Loch Ard Gorge

5 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Loch Ard Gorge opens to the sea a few minutes from the Twelve Apostles, off Post Office Road in Port Campbell National Park. Tall limestone cliffs frame a small, sheltered sandy beach, and lookouts on the clifftops look out over the gorge and the ocean. Most visitors combine the beach, a viewing platform or two and one of the short walks, which takes far less time than the drive from Melbourne.

The gorge does not fall under the new booking system at the Twelve Apostles. The park authority states that access to Loch Ard Gorge and Gibson Steps is unchanged, so you can stop here without a reserved slot.

The wreck of the Loch Ard

The gorge takes its name from the Loch Ard, a sailing ship that struck Mutton Bird Island in 1878. Of the 54 people on board, only two survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, both teenagers, who made it to the beach inside the gorge. Many of the passengers and crew were lost, and some are buried in a cemetery nearby. The story is the reason the gorge appears on every shipwreck coast itinerary, and standing on the small beach makes the scale of the rescue easier to picture.

Lookouts and the blowhole

The car park has accessible bays, and from there walking tracks lead to the viewing platforms and down to the beach. The park authority names no individual walks or distances, so plan on short strolls rather than a hike. Next door is Poombeeyt Koontapool, the blowhole, which you reach on the same visit.

Several reverse and small-group tours add the Razorback as a separate stop on the same stretch of coast. One reverse tour lists a walk down into the gorge as part of its visit, followed by Mutton Bird Island and the Razorback.

Seabirds at dusk

Mutton Bird Island holds a seasonal colony of short-tailed shearwaters, also called muttonbirds. Between October and April they return to the island at dusk after a day at sea. In those months the sun sets late, around 8 pm in early November and close to 9 pm at the turn of the year, so you would need your own car or a sunset tour to stay that long.

Safety on the cliffs and the beach

The cliffs here are limestone, and elsewhere in the park a viewing area is closed because of unstable cliffs and track erosion. Keep to the platforms and marked tracks. The park authority gives no swimming advice for the beach in the gorge. Surf Life Saving Australia recommends swimming only at patrolled beaches between the red and yellow flags, and calling 000 in an emergency. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the park.

The park authority also asks visitors not to touch sick or dead birds or other wildlife and to report them to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888, a precaution against bird flu.

Planning your own visit

By car, Loch Ard Gorge is a natural partner to the Twelve Apostles. Because the Apostles now need a booked slot and the gorge does not, you can use the gorge to fill the time before or after your booking. The drive from central Melbourne to the Apostles takes about 3 hours 20 minutes on the inland route via Colac and about 4 hours 30 minutes on the coast road, without stops, and the gorge is only minutes further.

The coast here is open to the Southern Ocean. At Cape Otway, the nearest long-term weather station, highs average 21.5 °C in January and 13 °C in July, with rain on 5 to 16 days a month. A windproof jacket is useful all year, and the paths down to the beach are easier in shoes with grip. The park is open all year, and spring and summer bring the most favourable weather.

Visiting on a tour

Classic day tours from Melbourne reach the gorge in the late afternoon, straight after the Twelve Apostles, and then drive back inland. Reverse tours come in the morning. The small-group trips run by Go West and Bunyip Tours take up to 24 guests and stop for dinner in Colac on the way home, returning to Melbourne at roughly 8:30 to 9:30 pm.

From the air the gorge is part of the shortest helicopter circuit from the Twelve Apostles, which continues past Port Campbell to London Bridge. Read more on our pages about the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge and The Arch.