Tourists will be charged to see the Twelve Apostles. Is this a good thing?

The Victorian Government has announced there will be a new and upgraded Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre opening in late 2026. To help cover the cost of operating and maintaining this new tourism precinct and for protecting the environmental conservation along the Great Ocean Road, a user-pays system will be introduced. With the number of visitors to the Twelve Apostles expected to hit 4 million people a year by this year, a fee could be seen as a good thing! Why? Well it will help protect this popular tourist spot for years to come.

So how much will it cost to see the Twelve Apostles?

The specific cost of a booking hasn’t been disclosed as yet, but the Chief Executive of Corangamite Shire, David Rae, suggested that the fee may be in the range of $10-20.

What does a booking at the Twelve Apostles include?

If a fee system to see the Twelve Apostles is implemented, the fee is expected to cover a parking spot at the specified time you booked for and provide a less crowded experience. It’s unclear how long the allocated time slot will be. The fee will also be a contribution to put back into maintaining the local environment and infrastructure of this extremely popular spot along the Great Ocean Road.

It should be noted it will only be a fee to see the Twelve Apostles, the rest of the Great Ocean Road, at this stage, will remain free to travel.

Stay tuned.