In order to take the perfect selfie, ignore warning signs and stand on the edge of a dangerous beach or cliff, tourists put the lives of rescue volunteers at risk, the Sydney Morning Frontier reported.
"over the years, there have been many incidents on the coast, with people falling off cliffs and others stuck in cracks," Port Campbell Mayor (Neil Trotter) said on Monday. On Sunday, father and son lifeguards Ross and Andrew Powell died trying to rescue a tourist.
"some people just walk straight to the edge of the cliff. "tourists who do this are actually unfamiliar with Southern Ocean, and they may come from warmer places, from countries like China or Malaysia," he said.
Sunday's struggling 30-year-old is known to wade into dangerous areas at the entrance to Sherbrook River and be swept away by swift water.
Asked if it was time to reconsider setting signs and warn tourists to stay away from the areas, Mr Troter said the only solution was to surround the entire coastline, noting that tourists had ignored the signs.
Parks Victoria signs set up along the road have also been updated in recent years, with reminders written in Chinese characters and intuitive small illustrations illustrating the dangers of cliff instability.
In January, the Times reported that 12 Apostolic rock operators were worried about the safety of tourists climbing the security fence near unstable cliffs, and called on Parks Victoria to send more staff to patrol the area.
Photo from the Dayang Road viewing platform showed the tourists standing closer to the safety fence, while tour operators said they could see people jump over the fence every day.
Richard Riordan, a local federal lawmaker, said he had seen overseas tourists cross the safety fence to the edge of the cliff just to take the perfect selfie.
"the Twelve Apostolic Rocks have as many tourists as the Great Barrier Reef, and this is a very interesting attraction."
Riordan says education alone is impossible to solve this growing problem, because many overseas tourists may stay in Victoria for a few hours, and they look at the Twelve Apostolic Rocks and leave. "these people got here at six in the morning, jumped in, drove all the way here, took a look, and then went back. How do you convey the message to those who only stay in Australia for two minutes and then leave? "
Ross Powell, a 71-year-old surfer, and his 32-year-old son, Andrew, drowned when the boat capsized while rescuing a tourist.
Rescuers managed to save the 30-year-old tourist and another lifeguard, Phil Younis..
Younis suffered back and leg injuries and was in stable condition at The Alfred Hospital.
Trotter said the incident shocked the whole town and made it clear that volunteers were in great danger every time they set out to rescue them.
Like many people in the town, Ross is a volunteer for the town's SES,CFA and Surfing Lifetime Club.
"for a lot of people, volunteer work can be controlled, but when something like this happens, you'll see how much it costs to volunteer. Most locals know it's a very dangerous beach, there are signs, and Sherbrook Beach has always been worrisome and the current is fast. We are always worried about Easter. "
Riordan met with Port Campbell volunteers in February to discuss the issue.
"some farmers even let tourists park their cars free of charge in their fields because they knew that otherwise they would be stuck in traffic jams. Everyone knows this is a problem, because there are people everywhere. "