Loch Ard Gorge
Loch Ard was an emigrant ship that foundered here off the coast. Sailing ships on The Australia Run from England to Australia - Launceston, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane had to pass this way. "Threading the Needle" just off the coast here between Cape Otway and King Island demanded great skill from the ships' masters. This was one of the most treacherous parts of the months-long journey. Many ships were lost here.
I'm reading a book about the sailing ships both wooden and iron and the people who emigrated. Many aspects of the Australian psyche had their genesis in the great migration from 1778 to 1880. The most humble classes from England, Scotland and Wales made the journey into the great unknown and for most a better life. They were able to earn a decent living and not be servants ever again. As a matter of fact the gentle classes were advised against coming if they couldn't look after themselves.
These cliffs are limestone and as such are made up of sea creatures' skeletons. The pounding surf erodes the cliffs creating these limestone stacks. Impressive.
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