I saw this on Yahoo today. What a bummer! I would think this is like us in the states losing one of our landmarks.

One of Australia's most famous sights, a set of 12 peaks which sit in the sea off the Victorian coast and are known as the Twelve Apostles, has been irrevocably damaged with the collapse of one of its limestone pillars.

After withstanding the pounding of the sea for an estimated 6,000 years, the 45-metre (150 yard) rock pile tumbled into a collection of rocks and debris on Sunday morning before a bewildered Sydney family.

The collapse was accompanied by a noise compared to a loud wave.

"They said it sort of shimmered or shuddered and then fractured and collapsed straight down on itself -- it was almost like a building demolition," a spokesman for Parks Victoria told the Daily Telegraph.

"All that remains now is quite a substantial pile of rubble, about 10 metres above sea level."

The collapsed pillar was one of the bigger rock formations and "integral to what used to be the view," he added.

The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks of varying heights in the Southern Ocean which began forming 20 million years ago when erosion gradually began whittling away the limestone cliffs of Port Campbell.

The same force (time and tide) that created the twelve apostles takes them away too!

Yair Gunner,

Just imagine losing a part of Mt. Rushmore.

Well, ..... at least there's some left standing ...... for now.

Yes, ... it is a shame to have that happen. When we saw it on the T.V. News my wife commented that we had at least seen it last year.

Just goes to prove that Old Mother Nature is the strongest force on the planet.

Rick.

That rust God works in mysterious ways... even on Rock...

Will

The folks in New Hampshire lost their "OLD MAN IN THE MOUNTAIN" much the same way. Mother nature wiped his face right off of that hill.