We're walking along the 70-mtr high cliffs of the Shipwreck Coast where at least 700 ships met their fate. It is believed that to date that less than third of them have been discovered. You will see why as we walk and from the Google Map of the coastline here.
Looking down and back ...
as we walk away from Loch Ard Gorge which takes its name from a ship that came to grief here back in 1878.
The story goes that on the 1st of June 1878 an iron hulled clipper weighing 1700 tons (The Loch Ard) was on its way from England to Melbourne when it became disoriented in fog. The captain thought he was at least 50 miles from land ... but he wasn't ... he was dangerously close to these treacherous cliffs and rocks of southern Australia. 
and after frantic efforts to save his ship ...
the Loch Ard was dashed onto the rocks.
Out of 54 crew and passengers onboard only two survived ... Eva Carmichael a 17-year old Irish girl and ships apprentice Tom Pierce aged 15. They were washed up in a cove and sheltered for the night in what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. Tom managed to scale the cliffs to sound the alarm to locals and this act saved Eva's life who had lost all her family in the shipwreck.
Ash, our guide tells of a romance between Tom and Eva and you can read a blog post here written by Sarah Belle in July 2014 titled 'The love story that should have been... but wasn't'. Sarah was a finalist in 2013's Australian Romance Readers Awards.
Walking on ...
As I mentioned in my previous post in Oz ... as nature erodes the limestone cliffs huge structures are created ...
and as the formations continue to erode ...
the arches will disintegrate into the sea.
These two arches have been named Tom and Eva.
See their position on the map and find out lots more about the amazing Shipwreck Coast of Victoria here and here and here too.
Tuesday 21st of February was a long and so far a wonderful day ...
but it's not over yet! Watch this space!
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