Rising out of the Southern Ocean, alongside Australia's famous Great Ocean Road, you'll find these spectacular, 45m (150ft) tall, limestone pillars that were once connected to the mainland cliffs. Here, there are countless ways to soak in the scenery and make the most of your coastal exploration.

The Twelve Apostles, a collection of magnificent limestone sea stacks located along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, vary in height, with the tallest reaching approximately 45 meters (150 feet) above the Southern Ocean. These geological marvels were formed over 20 million years by the relentless erosion of the mainland limestone cliffs; the Southern Ocean's powerful waves and winds first carved caves into the cliffs, which then became arches, and eventually collapsed into the isolated pillars we see today. Interestingly, despite the name, there were never actually twelve stacks in the formation; at its peak in the 20th century, there were nine, and following significant collapses in 2005 and 2009, only eight stacks remain standing. The constant battering by the elements means these towers are essentially "temporary" on a geological timescale, as they continue to erode at a rate of about two centimeters per year, ensuring that the landscape of this iconic Australian landmark is always slowly changing.