Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles are a cluster of limestone sea stacks in Port Campbell National Park on Victoria's Great Ocean Road, about a 10-minute drive east of Port Campbell township. They rise up to 45 metres above the Southern Ocean along a stretch of coast known as the Shipwreck Coast. The main lookout is signposted directly off the Great Ocean Road and is reached via the visitor precinct car park.

Despite the name, there were never actually twelve stacks. Seven limestone stacks remain today, with six visible from the main viewing platform and a seventh just around the corner. A 50-metre stack collapsed in July 2005 and another fell in 2009, leaving the current count.

Yes, slowly. The base of the stacks is eroding at roughly 2 centimetres per year as Southern Ocean swells wear away the soft Miocene limestone. The same process that destroys old stacks also creates new ones from existing headlands, so the formation is constantly evolving rather than vanishing overnight.

It is roughly a 4.5-hour drive via the scenic Great Ocean Road through Torquay, Lorne and Apollo Bay, or about 3 hours via the inland Princes Highway through Colac. Most visitors do it as a long day trip, but staying overnight in Port Campbell or Apollo Bay lets you catch sunrise or sunset without rushing back.

Yes. There is no entry fee for the Twelve Apostles, and parking at the main visitor precinct off the Great Ocean Road is free. From the car park, sealed walking paths take you under the road via a pedestrian tunnel to the cliff-top lookouts.

Sunset is the classic choice, when the limestone cliffs glow in shades of red, orange and pink, and you may also spot Little Penguins returning to the beach between September and April. Sunrise is quieter and lights the stacks from the front, which photographers tend to prefer. Visiting outside the middle of the day generally means smaller crowds and softer light.

The main Twelve Apostles lookout, accessed from the visitor precinct, offers the postcard view of six stacks lined up along the cliffs. Gibson Steps, about 1 kilometre east, gives a different cliff-top angle of two stacks known as Gog and Magog. Loch Ard Gorge, a few minutes further west, is the third must-see stop in the area.

Sometimes. The 86-step descent to the beach is regularly closed for safety after rockfalls, and access has been suspended through 2025. The cliff-top lookout and car park stay open, and Parks Victoria publishes current conditions on its website, so it is worth checking before you go.

Loch Ard Gorge sits about 3 kilometres west of the Twelve Apostles and is named after the 1878 shipwreck of the clipper Loch Ard. Several short walks loop around the cliff tops, taking in blowholes, sea arches and dramatic gorge views. The beach stairs into the gorge itself have been closed due to geological instability, but the cliff-top circuits remain open.

Plan on at least 1 to 2 hours at the main lookout itself, which is enough time to walk both viewing platforms and watch the light change. To also fit in Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge, allow half a day. Stretching it across an overnight stay lets you experience both sunset and sunrise.

12 Apostles Helicopters operates from directly behind the visitor centre, with the shortest 12 Apostles to London Bridge scenic flight starting from around $195 per person. Longer routes that take in the Bay of Islands or Cape Otway Lighthouse run from roughly $295 up to $745 per person. Bookings are not essential but are recommended in peak periods.

Port Campbell is the closest town and the most convenient base, with motels, cottages, apartments and a holiday park all within a 10-minute drive of the main lookout. Apollo Bay, about 90 minutes east along the Great Ocean Road, is a larger option with a wider choice of restaurants and accommodation if you are spreading the drive over two days.