Pay to view: Controversial new visitor centre opens at Twelve Apostles

One of Australia’s most famous attractions is soon to become a place you will need to book and, eventually, pay to see.

The Twelve Apostles has been a must-see site along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road since the 240-kilometre coastal route from Torquay to Allansford was completed. For most of that time, a visit has required little forethought beyond finding somewhere to pull over.

That changes this month, when a $126 million redevelopment opens, anchored by the new Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre.

From October 16, prospective visitors to the Twelve Apostles will need to go to the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority’s official website (which is now open) and book a time for when they want to go.

Initially, timeslots will be free, although the Victorian government plans to introduce a fee. Those who turn up without a booking can make one at the entrance, but may have to wait if the precinct is at capacity.

It’s a sizeable investment in an attraction that is, geologically speaking, anything but permanent. There were never actually Twelve Apostles: nine stacks stood at the beginning of the century but only seven remain as wind and waves continue the erosion that created them in the first place.

The changes haven’t been universally welcomed. Local MP Richard Riordan is among critics of the planned visitor fee and has asked how the revenue raised will eventually be spent.

The 3300-square-metre visitor centre is designed by international architecture firm Grimshaw, with landscape architects Aspect Studios, and includes exhibition and retail spaces, a rooftop garden, an observation area and a 230-seat restaurant and cafe. There’s a local flavour to the food offerings, with Timboon Fine Ice Cream and Timboon Railway Shed Distillery among the regional names represented.

The precinct has been co-designed with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, which has previously identified First Nations visitor experiences as underrepresented along the Great Ocean Road. Eastern Maar knowledge has informed the architecture, landscaping, interpretation and approach to caring for Country.

A welcome garden introduces visitors to Eastern Maar biocultural heritage, while displays and audiovisual experiences explore everything from creator deity Bunjil and the Kooyang eel cycle to shell middens, bush food and the changing coastline.

And there’s now a little more effort required in reaching that famous view. A path from the visitor centre to the Twelve Apostles viewing platforms makes for a stroll of about two kilometres return, and provides an opportunity to understand the site on a deeper level rather than just admiring it.

The landscaped parking area has almost 600 car spaces and another 100 for coaches and coasters. Bookings will allocate visitors an arrival window and, if they desire, a reserved parking space.

The changes are part of a wider strategy. Authorities have been devising strategies so Great Ocean Road visitors do more than drive there, photograph its headline attractions and leave.

Newer experiences such as conservation-based Wildlife Wonders at Apollo Bay, along with walking and cycling trails, have been part of the push towards encouraging longer stays.

The visitor centre takes that effort to one of the region’s biggest drawcards, pointing travellers towards lesser-known coastal sites, hinterland drives, food producers and communities.

Loch Ard Gorge and Gibson Steps, incidentally, remain old school with access to both unchanged. For the Twelve Apostles, however, the era of simply turning up has come to an end.

See twelveapostles.org.au