Loch Ard Gorge

The gorge is named after the clipper Loch Ard that was shipwrecked on 1 June 1878 near the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Of 54 passengers and crew, only two survived: Thomas Pearce, one of the ship's apprentices; and Eva Carmichael, an Irishwoman emigrating with her family. Pearce and Carmichael were each 19 years old.[1]

According to memorials at the site, Pearce was washed ashore, and rescued Carmichael from the water after hearing her cries for help. Pearce then climbed out of the gorge to raise the alarm to local pastoralists who quickly came to Carmichael's rescue. Three months after the disaster, which claimed the lives of seven members of her family, Carmichael returned to Ireland. Pearce was hailed a hero, and the Victorian Humane Society awarded him its first Gold Medal. He died aged 49 and is buried in Southampton Old Cemetery, England.

Cemetery for the Loch Ard passengers

At least four of Loch Ard's passengers are buried nearby: Reginald Jones, Arthur Mitchell, Eva Carmichael's elder sister Raby and their mother Rebecca.[2] The bodies of many of the other passengers and crew were never found.

The arch of the nearby Island Archway collapsed in June 2009. The feature now appears as two unconnected rock pillars.[3] They have since been officially named Tom and Eva after the two survivors of the Loch Ard wreck.[4]

A portion of Loch Ard Gorge

^ "The Loch Ard coast revisited". Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil. Vol. XIV, no. 203. Melbourne. 10 March 1886. p. 39. Retrieved 9 March 2017 – via Trove. ^ "The wreck of the Loch Ard". The Age. No. 7, 276. Melbourne. 7 June 1878. p. 3 – via Trove. ^ McNaught, Megan (11 June 2009). "Island Archway near Loch Ard Gorge loses its archway". Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009. ^ "Latest News". The Official Website of The Geelong Otway Tourism Region of The Great Ocean Road. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2010.