Port Campbell & 12 Apostles

Port Campbell, Peterborough and Princetown offer the nearest accommodation to The 12 Apostles. There is one hotel in Port Campbell and a number of motels. There are a considerable number of self catering and holiday type accommodation such as bed and breakfasts (also known as bnb and b&b), apartments, holiday houses, cottages, cabins, guesthouses as well as tourist or caravan parks, and backpackers or hostels. Also check out the self contained accommodation and bed and breakfasts in the nearby towns of Princetown and Peterborough.

Self catering accommodation – Apartments, holiday houses, cottages, cabins, b&b’s and guesthouses in Port Campbell are:

• Anchors
• Daysy Hill Country Cottages
• Heytesbury Ridge Vineyard Retreat
• Loch Ard Bed & Breakfast
• Loch Ard Motor Inn & Apartments Port Campbell
• Parkview Apartments
• Port Bayou
• Port Campbell National Park Cabin & Camping Park
• Port Campbell Shearwater Haven
• Port O' Call Motel
• Portside Motel Port Campbell
• Seafoam Villas
• Southern Ocean Villas Port Campbell
• Summers Rest Units Port Campbell
• Sunsets B and B Port Campbell
• Waves Port Campbell
• Willow Glen Retreat

Tourist, Caravan or Holiday Parks in Port Campbell is:

• Port Campbell Caravan Park

The Motels in Port Campbell are:

• Best Western Great Ocean Road Motor Inn
• Loch Ard Motor Inn
• Port Campbell Motor Inn
• Port Campbell Park View Units
• Portside Motel
• Southern Ocean Motor Inn

The Hotel in Port Campbell is:

• Port Campbell Hotel

The Backpackers or Hostels in Port Campbell are:

• Ocean House Backpackers
• Port Campbell Hostel

Port Campbell & The 12 Apostles Information:

Port Campbell (population approx. 250) is a sleepy fishing village nestled amongst some of the most spectacular coastline scenery of Australia on the Great Ocean Road including Port Campbell National Park and the Twelve Apostles.
To stay in Port Campbell is to be half an hour away from London Bridge (what is left of it!), Loch Ard Gorge and the Twelve Apostles. It has a small number of motels and restaurants and a pleasant beach and jetty and is located 208 km south-west of Geelong, 245 km south-west of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and 281 km from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.
Port Campbell was named after a Captain Alexander Campbell who was affectionately known as 'the last of the buccaneers'. He traded between Victoria and Tasmania and, being in charge of the whaling station at Port Fairy, began taking shelter in Port Campbell Bay in the 1840s during his excursions between King Island and Port Fairy.
The coast is so inhospitable that Port Campbell is the only sheltered refuge between Apollo Bay and Warrnambool.
In 1882 the town became famous throughout Victoria and Australia because it was the subject of one of the country's most famous hoaxes. At the time there was an unjustifiable fear of the possibility of a Russian invasion. Some wit decided to fuel this paranoia by telling The Age that there was a Russian fleet ready to attack. The invasion was to begin at Port Campbell and move across to Melbourne. So excited did the media become that some other Melbourne newspapers actually reported massacres and thousands of Russian troops moving towards Melbourne. Finally it was discovered there was only one tiny ketch anywhere near Port Campbell.
The coast became famous for its shipwrecks. In the period from the 1840s until the 1920s there were over 80 shipwrecks on the coast between Cape Otway and Port Fairy. Nearly all of these were due to the ferocious conditions which can affect this section of coastline which is vulnerable to the Roaring Forties and the bitter winds which blow up from the Antarctic. None was more dramatic, nor more romantic, than the wreck of the Loch Ard at what is now Loch Ard Gorge in 1878.

Things to See and Do:  

Tourist Information Centre - The Port Campbell Information Centre is located in Morris Street, Port Campbell. The Parks Victoria office is next door.
 
Port Campbell Beach and Jetty - A surf lifesaving club operates at Port Campbell Beach in the summer; the only safe swimming on an otherwise a treacherous coastline. Ocean swimming is not recommended anywhere in Port Campbell National Park. The jetty offers fine fishing opportunities for those with a licence.

Port Campbell Trading Company - Located at 27 Lord St, the Trading Company sells works of local and national art and craft, including woodwork, pottery, terracotta, jewellery and paintings.

Loch Ard Shipwreck Museum - Located at 27 Lord St, this interesting museum displays artefacts from five vessels which were wrecked on the coast near Port Campbell. 1. The Schomberg, an iron barque which ran aground in 1855; 2. The Loch Ard, an iron clipper which was wrecked off the coast in 1878; 3. The Fiji, an iron barque which struck rocks off the coast in 1891; 4. the Newfield, an iron barque which ran aground in 1892 and 5. the Falls of Halladale, a barque which ran aground on a reef in 1908. It is open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Port Campbell National Park - Port Campbell National Park has an area of 1750 hectares. It extends east from the eastern side of Curdies Inlet at Peterborough to Point Ronald at Princetown. It features some beautiful vantage points atop the sheer cliffs overlooking offshore islets, towering rock stacks, gorges, arches, blowholes and other spectacular coastal scenery. The rugged coastline has its origins around 10-20 million years ago when billions of tiny skeletal fragments accumulated beneath the sea gradually creating limestone formations. The sea then retreated leaving the soft limestone exposed above sea-level to violent seas and strong winds which have carved out some remarkable features.
Camping and sleeping overnight in vehicles is forbidden but there is accommodation available at Peterborough, Port Campbell and Princetown.
For more information phone Parks Victoria on 131 963 or you can contact the Port Campbell direct on (03) 5598 6382.

To the East of Port Campbell:

Loch Ard Gorge and Muttonbird Island - About 7 km east of Port Campbell is a turnoff which leads to Loch Ard Gorge which was named after the iron clipper the Loch Ard which left England bound for Melbourne in March 1878 and was shipwrecked here on 1 June 1878. A combination of poor visibility, wind, rain and high seas led to it going aground on Mutton Bird Island. Of the 54 people aboard only two survived - Eva Carmichael and a ship's apprentice, Tom Pearce, both were aged 19. Pearce managed to swim ashore and then managed to save Eva who was clinging to part of the ship's spar. There are three self-guided walks around the Loch Ard Gorge area. One, based around the wreck, takes in a plaque at the top of Loch Ard Gorge, the cave where Eva sheltered while Tom went looking for help and the cemetery where the dead were buried. Another walk focuses on the geology of the area (including The Island Archway, The Blowhole, Elephant Rock and Broken Head) and the third contemplates the ecology of life on the cliff-tops.
If you could get an aerial view of this stretch of the coast you would notice a large and unusual island which juts out from the coast to the west of Loch Ard Gorge. It is known now as Mutton Bird Island but in the past as 'The Sow' - a fitting complement to the Twelve Apostles which were known as 'The Piglets'. It is possible to drive to look across to the island but it is hard to get an appreciation of its size. It is home to some 200 000 short-tailed shearwaters which migrate about 30, 000 km every year passing summer in the northern Pacific Ocean and returning in the last week of September to nest in rookeries within Bass Strait. They fly in by the thousands on summer evenings to their nests on the island. They can be seen from October to April but January and February are the best times.

Twelve Apostles - The Twelve Apostles are probably the most famous formations off the coast of Victoria. Over the years they have become the state's most potent advertising image. The reality does not disappoint. The 'stacks', as they are known, are vertically jointed and flat-bedded limestone. Some of the largest stacks stand 65 metres above sea-level. While anytime of day provides great views, sunrise and sunset are particularly impressive for the blazing hues created. The extensive boardwalks and viewing platforms offer unparalleled vantage to experience the sweeping, awe-inspiring vistas. A state-of-the-art, energy efficient visitor centre is now located by the Twelve Apostles. There is a large car park and walkways which lead to the viewing areas. A great way to see the 12 Apostles is from the air. Operators offer helicopter and fixed-wing joy flights all year round. There are two operators nearby. 12 Apostles Helicopters are located at 9400 Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell. The other is Great Ocean Road Helicopters located at the rear of Twelve Apostles Centre. 

Gibson Steps - A kilometre along is another turnoff on the right to Gibson Steps which lead down 90 metres to Gibson Beach - a good fishing and beach walking area. The original steps were carved into the rock by Hugh Gibson, the original owner of Glenample Homestead (see next entry) though they have since been concreted. As a general principle it is unwise to swim in these very dangerous waters.

Glenample Homestead - Just beyond the turnoff to Gibson Steps, on the other side of the Great Ocean Road, is the turnoff to Glenample Homestead Interpretation Centre. It was to this house that Tom Pearce walked to seek assistance after the Loch Ard shipwreck. Over the years the homestead fell into disrepair but in recent times it has been restored to its original condition. Built from locally quarried sandstone in 1869 by Hugh Gibson it is an interesting remnant of a bygone era. Relics of the Loch Ard disaster are on display.
The house is open at varying times in the course of the year. Generally speaking they are open daily from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. in the school holidays while, at other times they are open from 10.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Friday to Monday. However, hours may vary with circumstance, especially in winter, so it is strongly advisable to ring first to check, ph: (03) 5598 8209.

Princetown - Princetown is 18 km east of Port Campbell at the mouth of the Gellibrand River which marks the eastern boundary of the National Park. There is a post office, general store and the Apostles Camping Park which has caravan facilities but no on-site vans. There are also some backpacker units. A picnic area is located beside the river which has tables and a launching area for canoes. The river offers excellent fishing opportunities.

To the West of Port Campbell:

Town Lookout and Port Campbell Discovery Walk - You can start this walk near Port Campbell Beach by crossing the mouth of Campbells Creek. Alternatively, follow the signs from the Town Lookout Carpark on the Great Ocean Road (western side of town). Instead of taking the road to Timboon, turn left, cross Campbells Creek and about 1 km further on there is a walking trail clearly signposted on the left hand side of the road. This 3.8-km trail offers excellent views across Port Campbell to the township and winds around the cost to Two Mile Bay. It is an ideal introduction to the coastal heathland and terrain which characterises the area.

The Arch, London Bridge and the Grotto - A little over 3 km from the turnoff to the Discovery Walk is the lookout over The Arch, a rock formation caused by water erosion.
About 600 metres further west, just beyond Point Hesse, is the turnoff to four viewing platforms over London Bridge. There are still plenty of photographs of London Bridge looking moderately like a bridge across the Thames in London. Historically the London Bridge formation was a natural archway and tunnel in an offshore rock formation caused by waves eroding away a portion of softer rock. However it collapsed on 15 January 1990 and became a bridge without a middle. Two people were on the bridge at the time but no one was injured. They were rescued by helicopter. It is located 7 km south of Port Campbell and has good parking facilities and plenty of vantage points where visitors can inspect the formations and take photographs. Another 2 km west, via the Great Ocean Road, is a turnoff on the left which leads to a lookout over 'The Grotto' - a geological formation created when sinkholes in the limestone cliffs met with a receding cliff line.
2 km further west is Newfield Bay which is a popular surf-fishing and beach-walking spot at the western extreme of the National Park.