Greece claims Victoria’s Twelve Apostles, uses ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ defence

Melbourne is said to have the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Europe. So maybe that’s their excuse for claiming Victoria’s iconic Twelve Apostles as their own.

In a promotional video released by Greece’s tourism board, footage of the Twelve Apostles is interspersed with Greek scenery. At no point in the video, or its credits, is it made clear that the coastline is actually in Australia and not in Greece.

The 15 seconds of footage was taken from a video by Australian astro-photographer Alex Cherney, who was alerted to its use via social media, The Age reported.

The footage was used without permission, but when Mr Cherney contacted the film’s director, he was informed that the Greek tourism agency has since acquired a licence for the footage and plans to keep using it.

"The fact that they're showing the Twelve Apostles in a tourism video for Visit Greece is somewhat, you would say, preposterous," he told the newspaper.

Footage of the Twelve Apostles used in the Visit Greece ad. Picture: Alex Cherney Source: YouTube

A statement from the Greek tourism ministry read that the use of the Australian footage was deliberate.

"That almost all the world, wherever you turn your eyes, you will meet an idea, a name, that originated from Greece. Even the skies of Australia in the southern hemisphere, explains the artistic creator, when lift your eyes open, you will see stars and constellations that carry Greek names. The mythology of the sky at all latitudes and longitudes of the earth is Greek."

Mr Cherney said it was a farcical defence.

We are calling it the My Big Fat Greek Wedding defence.