Visitors to the Twelve Apostles will soon enjoy a stunning new experience of the coastal landscape, with works commencing this month on a new lookout.

The $9.2 million Saddle Lookout project will upgrade viewing areas that no longer cater for visitor numbers, providing a superior, safer and more accessible experience that will support the regional economy and help future-proof this iconic destination.

Parks Victoria partnered with Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation on the design of the lookout, which is situated on Kirrae Wurrung Country. The design expresses the resilience of the broader Eastern Maar Nation and the two “clapsticks” of the structure are the colours of Ngayook (Sulphur Crested Cockatoo) and Ponponpoorramook (Red Tailed Black Cockatoo), which are primary totemic species to the Eastern Maar peoples. 

Above: Artist's impression of the new lookout.

The lookout will be complemented by a one-way circuit loop walking track connecting back to the existing path. The track will be shrouded in vegetation, providing some protection from the weather and also an intimate experience within this special landscape.

The project will be the second delivered as part of the Government’s $16.5 million investment in stage one of the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan. The first, a new pedestrian suspension bridge connecting the Port Campbell National Park with Port Campbell, was completed last year.

Subject to on-ground conditions and any public health directions that may be in place, works on the Saddle Lookout are expected complete in 2023. During construction there is expected to be no access to the Castle Rock and Saddle viewing areas.

For further information, visit the ‘Projects’ section of the Parks Victoria website.