Find a stop on the map

Where are the 12 Apostles in Victoria?

Quick summary

The 12 Apostles are in Victoria, in Port Campbell National Park on the Great Ocean Road, and the inland road from Melbourne takes approximately 3 hours.

Where to look

  • The car park is 7 km past Port Campbell3
  • Gibson Steps is a 1.1 km walk away17
  • Every visitor needs a booking from 16 October 20265

Map of 18 stops

The Apostles coast, pin by pin

Tap a route first, then a pin or stop, for its note and Google Maps.

Map of the Twelve Apostles coast with Port Campbell, Loch Ard Gorge, the Visitor Centre, Gibson Steps, Princetown and London Bridge

  1. The Discovery Walk starts in Port Campbell township and leads to Two Mile Bay.

    Google Maps

  2. Loch Ard Gorge is just minutes from the Twelve Apostles.

    Google Maps

  3. The Visitor Centre is on Booringa Rd in Port Campbell National Park. Every visitor needs a booking from 16 October 2026.

    Google Maps

  4. Gibson Steps is on the Great Ocean Road, 5 km west of Princetown township.

    Google Maps

  5. The helicopter base sits at the corner of the Great Ocean Road and Booringa Road, with a Princetown address.

    Google Maps

  6. London Bridge lies on London Bridge Rd, Peterborough.

    Google Maps

Mapping data © OpenStreetMap contributors

The 12 Apostles stand off the Great Ocean Road in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria. This guide gives the routes, the car park and the stops next door, with a pin map.

Editorial team, 12apostlestour.com · Updated November 7, 2026 · ~6 min read

In brief

  • The placeThe Visitor Centre is on Booringa Rd in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria.1
  • From MelbourneThe inland route takes approximately 3 hours by car.2
  • The car parkIt lies 7 km past Port Campbell, coming from Warrnambool.3
  • Next doorLoch Ard Gorge is just minutes from the Apostles.4
  • Before you goEvery visitor needs a booking from 16 October 2026.5

Victoria's Shipwreck Coast, in Port Campbell National Park

The 12 Apostles are in Victoria, on the south-west coast of the state, inside Port Campbell National Park. The Visitor Centre address is Booringa Rd, Port Campbell National Park.1 The park is open year-round, and the park authority says spring and summer give the most favorable weather for outdoor activities.6 That is the short answer to where the 12 Apostles are: a stretch of cliffs and limestone stacks that the Southern Ocean has been carving for a very long time.

Searches for Victoria 12 Apostles are about a coast, not a Bible story, so it helps to say plainly what this is. These are sea stacks off a coast road, not a town and not a building. The authority describes the Southern Ocean shaping limestone cliffs, offshore stacks, sea caves and natural arches along this wild stretch of coast.7 Port Campbell, the township just to the west, provides accommodation and dining.8

The stacks are not a single headland you can walk around. You see them from lookouts reached by a short walk from the visitor area, with sweeping views across the coastline.9 Everything else in this guide hangs off that place: the road in, the car park, the booking and the other stops that sit within minutes of the main viewing platform.

Routes at a glance

Ways to reach the car park, side by side

Starting pointRouteTimeNotes
MelbournePrinces Highway, inlandApproximately 3 hours2Quickest road route
MelbourneGreat Ocean RoadApproximately 5 hours14Operator's figure
MelbourneGreat Ocean Road4.5 hours15Parks Victoria's figure
WarrnamboolVia AllansfordApproximately 50 minutes19Past Peterborough
Port CampbellGreat Ocean Road east7 km to the car park3Last town before it
Melbourne CBD hotelsDay tour pickup13 hours 30 minutes in allReturn trip included

Drive times are approximate and differ by source, so allow extra time on winding roads.

On the Great Ocean Road, and how long that road is

Seeing the 12 Apostles on Great Ocean Road drives is the usual plan, because the coast road runs right past the car park. The Great Ocean Road starts in the surf town of Torquay and finishes in Allansford, near Warrnambool.12 It stretches over 243 kilometres.13 The Apostles sit toward the western end of that line, so the whole road is a long way to go for a short walk at the end.

You do not have to follow the whole coast to reach them. From Melbourne, the helicopter operator based at the car park gives two ways in: the quickest is the Princes Highway route, approximately a 3 hour drive, and the scenic way along the Great Ocean Road is approximately 5 hours.2,14 Parks Victoria's visitor guide gives the same inland figure of 3 hours and puts the coast road at 4.5 hours.15 Those two sources differ on the coast road, so plan for a long scenic day either way.

The inland route turns left on the Simpson-Timboon turn-off approximately 10 km past Colac, then follows the signs through Simpson to Princetown.10 At the Great Ocean Road you turn right toward Port Campbell, and the car park is 2 km to the west.11 Driving yourself, remember that in Australia all vehicles travel on the left side of the road.16

Short distances

Distances around the car park in kilometers

  • Walk to Gibson Steps1.1
  • Junction to car park2
  • Princetown to steps5
  • Port Campbell leg7

The Gibson Steps walk is 1.1 km, the car park is 2 km west of the Great Ocean Road junction on the inland route, Gibson Steps is 5 km west of Princetown and the car park is 7 km past Port Campbell.17,11,18,3

From Warrnambool and the western side

Coming from the west is a different picture. From Warrnambool you travel east on the Princes Highway until Allansford, then turn right onto the Great Ocean Road and continue past Peterborough and Port Campbell.21 The drive is approximately 50 minutes.19 The car park is 7 km past Port Campbell on that road, so Port Campbell is the last town before the stacks.3

That western approach matters if you are staying on the coast rather than joining a day tour. Port Campbell National Park has limited facilities, and nearby towns like Port Campbell provide accommodation, dining and other amenities.8 A base in Port Campbell puts the Apostles a short drive away, and the park advises booking accommodation and national park campsites early in peak seasons.22

Peak season on the Great Ocean Road is the summer holidays from late December to January and around the Easter long weekend, according to the regional tourism body.23 If your dates fall in those windows, the road is busy and the car park fills. The same body suggests autumn or winter for fewer crowds, when waterfalls flow and whales pass offshore.24,25

Pick your route

Which way in suits you?

Choose the line that sounds like your day and the answer sits beside it.

  • If I want the quickest drive

    Take the inland road

    The Princes Highway route is the quickest, approximately 3 hours from Melbourne.2

  • If I want the scenic coast

    Take the Great Ocean Road

    It runs over 243 kilometres from Torquay to Allansford.13,12

  • If I am staying on the coast

    Base yourself in Port Campbell

    Nearby towns like Port Campbell provide accommodation, dining and other amenities.8

  • If I do not want to drive

    Join a day tour

    Guided touring and coach or train are the alternatives the tourism body names.20

  • If I am coming from the west

    Start in Warrnambool

    The drive is approximately 50 minutes past Peterborough and Port Campbell.19,21

Three ways in

Three ways to arrive, compared

By car

Inland drive

Quickest from Melbourne

  • TimeAbout 3 hours2
  • Turn-off10 km past Colac10
  • Car park2 km past the junction11
See this day

By car

Coast road

Scenic and slower

  • TimeAbout 5 hours14
  • Length243 km in all13
  • StartsTorquay12
See this day

Site tour

Day tour

No driving

  • Length13 hours 30 minutes
  • PickupMelbourne CBD hotels
  • Pricefrom $95
See this day

The stops that sit around the main lookout

Loch Ard Gorge is just minutes from the Twelve Apostles and counts among the most scenic places on the Shipwreck Coast.4 It is named after the Loch Ard, which struck Mutton Bird Island in 1878, and only two of the 54 people on board survived.40 It sits on Post Office Rd in the same national park, so a visit to both fits comfortably into a single outing.41

Gibson Steps is on the Great Ocean Road, 5 km west of Princetown township.18 You can park at the 12 Apostles and walk to it along a 1.1 km section of the Great Ocean Walk.17 London Bridge lies on London Bridge Rd, Peterborough, further west beyond Port Campbell.28 Tourism Australia says the neighbouring stops, including London Bridge and the Bay of Islands, are within a 30-minute drive of each other.42

In Port Campbell itself the Discovery Walk starts in the township and leads to Two Mile Bay, and from its headland you can look back to Port Campbell, Sentinel Rock and the Twelve Apostles.26,43 A 191-step staircase hugs the western headland at the start.44 It is a way to see the same coast from the opposite direction without getting in a car.

Route in order

From Melbourne to the lookout, by the inland road

  1. Melbourne

    Leave the city

    Take the Princes Highway, the quickest road route to the 12 Apostles, approximately 3 hours.2

  2. Colac

    Watch for the turn

    Turn left onto the Simpson-Timboon road approximately 10 km past Colac.10

  3. Simpson

    Follow the signs

    Follow the signs through Simpson and on to Princetown.10

  4. Great Ocean Road

    Turn right

    At the Great Ocean Road turn right toward Port Campbell.11

  5. Car park

    Reach the car park

    The car park is 2 km to the west of the junction.11

  6. Lookouts

    Walk to the platform

    A short walk from the visitor area leads to windswept lookouts.9

What you can see once you are there

Most visitors count seven rock stacks from the main viewing platform.45 From the current platform visitors see seven sea stacks, down from eight after one collapsed in 2005.46 The count is the question every visitor asks, and it has its own page on this site. Here the point is that the view is from a platform, not from a boat or a beach.

At Gibson Steps the picture changes. When conditions allow, the steps lead down to a wild beach at the foot of towering limestone cliffs, and the offshore stacks known as Gog and Magog stand just beyond the shore.47,48 Beach access may change with weather, tides and safety conditions, so signs should be checked before heading down.39

Gibson Steps beach is within the protected area of the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park.49 That is a reminder that the water in front of the stacks is a protected marine area, not just scenery. At dusk you may also see Little Penguins returning to the beach far below the Apostles.50 London Bridge is the other place on this coast where the nightly return can be watched.51

Video

Guide to the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles: worth the drive?

Michael B. Traveller on YouTube · Playback files load only once you tap play.

Just minutes from the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge is one of the most significant and scenic places on the Shipwreck Coast.
Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority4

Before you leave

A checklist for finding the 12 Apostles

Plan the drive4

  • Book your visit, as every visitor needs a booking from 16 October 20265
  • Allow extra time, since winding roads take longer than they look36
  • Keep left, every time you drive16
  • Pull completely off the road to take photos37

On the coast4

  • Look for the car park 7 km past Port Campbell3
  • Use the Great Ocean Walk to reach Gibson Steps, 1.1 km17
  • Visit early or late in the day for fewer people38
  • Check signs before going down to the beach39

Getting there without driving yourself

The regional tourism body notes that you can technically drive from Melbourne to the 12 Apostles and back in a single day, but does not recommend it.36 Its suggestion for those who would rather not drive is guided touring, or travelling by coach or train.20 A Great Ocean 12 Apostles day tour turns the question of where they are into a seat on a coach, with the driving and the parking handled for you.

This site's tour is the GetYourGuide listing From Melbourne: Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, Wildlife Tour. It is a day trip of 13 hours 30 minutes with pickup from selected hotels in the Melbourne CBD, an air-conditioned vehicle and a live English guide. Its stops include Torquay Surf Beach, Apollo Bay, the Gibson Steps, the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. It is listed from $95 with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

A last point for anyone arriving under their own steam. From 16 October 2026 every visitor to the Twelve Apostles needs to reserve a spot in advance.5 Booking is free for now and a fee will come later.52 Public access to Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge is unchanged by the new booking system.53 Check the booking rules for your date before you set off.

FAQ

Questions answered quickly.

Where are the 12 Apostles located?
In Port Campbell National Park, Victoria.

The Visitor Centre is on Booringa Rd in Port Campbell National Park, on the Great Ocean Road.1

How far are the 12 Apostles from Melbourne?
About 3 hours by the inland route.

The inland route is approximately 3 hours; the scenic coast road takes approximately 5 hours by one source and 4.5 hours by another.2,14,15

Are the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road?
Yes, toward its western end.

The road runs over 243 kilometres from Torquay to Allansford, and the car park is 7 km past Port Campbell.13,3

How far is Port Campbell from the 12 Apostles?
The car park is 7 km past the town.

Coming from Warrnambool, the 12 Apostles information centre car park is 7 km past Port Campbell.3

Is Loch Ard Gorge near the 12 Apostles?
Yes, just minutes away.

Loch Ard Gorge is just minutes from the Twelve Apostles and is one of the most scenic places on the Shipwreck Coast.4

Can I walk from the 12 Apostles to Gibson Steps?
Yes, along the Great Ocean Walk.

A 1.1 km section of the Great Ocean Walk links the 12 Apostles car park with Gibson Steps.17

Do I need a booking to visit?
Yes, from 16 October 2026.

Every visitor needs to reserve a spot in advance, and arriving without one risks a wait if parking is full.5,54

Sources

  1. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Twelve Apostles ↩
  2. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  3. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  4. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Loch Ard Gorge ↩
  5. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre ↩
  6. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell National Park ↩
  7. Parks Victoria (parks.vic.gov.au) · Port Campbell National Park: Twelve Apostles ↩
  8. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell National Park ↩
  9. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Twelve Apostles ↩
  10. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  11. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  12. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  13. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  14. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  15. Parks Victoria (parks.vic.gov.au) · Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Park Visitor Guide (PDF) ↩
  16. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Road Safety ↩
  17. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Gibson Steps ↩
  18. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Gibson Steps ↩
  19. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  20. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Road Safety ↩
  21. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here ↩
  22. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell National Park ↩
  23. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  24. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  25. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  26. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell Discovery Walk ↩
  27. 12 Apostles Helicopters · How to get here
  28. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · London Bridge, The Grotto and The Arch ↩
  29. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · A Taste of the 12 Apostles Coast and Hinterland
  30. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Eat & Drink
  31. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail
  32. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail
  33. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail
  34. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · A Taste of the 12 Apostles Coast and Hinterland
  35. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Eat & Drink
  36. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
  37. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Road Safety ↩
  38. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Twelve Apostles ↩
  39. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Gibson Steps ↩
  40. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Loch Ard Gorge ↩
  41. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Loch Ard Gorge ↩
  42. Tourism Australia (australia.com) · Travel guide to the 12 Apostles ↩
  43. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell Discovery Walk ↩
  44. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Port Campbell Discovery Walk ↩
  45. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · How Many Apostles Are There? ↩
  46. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Naming the 12 Apostles ↩
  47. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Gibson Steps ↩
  48. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Gibson Steps ↩
  49. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Gibson Steps ↩
  50. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Twelve Apostles ↩
  51. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · London Bridge ↩
  52. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre ↩
  53. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority · Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre - Twelve Apostles ↩
  54. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism · Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre ↩

More to read

More to read before you go

GuideGreat ocean road day tour from melbourneGuideSelf drive or tour great ocean roadGuideGreat ocean road itinerary and best stopsGuidePrivate and small group great ocean road tours

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