Visitors to the Twelve Apostles May Soon be Charged Fees in New Proposal

 

An estimated 4 million annual visitors to Victoria’s famous Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road could soon be charged an entry fee to the site under a plan proposed by the local council and tourism board. 

In a joint statement, the Corangamite Shire Council and Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism have called on the Victorian Government to seize a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to implement an access or parking fee at the Twelve Apostles. 

‘As stewards of the visitor economy in this extraordinary region, we believe a thoughtfully introduced user-pays system is not only fair, it is essential’, said the board’s chairman, Andrew Jeffers. 

According to the statement, the proposed fee, the exact amount of which isn’t yet determined, would help support ‘infrastructure, conservation, community wellbeing, and user experience’, including the $126 million development of the Twelve Apostles Precinct, which includes a new visitor centre.

Read more: The 12 Apostles Has a Brand New Lookout

Does the Great Ocean Road miss out on tourism dollars?

The proposal has been designed to help the region benefit from its high number of tourists, which the tourism sector believes is missing out on potential economic benefit. Many visitors to the Twelve Apostles arrive in tour groups on day trips from Melbourne and return back to the city at the end of the day, reducing the time and money spent in the region. 

According to the Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism board, around 2.8 million people visited the Twelve Apostles in 2019, and 4 million people are expected to visit annually by 2026, just three months away. 

Chief Executive of Corangamite Shire, David Rae, says that international travellers are used to paying for experiences, but residents of the area would be exempt from the fees. 

‘We’ve got to find the sweet spot the market is willing to bear’, he said. When asked by The Age what a reasonable price to pay would be, Rae didn’t give specifics, but suggested somewhere in the range of $10-$20. 

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism general manager, Liz Price, also suggested that a tiered pricing system would incentivise people to make a trip at quieter times of the day, and year, and encourage overnight stays. 

‘It’s time we aligned our tourism management with our values — sustainability, responsibility, and long-term community benefit’, Price said.

There is no suggestion of tolling users of the Great Ocean Road itself.