… or at least it paints 500 words.

I am going to start a new weekly series where I take one of my favourite photos from over the years (or perhaps not even a favourite one), and write five hundred words about said photo.

I’ll write about why, where & when. The how, who or what. What I was feeling at the time, why it is such a special photo to me.. just basically why I took the photo in the first place.

So without further adieu.. here is this week’s photo:

Where: Loch Ard Gorge, Victoria, Australia

When: 3rd November 2011 while on a day trip from Melbourne, down the Great Ocean Road

How: To get down to the beach, you have to climb down numerous steps. It is totally worth the effort because you are rewarded with being surrounded by these giant cliffs. Although climbing back up is a bit of an effort.

Why: This place is epic. The colour of the sea, the height of the cliffs, plus the story about how this place was named just adds to how dramatic this place is.

History: A clipper ship called Loch Ard ran around nearby in June 1878. It was coming to the end of a 3 month journey from England to Melbourne. Fifty-four passengers & crew were on board but only two survived – 15-year-old ship’s apprentice, Tom Pearce, and 17-year-old Eva Carmichael, who was emigrating with her family.

Tom saved Eva, brought her to shore and then proceeded to climb out of the gorge (no steps in those days) to alert the locals. Tom was hailed as a hero for raising the alarm and lived to be 49 years old. Eva returned to Ireland not long after tragically losing most of her family.

The area is called Loch Ard Gorge after the doomed clipper. Back in 2009 the Island Archway collapsed leaving two separate rocks, which are now called Tom and Eva after the Loch Ard survivors.

Those darn feelings: Even though it has been 6 years, I can still remember the sense of feeling so small when standing down on that beach. Loch Ard Gorge is really a gorgeous part of the Great Ocean Road – a road that is full of gorgeous parts. And even though the Twelve Apostles is probably the more famous area of the epic road trip, I personally think that Loch Ard Gorge was the highlight of the whole day.

Why should you visit: Whether you do a day trip from Melbourne or spend a few days exploring the Great Ocean Road, the area offers more than just the Twelve Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge. It is also a very historic part of Australia, having being built by returning WW1 soldiers between 1919 & 1932. The road is the worlds largest war memorial.

Final Thoughts: While it looks like there is no one else around, behind me and beside me is actually a number others trying to get that money shot but I think that the photo speaks for itself really. Although it is always hard to capture a moment fully, this photo really does show just how dramatic Loch Ard Gorge really is.

Have you been?
What are your thoughts?