170 km south west of Melbourne on the coast. This small coastal town lies on the western edge of the Port Campbell National Park, which has some of the finest coastal scenery you can see anywhere in the world. The Great Ocean Road, which travels along the shoreline, lives up to its name with some huge cliffs and dramatic pillars of rock, some of which rise to 100 m above the boiling foam. The best-known of these are the Twelve Apostles – though such is the fury of the ocean that these have now been reduced to eight. Another local landmark, called London Bridge, caved in recently stranding some visitors out on the stack – resulting in a dramatic helicopter rescue which grabbed the TV news bulletins. There are several small beaches below the high cliffs, though these are mostly littered with seaweed. One of these can be reached by way of Gibsons Steps. You can also get down to the beach at Lord Ard Gorge. In 1878 the iron-hulled sailing ship Ard George bringing Irish immigrants to Australia was driven on to the rocks here. There were 53 on board, but only two 18-year-olds survived. These were Tom Pierce, an apprentice officer, and Eva Campbell, the only survivor of her family of eight. The two of them were carried on the waves into the gorge, where Tom managed to drag Eva ashore into a cave. He then scrambled off for help. Despite immense pressure from the newspapers of the day, no romance flourished between them, and Eva eventually returned to Ireland.
     

Near here you can also walk to a spectacular Blowhole and the aptly named Thunder Cave. For further information on the park, visit Port Campbell National Park (www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/port-campbell-national-park).