it is really energising and the experience imbibes a sense of gratitude for the privilege of living among such precious beauty.
It also builds up a good appetite.
More on that in the next blog.
And that is a wrap,
Until Next time.
