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Visitors will soon have to pay to visit the Twelve Apostles.

Twelve Apostles fee proposal gets mixed response from locals

The state government hasn’t determined how much it will cost, but says without a visitor fee, one of Victoria’s most iconic natural wonders is at risk of being lost.

  • Benjamin Preiss

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The Twelve Apostles.

Visitors to be charged to see the Twelve Apostles

An entry fee and booking system is expected to be introduced at the new $126 million visitor centre, which is due to open this year.

  • Benjamin Preiss and Cassidy Knowlton
Cars being retrieved off the Great Ocean Road.

Cars hauled back to land after being swept out to sea by flash floods

The Great Ocean Road was closed as a delicate recovery mission unfolded, one week after flash floods wreaked havoc on campgrounds at the popular holiday destination.

  • Benjamin Preiss, Isabel McMillan and Alexander Darling
Owners of the submerged cars retrieving their valuables after flooding at Wye River.

‘It was a few seconds’: Warning system under scrutiny after flash floods

Holidaymakers and local leaders have questioned why authorities did not do more to raise the alarm before a “wall of water” swept through the Surf Coast.

  • Cara Waters, Rachael Ward, Bianca Hall, Isabel McMillan and Alexander Darling
Cyclists must push bikes around the must-see panorama of Loch Ard Gorge walking tracks.

No car, no crowds: The new way to do one of our greatest road trips

From volcanic craters to towering redwoods and secret rail trails, the best way to experience the Great Ocean Road is by venturing off the bitumen.

  • Tracey Croke
Loch Ard Gorge on the Great Ocean Road.

The evil secrets of the Great Haunted Ocean Road

Decades ago, Elmer Crawford tried and failed to dispose of the bodies of his murdered family into the depths of a blowhole. Then he went missing – and has never been found.

  • Tony Wright
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The new viewing platform at The Blowhole.

Great Ocean Road’s new $8 million lookout is here – and it’s striking

The viewing platform gives visitors an accessible, environmentally sensitive vantage point designed to amplify the famous roar of the ocean.

  • Julietta Jameson
12 Apostles

Twelve Apostles are down to seven, and the sea could reclaim another any minute

Looming collapses of the limestone stacks and access closures at other sites have called into question the prospect of charging tourists to visit the Great Ocean Road icon.

  • Benjamin Preiss and Liam Mannix
Visitors at the Twelve Apostles lookout along the Great Ocean Road

‘It’s essential’: Call to charge tourists for visits to Twelve Apostles

The Great Ocean Road tourism body and the local council say a user-pays plan would allow better management of visitors and environmental protection.

  • Benjamin Preiss
An aerial view of Point Grey and Lorne Pier.

It should be one of regional Victoria’s best attractions. No one seems able to fix it

This should be one of the most attractive development opportunities on the Victorian coastline. Why is it so hard to develop the site?

  • Benjamin Preiss