The Twelve Apostles in summer

How busy are the Twelve Apostles in summer?

Very. GORCAPA says the site is popular all year and busiest in the middle of the day, and summer adds the Victorian school holidays.

The Corangamite Shire mayor put visitor numbers at about 8 million a year, and press reports at the opening put daily visitors at between 5,000 and 20,000. Victorian government schools break up in the week before Christmas and go back in late January, per the Department of Education. That stretch, plus the long weekends, is when the car park fills earliest.

Timing beats everything. GORCAPA's own advice is to come early in the morning or later in the afternoon for a quieter visit. Here is how a summer day tends to run at the platforms:

Do you need to book the Twelve Apostles in summer?

If you drive, yes. A timed-arrival booking on the official Twelve Apostles website is needed to park, and it is free all summer.

The fee only starts in April 2027, and GORCAPA has not announced the amount. Until then the booking costs nothing, which makes it easy to lock in a time early. Do that for any holiday date: bookings are essential, and without one you may wait or be turned away when the car park is full.

On a tour there is nothing to book. Operators get a guaranteed coach bay at a set time and use their own gate off Booringa Road. Every road day tour on this site has free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so you can hold a seat for a holiday date and move it if the forecast turns. The full rules are in our booking and entry guide.

Is a sunset tour worth it in summer?

Yes. Sunset comes after 8pm all summer, so the sunset tour gets a full day on the coast and ends with the stacks in their best light.

The official Twelve Apostles website posts the day's sunrise and sunset times on its Plan your visit page; under summer daylight saving, sunset lands after 8pm. The sunset tour picks up at selected city hotels between 9 and 11am (seasonal), stops on the Surf Coast and at the Memorial Arch, looks for koalas, visits Loch Ard Gorge and finishes at the Apostles as the light changes. It runs 13 hours for US$98, rated 4.8 from 613 reviews, with park entry included. Food is not included; there are short stops to buy lunch and dinner.

Expect a late return to Melbourne, well into the night in midsummer. Guests like the trade. Romina wrote: "The sunset [...] was spectacular, and the fact that we started later than most other tours gave us the advantage of avoiding great crowds."

A later start, Loch Ard Gorge and sunset at the Twelve Apostles, with hotel pickup and drop-off and park entry included.

★ 4.8 · 13 hours · from $98

Explore the Twelve Apostles sunset tour → Tour details

How hot is it at the Twelve Apostles in summer?

Mild by Australian standards: Bureau of Meteorology averages on this coast run in the low to mid 20s°C in summer, but the sun is strong and shade is scarce.

There is no Bureau station at the Apostles, so look at the two either side. Warrnambool Airport, to the west, averages a 24.7°C maximum in January. Cape Otway Lighthouse, to the east, averages 21.5°C. The sea keeps the coast cooler than Melbourne, and the wind on the cliff top can be cold in the evening.

Averages hide the hot days, when a northerly wind brings real heat. The official Twelve Apostles website warns that the coast has little shade. The platforms and paths are open to the sky, so a hat and sunscreen matter more than the thermometer suggests.

What should you bring to the Twelve Apostles in summer?

A hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a water bottle, closed shoes and a layer for the evening wind.

The official Twelve Apostles website gives the short list: closed shoes for trails and uneven ground, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen because of the lack of shade, headphones for the audio stories and a water bottle if you go beyond the main lookouts.

• Water. The reverse boutique tour includes bottled water; on other tours, bring your own.
• Food money. Lunch is not included on the main day tours. The new centre has a 230-seat cafe and a kiosk.
• Grip. Gibson Steps is 86 steps down and up again. The beach is for walking, not swimming.
• A warm layer. After sunset the cliff top cools fast.
• The fire report. Drivers should check VicEmergency on hot, windy days before setting off.

Which Twelve Apostles tour avoids the summer crowds?

The reverse tours. They drive inland in the morning and reach the Apostles before the coast-first tours arrive in the afternoon.

The reverse boutique tour leaves central Melbourne from 6:30am, stops for breakfast in a rural town and goes straight to the Twelve Apostles, then The Razorback, the Gibson Steps lookout and Loch Ard Gorge, before a rainforest walk and the coast road home. Groups are capped at 12. The Otways waterfall tour also heads to the Apostles ahead of the crowds, adds the Gibson Steps beach and a Grade 2 waterfall hike, and meets at Southbank rather than picking up at hotels.

The classic coast-first route has its own appeal: the deluxe minibus tour takes the Surf Coast and Apollo Bay in the morning and reaches the Apostles in the afternoon. For a side-by-side view of all three styles, see our reverse, classic and sunset tour comparison.

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