Overview
Explore grand, historic lighthouses standing sentry along Victoria's dramatic coastline. From Gippsland to the Great Ocean Road, some 20-odd lighthouses stand tall along Victoria's coast. Many date back to the 1800s, still providing a guiding light to seafarers on the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean.
Visit the historic icons to embark on a journey into Victoria's fascinating maritime history, hear tales of nautical adventure and take in magnificent views from atop steep spiral staircases.
Geelong and the Bellarine
In Queenscliff, the local maritime museum features an extensive history of Victorian lighthouses, complete with original flashes, lenses and globes. Time your visit with a museum-run Sunday tour of the still-operational Point Lonsdale Lighthouse overlooking the treacherous waters of The Rip.
Great Ocean Road
Let lighthouses lead you a journey along the spectacular Great Ocean Road. Start at the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet – the lighthouse featured in the children's TV program Round the Twist. Climb the cast-iron staircase to relive your favourite Twist moments, get the theme song stuck in your head, and take in fabulous views.
In Warrnambool, the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is home to the heritage-listed Lady Bay lighthouses, built in 1858. Climb to the top for great vistas over the ominously named Shipwreck Coast, and book in to stay the night in one of the restored harbourmasters houses.
Between Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, dive into local history with a visit to the Cape Otway Lightstation. The lightstation houses telegraph and radar stations as well as the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, which stands 21 metres tall atop a 90-metre sea cliff, offering magnificent views over the water where the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean meet.
Finish your lighthouse tour just south of Portland where, from a distance, the red-and-white painted Cape Nelson Lightstation can look like a picture book image. Close up, the lighthouse is very much real and operational, and offers tours and accommodation. Climb the tower for sweeping views of the cape and keep an eye out for whales in the waters below.
Mornington Peninsula
Take a tour to climb the stone stairs of the historic Cape Schanck Lighthouse and look out over the blue waters of Bass Strait. Built in 1859 and still in operation, the lighthouse houses a museum and cottage accommodation to boot.
