Loch Ard Gorge is named after the famous 1878 shipwreck on nearby Mutton Bird Island. Fifty-two people were lost from the Loch Ard and only two teenage survivors were fortunate enough to be washed into the only safe gorge on the coast. Other people on the ship were washed into adjacent gorges and perished. Loch Ard Gorge is unusual for this section of coast, in that it has a relatively calm interior. It has a low energy beach and moderate slopes that can be climbed, as they were by wreck survivor Tom Pearce when he went to seek help. Today the Great Ocean Road backs the gorge, together with a car park, a small cemetery (where the four recovered wreck victims are buried) and steps down to the beach. The beach is 80 m long and is located 300 m deep inside the narrow gorge. Even during high seas, waves are low at the beach, while a surf may break across the entrance. read more

Beach Length: 0.08km