Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road

Along Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road, between Lorne and Warrnambool, there is a stretch of coastline known as 'The Shipwreck Coast', for obvious reasons. Many ships came to grief along here and it's not hard to understand why when you stand at various points and watch the powerful waves crashing onto the towering cliffs.

There are several sites which have become major tourist attractions such as 'The 12 Apostles', 'London Bridge' (not quite as spectacular since part of the span collapsed into the sea several years ago) and 'The Grotto'.

These photos were taken in the region of Loch Ard Gorge, the scene of one of the best known shipwrecks of the mid 19th Century, and subsequent amazing rescue.

The Razorback.

If you click on the photos of these signs you should be able to read the text quite clearly.

Sheer cliffs rise from the sea.

You can see the crack in the end of 'The Razorback' on the right side of photo. No doubt it will only be a few years before another piece breaks off.

These outcrops would have been one piece a long time ago before being separated by the relentless waves.

You can believe that any ship which founders on these unfriendly shores would mean almost certain death in those early days for passengers and crew.

Caves and grottos carved out by the force of the sea.

The beach looks enticing. However access is difficult and the risk of being swamped is ever present.

A brief outline of the wreck of the Loch Ard.

Amazingly two people survived this wreck and were rescued.

At the end of the Great Ocean Road, in the beautiful city of Warrnambool, there is the Maritime Museum, called Flagstaff Hill. Every evening (except Christmas) visitors can witness after sunset an amazing Sound and Laser Show giving graphic details of one of the most famous events in Australian history. This internationally rated $5m show lasts for approximately one hour, but here is an excerpt of just a few minutes from "Shipwrecked".