Booking choice: The 10 stops day tour, from $56 per person. Check dates Tour details
The Twelve Apostles are the headline, but the stretch of coast around them is just as good, and most of it sits outside the new booking system. Within about 20 minutes' drive you have a beach under the cliffs, a gorge with a shipwreck story, a stack shaped like a blade and an arch that fell into the sea in 1990.
Here is each one in turn, with what is open in 2026, how to reach it, and which tours stop there.
The quick answer
Gibson Steps has 86 steps down to the only beach on this stretch, about 2 km east of the Apostles; it reopened in February 2026 after cliff safety work, and high tide covers most of the sand. Loch Ard Gorge's lookouts are open, but its beach steps are closed for repairs. London Bridge, past Port Campbell, lost its arch in 1990. The Grotto is open; The Arch viewing area is temporarily closed. None of these need a booking.
What is there to see near the Twelve Apostles?
Gibson Steps, Loch Ard Gorge, The Razorback and the Blowhole, London Bridge and The Grotto, all on a short stretch of the Great Ocean Road.
The table runs east to west, in the order you meet them driving from Melbourne along the coast. All are free, and the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, which has managed Port Campbell National Park since August 2024, says access to Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge is unchanged by the Twelve Apostles booking system.
| Sight | Where | What you see | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson Steps | About 2 km east of the Apostles | 86 steps to the beach, two stacks offshore | Open when conditions allow |
| Twelve Apostles | Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre | Seven stacks, six from the main platform | Timed-arrival booking for cars |
| Loch Ard Gorge | A few minutes west | Shipwreck gorge, The Razorback, the Blowhole Lookout | Lookouts open; beach steps closed |
| London Bridge | Just beyond Port Campbell | A stack that was an arch until 1990 | Open |
| The Grotto | Near London Bridge | A window in the rock framing the sea | Open |
| The Arch | Near London Bridge | A sea arch | Viewing area temporarily closed |
Can you walk on the beach at the Twelve Apostles?
Yes, at Gibson Steps: 86 steps cut into the cliff lead down to the beach when conditions allow. There is no beach access at the main platforms.
Gibson Steps is the only beach on this stretch you can reach, and from the sand the cliffs tower overhead and two stacks, Gog and Magog, stand just beyond the shore. The Authority says the steps open "when conditions allow" and asks you to check the signs before heading down. At high tide most of the beach is under water, so check the tide times and go near low tide. Swimming is not safe here.
The steps closed after a rockfall in June 2025, and the Authority reopened them in February 2026 after geotechnical checks and safety work. The cliff-top lookout is step-free; the 86 steps are not wheelchair accessible.
How do you get to Gibson Steps?
Drive or walk about 2 km east of the Twelve Apostles. Gibson Steps has its own small car park off the Great Ocean Road, outside the booking system.
From Melbourne by the coast road, you reach Gibson Steps just before the Apostles. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to go down, walk the beach and climb back up the 86 steps. Several tours stop here: the Otways waterfall tour includes the walk down to the beach, the reverse boutique tour stops at the Gibson Steps lookout, the private tour descends the steps, and the helicopter flight leaves you 2 hours on the ground for them.
The Otways tour reaches the Apostles ahead of the crowds and continues to a waterfall hike and the Californian Redwoods. It meets at Southbank, with no hotel pickup, and lunch at Lavers Hill is at your own cost.
The Twelve Apostles early, the walk down Gibson Steps, a Grade 2 waterfall hike in the Otways and the Californian Redwoods, in a small group.
Explore the Otways waterfall tour Tour detailsWhat happened at Loch Ard Gorge?
In 1878 the clipper Loch Ard struck Mutton Bird Island nearby. Of 54 people on board, two survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael.
Tom Pearce, a young crewman, washed into the gorge and then swam back out to pull Eva Carmichael from the sea. They sheltered in a cave at the back of the beach. The gorge took the ship's name, and this coast is called the Shipwreck Coast for the hundreds of ships wrecked along it.
Today the walks along the cliff top look down into the gorge and out to Mutton Bird Island, where Short-tailed Shearwaters nest from October to April. The 10-stop day tour, the reverse tour, the sunset tour and the deluxe tour all stop here.
Can you go down to the beach at Loch Ard Gorge?
Not at the moment. The beach steps have been closed since May 2023 for rockfall risk and repairs; the lookouts and cliff-top walks are open.
Parks Victoria closed the steps after a rockfall. Independent checks rated the risk of rock falling onto the stairs and beach as high and found faults in the staircase. The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority is repairing and upgrading the stairs, moving a section away from the cliff and removing loose rock. In May 2026 it gave October 2026 as the target to reopen, subject to planning approval. Check the Authority's website for the latest.
The rest of the site is well worth the stop. The Razorback, a thin blade of limestone, is a short walk away, and the Blowhole Lookout, Poombeeyt Koontapool ("Breath of the Whale"), opened in 2025 over the blowhole behind the gorge.
See Loch Ard Gorge and The Razorback with the Twelve Apostles first, before the coaches, on the reverse boutique tour.
Check dates for the reverse boutique tourWhat happened to London Bridge?
In 1990 the arch joining London Bridge to the mainland collapsed, leaving two visitors stranded on the new island until a helicopter rescued them.
London Bridge was a double-arched headland just beyond Port Campbell. The inner arch fell, and what remains is a stack with a single arch, standing alone in the sea. The Authority says Little Penguins sometimes return to the protected beach below at dusk, so stay late if you can.
Fewer day tours come this far west. The 10-stop day tour starts here, and one guest says the group had it almost to themselves that early. The 2-day tour includes it among the nine Shipwreck Coast lookouts.
London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, The Razorback and the Twelve Apostles in one day from Melbourne, from the lowest price on this site.
Explore the 10 stops day tour Tour detailsAre The Grotto and The Arch open?
The Grotto is open. The Arch viewing area and day visitor site are temporarily closed for public safety because of unstable cliffs and track erosion.
The Grotto is a hollow in the cliff where a window of rock frames the sea, a short walk down from the car park near London Bridge. The Authority lists car parking, lookouts and accessible parking at the site, and no dogs.
Further west lies the Bay of Islands, quieter and good at sunset, if you are driving yourself and staying in Port Campbell or Peterborough. Our driving guide covers where to stay.
How long do you need for the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge?
Half a day: 1 to 2 hours at the Twelve Apostles, about 45 minutes at Gibson Steps, an hour at Loch Ard Gorge, plus London Bridge if you go on.
Driving yourself, start at Gibson Steps near low tide, then the Apostles at your booked arrival time, then Loch Ard Gorge and on to Port Campbell for lunch. London Bridge and The Grotto take another hour. Bring a hat and water, since there is little shade on the cliff top.
On a tour, the timing is done for you. The 10-stop day covers London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, The Razorback and the Apostles before lunch, then heads home along the coast road.
Four of the coast's big sights before lunch, then koalas and Apollo Bay on the way home, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the 10 stops day tourFrequently asked questions
How many steps are there at Gibson Steps?
86 steps down the cliff to the beach. They open when conditions allow, so check the signs, and go near low tide, as high tide covers most of the beach.
Is the Loch Ard Gorge beach open?
The beach steps are closed for repairs to the staircase and cliff. The lookouts and cliff-top walks are open, and the Authority is working to reopen beach access.
How far is London Bridge from the Twelve Apostles?
It is just beyond Port Campbell, which is about 7 km west of the Apostles, so allow about 20 minutes' drive.
Do you need a booking for Gibson Steps or Loch Ard Gorge?
No. Both have their own car parks and sit outside the Twelve Apostles booking system.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Great Ocean Road 10 Stops Day Tour
- Air-conditioned coach and driver-guide
- 10 stops including the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge
- Wild koala and kangaroo spotting
Great Ocean Road Boutique Tour in Reverse
- Minibus from three central Melbourne pickup points
- Guide and wildlife spotting, with a koala walk
- A "12 Apostles Entrance Ticket" in the operator's words (entry is free until April 2027)
12 Apostles, Otways & Great Ocean Road Day Tour
More walking: Gibson Steps, an Otway waterfall and the Redwoods
