The Twelve Apostles: Victoria’s Most Photographed Coastline, Correctly Named or Not

There are not twelve of them. There were originally nine stacks still standing when the site was formally named the Twelve Apostles in 1922 (it was previously called Sow and Piglets, which gives a sense of the naming committee’s creativity). Since then the number has declined: one collapsed dramatically in 2005 while a tourist helicopter flew overhead, capturing the moment on video. As of the current count, eight stacks remain.

This is not a reason not to visit. The coastline is spectacular, the stacks are genuinely impressive, and the collapse and erosion are part of what makes the limestone coast dynamic rather than static. But arrival expecting twelve is arrival expecting something inaccurate.

The Stacks and the Viewing Area

The main viewing platform at the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park sits on the cliff edge above the stacks. The approach from the car park involves a short walk through the Gibson Steps, which take you down to the beach at sea level. From the beach, the stacks are at eye level and their scale becomes apparent in a way it does not from above. The beach itself is accessible but swimming is dangerous due to undertow.

Helicopter tours operate from the car park and provide the best perspective on the full extent of the limestone cliff formations extending both east and west. A 15-minute flight costs around $145 per person; the operators are at the car park and tours run continuously throughout the day.

The light on the stacks changes dramatically through the day. The most photographed conditions are at sunrise (stacks lit from the east over calm water) and sunset (warm light from the west with the cliffs glowing orange). Both require an early start or a late finish; accommodation nearby is not inexpensive but the timing is worth planning for.

The Rest of the Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles are the headline, but the 243-kilometre Great Ocean Road between Torquay and Allansford is its own justification for the drive. The most dramatic coastal sections are around the Otway Cape and beyond.

Loch Ard Gorge, 3 kilometres east of the Twelve Apostles, is a narrow gorge where two survivors of the 1878 shipwreck of the Loch Ard came ashore after a crossing that killed 52 of the 54 aboard. The gorge is beautiful and the story of Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, who survived but never met again after their rescue, is genuinely affecting. The geology is as good as the main apostle site and the gorge sees fewer visitors.

The Arch, nearby, is a natural arch standing offshore accessible by a short walk from a car park. It is free to see and has no visitor facilities.

London Bridge further east is a natural arch formation that partially collapsed in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on the seaward section until rescued by helicopter. The remaining arch section is smaller than the original but the story gives it character.

The Otway Ranges

The hinterland behind the coast has the Otway Ranges, covered in temperate rainforest with tall mountain ash, tree ferns, and the Otway Fly Treetop Walk at Beech Forest (elevated walkway through the forest canopy, $32 admission). The Cape Otway Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, is accessible on the cape below the ranges; the lighthouse grounds have koalas in the trees around the car park at a density that surprises first-time visitors.

Getting There and Back

Melbourne is the starting point for almost all Great Ocean Road visits. The drive from Melbourne’s CBD to the Twelve Apostles takes about 3.5-4 hours without stops. The road itself makes stops inevitable; Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Anglesea all have good coffee and food.

One-day driving tours from Melbourne are possible but rushed. Two days gives time to stay in Apollo Bay or Lorne and walk the coastline at a reasonable pace. Three days allows for the Cape Otway inland loop and a return via the Shipwreck Coast.

If driving from Melbourne, go anticlockwise (Melbourne to Geelong to Torquay to Apollo Bay to Apostles): the scenery is more dramatic when you approach from the northeast with the ocean on your left rather than on the inland return. The Princes Highway return via Colac is faster but less scenic.

Car park at the Twelve Apostles is free. Arrive before 9am in summer to get a space without queuing. Helicopter bookings can be done on arrival.