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The Lord Almighty is a Great One for symbolism. And so it was that the 12 columns of limestone, which were then perfect replicas of the 12 Apostles, signaled to the first white men to see Australia that here was a land that was theirs and that the Abos were their servants.
However, increasing Godlessness does not go unnoticed and one by one, He has cancelled the signs. A few days ago, another one went down into the waves. I would encourage the Australian government to spend as many as it takes of their Australian Pounds in defense of the remaining Apostles, for surely, when the last Apostle leaves, Australia will fall completely into the hands of Satan.
Mr Curkpatrick is clearly deluded.
However, increasing Godlessness does not go unnoticed and one by one, He has cancelled the signs. A few days ago, another one went down into the waves. I would encourage the Australian government to spend as many as it takes of their Australian Pounds in defense of the remaining Apostles, for surely, when the last Apostle leaves, Australia will fall completely into the hands of Satan.
Australia's 12 Apostles natural landmarks continue to crumble
It was a case of now you see it, now you don’t for a tour guide who unwittingly stumbled upon the collapse of part of one of Australia’s most popular natural landmarks.
Neil Sander was leading a group of tourists to view the 12 Apostles limestone formations off the coast of southwestern Victoria on Friday afternoon when he came across a pile of rubble in the ocean. A day earlier the site had had an impressive rock looming out of the sea at the same location.
It was evidence that yet another of the limestone pillars – which are visible along the Great Ocean Road tourist route – had lost its fight with Mother Nature.
Mr Sander said he was shocked when he returned to the area on Friday and the small stack of limestone was nothing but a pile of rubble barely visible just a few feet above sea level.
“I was there on Thursday evening and the rock was still there, then I came back with another group on Friday and when we turned the corner suddenly it wasn’t there anymore,” Mr Sander, who runs Young Travellers Tours, told The Times.
“There was only a tiny bit of it left sticking out of the water, which was all murky and muddy, so it must have only just happened.”
A spokeswoman for Parks Victoria, the government body responsible for the maintenance of the area, confirmed the collapse.
“It's a small stack just out from the Razorback Lookout,” Jo Curkpatrick, spokeswoman for Parks Victoria, said. “We have had some fairly stormy weather but it's sort of natural that the stone wears away.”
The 12 Apostles are a collection of limestone rocks that rise up to 150ft (46m) from the sea off the coast of Port Campbell National Park. They are located on the Great Ocean Road, a scenic route that starts approximately 60 miles (97km) southwest of Melbourne and winds 150 miles along the picturesque coastline.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists drive the route each year to see the natural landmarks, which were formed by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs on the mainland which began 10 to 20 million years ago.
However, over the years the number of limestone rocks visible in the formation has decreased.
In June a 33ft-long archway in the 12 Apostles area crumbled away. In 2005 one of the 230ft limestone towers crumbled into the sea in front of a family of tourists, who captured the moment on camera.
Another victim of the erosion was London Arch, located near the 12 Apostles, which had formed a double-span natural bridge to the mainland. One of the arches collapsed in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on the outer part of the enormous rock. They were rescued by helicopter.
Experts calculate that waves chip away a few millimetres from the limestone formations and adjacent cliffs every year.
John Sherwood, an environmental scientist with Deakin University, said that Victoria’s unusually wet winter would have contributed to the most recent collapse.
“The extra weight as the formations have become more saturated with water, and the lubrication of cracks and joins by the water, can contribute to these things occurring,” Dr Sherwood told The Times. ”So these two circumstances can come together and tip the balance of the formations.”
He said that the area was eroding rapidly because of the softness of the limestone rocks and the battering it received from the Southern Ocean.
As for the name 12 Apostles, Parks Australia said that it would not change it despite the dwindling number of limestone pillars.
“It will always be the 12 Apostles,” Ms Curkpatrick said. “It remains unique no matter how many apostles come and go.”
It was a case of now you see it, now you don’t for a tour guide who unwittingly stumbled upon the collapse of part of one of Australia’s most popular natural landmarks.
Neil Sander was leading a group of tourists to view the 12 Apostles limestone formations off the coast of southwestern Victoria on Friday afternoon when he came across a pile of rubble in the ocean. A day earlier the site had had an impressive rock looming out of the sea at the same location.
It was evidence that yet another of the limestone pillars – which are visible along the Great Ocean Road tourist route – had lost its fight with Mother Nature.
Mr Sander said he was shocked when he returned to the area on Friday and the small stack of limestone was nothing but a pile of rubble barely visible just a few feet above sea level.
“I was there on Thursday evening and the rock was still there, then I came back with another group on Friday and when we turned the corner suddenly it wasn’t there anymore,” Mr Sander, who runs Young Travellers Tours, told The Times.
“There was only a tiny bit of it left sticking out of the water, which was all murky and muddy, so it must have only just happened.”
A spokeswoman for Parks Victoria, the government body responsible for the maintenance of the area, confirmed the collapse.
“It's a small stack just out from the Razorback Lookout,” Jo Curkpatrick, spokeswoman for Parks Victoria, said. “We have had some fairly stormy weather but it's sort of natural that the stone wears away.”
The 12 Apostles are a collection of limestone rocks that rise up to 150ft (46m) from the sea off the coast of Port Campbell National Park. They are located on the Great Ocean Road, a scenic route that starts approximately 60 miles (97km) southwest of Melbourne and winds 150 miles along the picturesque coastline.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists drive the route each year to see the natural landmarks, which were formed by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs on the mainland which began 10 to 20 million years ago.
However, over the years the number of limestone rocks visible in the formation has decreased.
In June a 33ft-long archway in the 12 Apostles area crumbled away. In 2005 one of the 230ft limestone towers crumbled into the sea in front of a family of tourists, who captured the moment on camera.
Another victim of the erosion was London Arch, located near the 12 Apostles, which had formed a double-span natural bridge to the mainland. One of the arches collapsed in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on the outer part of the enormous rock. They were rescued by helicopter.
Experts calculate that waves chip away a few millimetres from the limestone formations and adjacent cliffs every year.
John Sherwood, an environmental scientist with Deakin University, said that Victoria’s unusually wet winter would have contributed to the most recent collapse.
“The extra weight as the formations have become more saturated with water, and the lubrication of cracks and joins by the water, can contribute to these things occurring,” Dr Sherwood told The Times. ”So these two circumstances can come together and tip the balance of the formations.”
He said that the area was eroding rapidly because of the softness of the limestone rocks and the battering it received from the Southern Ocean.
As for the name 12 Apostles, Parks Australia said that it would not change it despite the dwindling number of limestone pillars.
“It will always be the 12 Apostles,” Ms Curkpatrick said. “It remains unique no matter how many apostles come and go.”
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