The Yak Shack Forum

Im not sure how many of you non-Australians are aware of the Twelve Apostles in Victoria (where I live), but they are our most recognised landmark. Only problem is that one collapsed yesterday  :-\ so that of the 9, only 8 remain...

(http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/07/04/12ApostleWeb,0.jpg)

Apparently it gave a bit of a shudder and then imploded. While the apostles are still recognisable, they will never be the same...  :'(

Its amazing... I saw that on the news this morning. 20 million years gone in a few seconds :'(

yep. nature in progress... it will happen to the rest eventually too, but thats they way its meant to be unfortunately...

I was a bit shocked when I saw it on the news, you just always expect them to be there, you dont think that they will just crumble into the sea!! I mean, they were going to not be there some day but I didnt think it would happen in my lifetime!

Why were they called the 12 Apostles when there were only ever 9? I thought there were 12 originally but apparently not.. ???

not really sure why twelve. apparently they used to be called the sow and pigletts  :rofl: but i think i read somewhere that there were actually about 16 or so...  ???

A terrible thing it is. Natures worst erosion is :'(

Better change the name, what are they really?  Are they large rock outcroppings?  Maybe Steve and Terri Irwin could have saved it :'(

a quote:
The Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion of the original coastline. The constant action of the sea on the limestone slowly wore down the rocky cliff, gradually leaving individual rocks. The cliff is still being eroded at a rate of about 2cm each year, and in the future is likely to form more 'Apostles' from the other rocky headlands that line the Victorian coastline

Oh dear - what a shame! We had a couple of stacks (what we call the limestone towers) down in Dorset called "Old Harry and his wife" - unfortunately not long ago we lost his wife  :-X I hope poor Harry copes ok ;)

Looks BEAUTIFUL though :)

even with one missing it still looks fantastic; im itching to get down there and have a look myself but its a bit far to go...  :P

Don't say that ;) when they are down to 6 or less it's hardly worth going :P so go whilst they still have 8 ;)

Not to mention that when you are a grandparent you can croak to your grandchildren how there were 12 in your day (when you take them to see the last remaining 4 or so :P

Ahh this is how it is - there'll be more erosion and more stacks will form - I always think they are pretty stunning when it's an archway - before the "roof" falls in.

Did the stack finally collapse in a storm or was it during calm conditions? Does anyone know?

as far as i know it was fairly calm, it just gave way....

"london bridge" down that way collapsed a few years ago, leaving people stranded  :o

Oh my LORD! Imagine being on top of it when that happened.

Being stranded was the least of their worries I guess since they could have been on top of the roofey- bit - crumbs - I hope no one was hurt.

Mind you if you were stranded you'd be worried that the stack might go as well! Jeez!

My Mum desperately wants to buy a home with a sea view... and I keep telling her not to because they live near tertiary sandy/muddly cliffs which just don't last very long! :(

this is whats left of the bridge:
(http://www.walkabout.com.au/graphics/images/CD171993.JPG)
you can tell which bit is missing  ;D apparently its now called London Arch...

I'm just trying to think why it might be called "London" arch... perhaps a pack of tourists from London were stranded on it or something ;)

I had visions of 20 people stranded on top of a tiny stack before you posted that picture - that looks much safer ;) even so it must have been pretty scary to watch your dry way back dissappear ;)

 :rofl: you had me in giggles! no, it was only two people, they were lifted out be helicopter...but it would have been quite scary. not very good tourist advertising for australia  :P

Oh crumbs, don't let that worry you - limestone caves in wheresoever it is situated in the world ;)

Of course if you knew the water was deep below and not a shallow limestone plate as it could have been they could have dived spectactularly in to make their escape ;)

Wow. I was just there in December--lucky I got to see them while there were still nine.
The amusing thing about the London Bridge collapse is that the two people stranded on it were both married, and not to each other. So much for the affair ... Oops  ::)

really? I hadnt heard that  :o

It ironic that is collapsed really, given the song "london bridge is falling down..."  ;D

Maybe thats the one the song was on about  :-\ Because the other one is still standing.

I think the song pre-dates the collapse

Probably true. I wonder when London bridge did fall down, the London one that is. It used to have houses along it too  :-\

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
London Bridge is Falling down my fair lafy 0:)

Lady :)

I thought it came from the year of the Great fire in London - was that 1666? I think so. But I could be making that up. I'm getting old - the mind starts playing tricks you know.

Do you think that was the year everyone became scared of 666? :D

Or was that the year 666 proved itself to be scary. I'm glad I'm not going to be around in 2666  ::) I have a feeling ring a rose came from the plague time, well one of them. Did you know that only 8 people died in the great fire? Its amazing really when so much of London was lost. And it did manage to see of the back end of the current plague  ;)

Yep.
Ring around the rosey:  I think because people broke out in red spots with rings around them.

Pocket full of posey:  Because people thought that if you had something on you that smelled good you would'nt catch the plague.

Ashes,ashes:  Because they burned the bodies.

We all fall down:  Well, because they died.

A pretty grim childrens song if you remember the history behind it. ::)

They are all grim! I don't know what's travelled abroad, but others include a nice man Egg thing who falls off a wall and can never be mended.

And A baby in a cradle on top of a tree and the cradle falls in a gust of wind :(

Poor Humpty Dumpty :'(

Yeah, the baby in the tree song gives my the creeps, but my 2 year old likes the melody so I just hum it. ;)  Back on topic, We have a place here in the US called arches national park.  I believe the arches and towers may have been eroded by the wind, or possibly a river that has LONG since gone.  It's in the middle of a desert.  It's really beautiful too.  But I would love to see those in Austrailia.  The towers look really close to the beach.  Can you walk out to them?  Not that I would want too for fear of getting buried!

Dont forget about the Grand Canyon. That was creatad by one single river which can still be seen there inside the canyon today. I've been and I've got a map that toke me, my sister, and my dad to hold to see it all so that tells you how big it is. I dont know how far down it goes because theres signs posted everywhere that says "We Will No Be Responsible For Falling Accidents" so that kind of scared me. I asked the park ranger "do people fall often" but he just laughed and wlaked away so I tolke that as yes and stood about five paces from the railing 8)