There are many places in the world which are notorious for suicides. Every year millions of people commit suicide in the world. Most of these are such places where people jump and give their lives. After trying suicide from these places, the chances of survival are very low. But till date no one has understood why most people come to suicide at these places. Today we are going to tell you about the place which is considered notorious for suicides. The name of this place is "The Gap". Basically, it is an ocean cliff on the South Head peninsula in eastern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although the cliff is a popular visitor destination, but it has an infamy for suicides. It is a well known place for suicides. Similar to Beachy Head in England, the tall cliffs have made it a location for those wishing to end their lives. People try to suicide here from around the height of 100 feet. On average, about 50 people suicide here each year. The area, which faces the Tasman Sea, is located in the eastern suburb of Watsons Bay, in the Municipality of Woollahra, near South Head. Since the beginning of European settlement, The Gap has been a major destination for tourists, for whom it provided easy access to ocean views. A well-known TV news anchor of Australia, Charmaine Dragun, is also including in the suicide list of this place. Charmaine Dragun was an Australian broadcast journalist and presenter. She was a co-anchor on Ten Eyewitness News. Dragun, who had been diagnosed with depression and had a history of anorexia, died by suicide on 2 November 2007. In June 1995, a 24-year-old model, Caroline Byrne, fell to her death at The Gap. Caroline Byrne was an Australian model. She was found at the bottom of a cliff at The Gap in Sydney in the early hours of 8 June 1995. The Gap has been part of Sydney Harbour National Park since 1982. In 1990, the area was opened to the public to offer access to the spectacular cliff views and walks.
The Gap is formed from Sydney sandstone making it part of Sydney basin. The cliff was laid as sediment more than 200 million years ago in the Triassic period. The rock is a very porous stone. It is composed of very pure silica grains and a small amount of the iron mineral siderite in varying proportions, bound with a clay matrix. The Gap's warm yellow-brown colour is due to oxidation of the stone. The total maximum thickness of rock formations within the Sydney Basin are in depth ranges of 5,000 metres.
In 2009, Don Ritchie, a former Second World War Naval veteran and retired insurance agent, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for preventing suicides at The Gap. From 1964, Ritchie saved 164 people from jumping from the cliffs by crossing the road from his property and engaging them in conversation, often beginning with the words, "Can I help you in some way?" Afterwards Ritchie would invite them back to his home for a cup of tea and a chat. Some would return years later to thank him for his efforts in talking them out of their decision. Ritchie, who was nicknamed the "Angel of The Gap", died in May 2012. Skinks and eastern water dragons can often be seen moving among the rocks. Seabirds, such as the silver gull and the Pacific gull use the cliff for nesting sites. The sandstone cliff has created nutrient-poor soils similar to those found around Sydney.
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