MS MuSings
A Monthly Online Magazine
by and for those living
with MS,
Multiple Sclerosis
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MS MuSings A Monthly Online Magazine by and for those living with MS, Multiple Sclerosis
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Tables of Contents Other:
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Story and Photo by Gaz (Garry Starr)
Being an Australian is a special feeling. Like most peoples there are special things and places about home. Americans may visit the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains while we Australians also have some iconic places. No doubt most of you have heard of Ayer’s Rock which is now called Ularoo, but not many will have heard of a special heart place called the Twelve Apostles. It ranks with the Great Barrier Reef, Bondi Beach and the Kakadu National Park. The Twelve Apostles are limestone sculptures situated on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria. As you can see from the picture they are a very spectacular nature sculptured work of art. Originally the story goes that they were called The Sow and Her Piglets. I don’t know how true that is, but it would fit with our sense of humour. The Great Ocean Road runs along the southern shores of Victoria. The road itself is 400km long and follows the beautiful Victorian coastline through Port Campbell National Park and beyond to Warrnambool. This coast is also known as Shipwreck Coast. Up until the construction of the road this coastal region could only be reached on foot, or by sea. And the sea passage was often a perilous one – at least 163 vessels were lost along this beautiful but unforgiving coastline and the death toll from these wrecks numbers several hundred. The building of the road is a story in itself. It might be a road built for enjoyment, but Victoria's Great Ocean Road was hewn by men who at times had to dangle from ropes suspended from tree trunks to get a foothold on the chosen route. The road is both a spectacular piece of engineering and the access to a route to a region rich in natural beauty and historic interest. The whalers, sealers, and sailing ships might have come and gone, but now it's surfies and crayfishermen who rule the waves. And the whales are making a comeback having been protected for many years. Work began on the road on September 19, 1919, and the 75km stretch between Anglesea and Apollo Bay, the most gruelling and dangerous section to be constructed, was not completed until 1932. The work was carried out by First World War veterans as a national tribute to those did not come home. Their equipment consisted of picks, crowbars and shovels. The area now has become part of the Australian psyche, a place for pilgrimages to those of us who feel our country in our heart. I am unashamedly one of those people and feel blessed to have been born an Australian. Our country is harsh, ravaged by bushfires and droughts along with floods sometimes, but rich and lush at others, but it is what makes us Australians. Enjoy this photograph which I took a few weeks ago and should any of you from overseas ever come to Australia put this place beside Ularoo and The Great Barrier Reef as must see places. Garry Starr Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi !!!!!!!!! Reach Gaz by email to comment: starrgh@tpg.com.au |
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