The Razorback

Previous – Loch Ard Gorge

Just adjacent to the Loch Ard Gorge viewing platform are paths leading to two other natural wonders, the Island Arch and the Razorback.

We only had time to see one of these and based on the driver-guide’s recommendation, we opted to go down the path to the Razorback.

The Razorback is a massive, but incredibly stunning, limestone islet that the pounding surf has carved out of the the cliff. It’s probably called the Razorback because of the sharp edges and bumps along its back (top), which are caused by wind-blown spray that hardens small areas of the rock. The softer rock around these erodes away, leaving an uneven surface.

According to a board installed by Port Campbell National Park at the site, the Razorback once extended much further out to sea.

The force of the waves gradually eroded and cut deep grooves into the base of the stack, just above sea level. (With one wave every 14 seconds, that adds up to a lot of erosion over a thousand years.) Vertical cracks in the rock were widened by rainwater, forming a line of weakness. Huge blocks of rock then collapsed into the sea leaving the Razorback that we can see today.

The Razorback is just a ten to twelve minute walk from car park along a wheelchair-accessible path. If you are going by car, the best time to visit would probably be in the morning before the tour buses, like ours, arrive from Melbourne.

If you are taking the Great Ocean Road bus tour, be sure to visit this fascinating rock formation. I promise, it will take your breath away.

Razorback: Video Review

Next – Gibson’s Steps

Published by Leena T Pandey

I have been reading voraciously since the age of five when I first discovered the joys of reading. I would lap up anything in print. Unrolling an emptied newspaper cone with one hand, stuffing roasted peanuts in my mouth with the other, all the while devouring the printed content on the cone with my eyes, was one of my first experiences in hedonistic pleasure. In fact, sometimes I feel that I am on an adventurous journey through the secret dreamworld of other people's imaginations, interspersed with occasional visits to my own life to attend events like graduation, first job, marriage, and so on. As a true-blue reader, I think I am uniquely qualified to comment on and critique other people's works of labour. I can tell exactly what puts the average reader to sleep, what sets their pulse racing, and what has them salivating for more. Write to me at leenatpandey@gmail.com. View more posts