Loch Ard Gorge Quiz: Victoria's Shipwreck Coast Story

This Loch Ard Gorge quiz descends to the sheltered beach where two survivors washed ashore. Play 10 interactive questions on the clipper Loch Ard, its 1878 wreck on Mutton Bird Island, apprentice Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, the Shipwreck Coast, Port Campbell National Park, the Razorback, the Island Archway's 2009 collapse and the Loch Ard peacock.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

State
Which Australian state is Loch Ard Gorge in?
Ship
What was the Loch Ard?
Year
When did the Loch Ard wreck?
Island
Which island did the ship strike?
Survivors
How many people survived?
Tom
Who was Tom Pearce?
Eva
What happened between Tom and Eva later?
Coast
What is this stretch of coast nicknamed?
Arch
What happened to the Island Archway in 2009?
Peacock
Which object from the wreck survived intact?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Australian state is Loch Ard Gorge in?
Answer: Victoria
It is on the Great Ocean Road.
Q2: What was the Loch Ard?
Answer: A sailing ship from England
It was nearing Melbourne.
Q3: When did the Loch Ard wreck?
Answer: 1878
It struck rocks before dawn.
Q4: Which island did the ship strike?
Answer: Mutton Bird Island
Fog hid the coast.
Q5: How many people survived?
Answer: Two
Most of those aboard died.
Q6: Who was Tom Pearce?
Answer: A young apprentice sailor
He rescued Eva from the water.
Q7: What happened between Tom and Eva later?
Answer: They did not marry
Eva returned to Ireland.
Q8: What is this stretch of coast nicknamed?
Answer: Shipwreck Coast
Many ships were lost there.
Q9: What happened to the Island Archway in 2009?
Answer: It collapsed
Two pillars were left standing.
Q10: Which object from the wreck survived intact?
Answer: A large porcelain peacock
It is shown at Flagstaff Hill.

The Shipwreck That Named a Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge lies in Port Campbell National Park on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. It is named after the Loch Ard, a sailing ship from England that struck Mutton Bird Island in fog before dawn in 1878, near the end of its voyage to Melbourne.

Of those aboard, only two survived. Tom Pearce, a young apprentice, washed into the gorge and then swam back out to rescue Eva Carmichael, a passenger clinging to wreckage. Despite public hopes of a romance, they did not marry, and Eva returned to Ireland.

This stretch is called the Shipwreck Coast because so many vessels were lost on its cliffs. Nearby sights include the Razorback, a narrow rock ridge, and the Island Archway, which collapsed in 2009, leaving two pillars. A large porcelain peacock from the Loch Ard survived and is shown at Flagstaff Hill in Warrnambool.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

What the Loch Ard was
How it wrecked
Who survived
Which coast it is on
What remains today

Did You Know?

The pillars left by the arch were nicknamed Tom and Eva.
Graves of victims lie in a cemetery above the gorge.
Divers can visit the wreck site in calm weather.
Lighthouses were built along this coast after many wrecks.
The Twelve Apostles are just along the road.