One of the nine limestone stacks that made up the famous landmark off Australia's surf-pounded southern coast collapsed into the Indian Ocean on Sunday, apparently a victim of normal coastal erosion, leaving only eight stacks for tourists to gaze at.
Even though there were only nine of the towering limestone outcrops off the coast of Victoria State, the formation was called the 12 Apostles.
The formation, close to the scenic Great Ocean Road, which winds along the coast of Victoria state, drew tens of thousands of visitors each year. Local park ranger Alex Green said a family of sightseers watched in amazement as the 45-metre tower collapsed.
"They said it sort of shimmered or shuddered and then fractured and collapsed straight down on itself -- it was almost like a building demolition," he said. "All that remains now is quite a substantial pile of rubble about 10 metres above sea level."
The stack that collapsed on Sunday was not the first such landmark to disappear along the coast. In January 1990, a formation called London Bridge also collapsed.
