In a world where the user-pays model rules, nothing should surprise grey nomads … not even the prospect of having to pay to see one of Australia’s most iconic natural attractions.
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT) and Corangamite Shire have just announced that they want to start a conversation with the Victorian State Government about introducing a fee to visit the 12 Apostles.
With the expensive new Visitor Experience Centre due to open there in October next year, they say action must be taken now ‘to shape behaviour, manage visitor demand, and future-proof the region through a responsible, user-pays model that supports infrastructure, conservation, community wellbeing, and visitor experience’.
Should these million dollar views be free? PIC: Paul Macallan / Pexels
“As stewards of the visitor economy in this extraordinary region, we believe a thoughtfully introduced user-pays system is not only fair, it is essential,” said Andrew Jeffers, Chair of GORRT. “This approach must allow the active management of visitation across the day and year, encourage overnight stays, capture economic benefit, and reinvest directly into protecting and enhancing the fragile coastal environment.”
In 2019, before Covid struck, the 12 Apostles precinct attracted 2.8 million people, approximately one million of which were international visitors and between 700-800,000 were daytrippers.
Liz Price, the General Manager of GORRT, told the Grey Nomads that while the site was not back to these numbers yet, they had a responsibility to communities and the natural attractions to manage visitation, as well as an obligation to visitors to provide a worldclass experience.
“We think we need to have the discussion around who pays, how much and how? Are The pricey dozen? locals exempt? Are Victorians exempt? All questions that are worth discussing,” she said. “There is an opportunity to use both booking and pricing to manage demand so a dynamic pricing model may be more effective and could support managing demand across a day and across the year ie premium times are at a premium, lower fees at less busy times … and incentivise/reward people that stay overnight.”
She acknowledged that not all people would agree with the proposal, but said the Victorian tax payer was currently supporting the maintenance and renewal of natural attractions and the infrastructure … but there was a limit to what the state budget could deliver.
“Currently both Loch Ard Gorge and Gibson’s Steps are closed due to safety concerns,” she told the Grey Nomads. “A model that supports revenue collection that can be reinvested back in the region could support improved infrastructure that gets these sites opened and other natural attractions the infrastructure and amenity to support them being available for future generations.”
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No, there should not be a charge. Victorians already pay for coastal maintenance via their rates and the entire region benefits from the tourism generated.
Maybe charge half price because the last time we were on that viewing platform there were only six apostles left.
The others have been slowly eroded & washed away by the ocean. LOL.
Would the French consider a charge to look at the Eiffel Tower, or the Brits for a glance at Tower Bridge: of course not. What absurdity is this? Some of the towns along the GOR wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the financial support of us Grey Nomads supporting local business.
Australians again being hit for wanting to see and experience our countrys heritage and nature…!!
Practically everything we want to see or do now is governed by rules made in air con offices by the 8 to 4 servants of the public.