The continuous erosion of limestone cliffs due to water and wind of the Southern Ocean has given rise to the rock formations of the Apostles.
The erosion of the cliffs is said to have started some 10-20 million years back, forming caves in the cliffs that eventually changed to arches.
When finally the arches fell off, these 12 pieces of rocks were the only ones standing.
Found in the Port Campbell National Park in Victoria, these rock formations were formerly called Sow and Piglets. The Sow was the Mutton Bird Island while the Piglets were the smaller rock formations surrounding it!
It was only in the 1950s that these formations were given Biblical references.
Though these formations are named 12 Apostles, in reality, there were only 9 rock stacks since the start!
Currently, only 8 of these rock formations are standing tall!
During that time, there were more than 12 rock stacks.
In the map dated in 1846, these rock formations are visible.
These Apostles can be seen in shades of yellow and orange during full sun at sunrise and sunset.
Vertical cliff line of about 70-meter is visible from the beach that can be accessed by the Gibsons Steps.
You can pay a visit to the Apostles Visitor Center, from where you can walk through a tunnel below the Great Ocean Road to the viewing platforms.
You can also take a helicopter ride to view these beautiful rock formations from above or you can take a car ride along the Great Ocean Road to reach the site.
At first glance, you can see 7 rock formations while the rest can be viewed with a little difficulty beyond the headlands and other stacks!