Port Campbell National Park
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Port Campbell National Park Victoria |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Port Campbell National Park coastline
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 Port Campbell National Park
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| Nearest town or city | Port Campbell |
| Coordinates | 38°39′02″S 143°03′46″E / 38.65056°S 143.06278°ECoordinates: 38°39′02″S 143°03′46″E / 38.65056°S 143.06278°E |
| Established | 5 May 1964 |
| Area | 17.5 km2 (6.8 sq mi) |
| Visitation | circa 2,000,000 (in 1998) |
| Managing authorities | Parks Victoria |
| Website | Port Campbell National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of Victoria |
The Port Campbell National Park is a national park in the south-western district of Victoria, Australia. The 1,750-hectare (4,300-acre) national park is situated approximately 190 kilometres (120 mi) south-west of Melbourne and approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Warrnambool. The park is located adjacent to the Great Otway National Park and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park
The Port Campbell National Park features an array of sheer cliffs overlooking offshore islets, rock stacks, gorges, arches, and blow-holes. As part of the Shipwreck Coast, it hosts several tourist attractions; including The Twelve Apostles, the London Arch (formerly London Bridge), Loch Ard Gorge, the Gibson Steps, and The Grotto.
The park is subject to salt-laden air, and the cliff-tops are particularly exposed to the harsh weather conditions from the Southern Ocean. However, fragile grasslands and heath-lands are still able to develop, supporting plant species such as sun orchid and spider orchid. In protected areas, plant life includes beard-heath, bower spinach, coast daisy bush, daisies and cushion bush. The wilder terrain hosts an assortment of she-oaks, dogwoods, correa, messmate, trailing guinea-flower, woolly tea-tree and scented paperbark.
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Wikipedia