Australia National Parks - VIC West - Twelve Apostles Marine

VIC West - Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

Located seven kilometres east of Port Campbell, the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park is Victoria's second largest Marine National Park and covers 7,500 hectares along approximately 17 kilometres of coastline. The park extends out from the renowned Twelve Apostles and includes some of Victoria's most spectacular underwater scenery. There are rich intertidal and subtidal invertebrate communities, dramatic underwater arches, canyons, fissures, gutters and deep sloping reefs. Although the Marine National Park itself is relatively inaccessible from the shore because of the high cliffs and powerful sea conditions, the park includes the Twelve Apostles rock formations, and is the third most visited natural site in Australia.

The wild and powerful Southern Ocean that sculpts the area's limestone landscape also shrouds a remarkable seascape beneath the waves; a submarine labyrinth of towering canyons, caves, arches and walls. These natural features are festooned with colourful seaweed and sponge 'gardens', resident schools of reef fish, such as sweep, gliding above and the occasional visit by an Australian Fur Seal.

Breeding colonies of seabirds regularly inhabit the rock stacks and islands within the park and the adjacent coastline has sites of significance for flora and fauna. There are also sites of geological and geomorphological significance including karst (ie cave) topography.

Location

the Park is adjacent to the Otway and Port Campbell National Parks, .

Further Information

Webpage: Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

Parks Victoria
Level 10/535 Bourke Street
Melbourne Victoria AUSTRALIA 3000
Phone: +61 (0)3 8627 4699