A mighty welcome for visitors to the Twelve Apostles
26/02/2026The stunning Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre continues to take shape, with the building’s vast façade now complete.
The visitor centre is part of a $126 million investment to redevelop the broader visitor precinct, creating a world-class gateway to the coastline and beyond.
Roads, paths and facilities are being upgraded, while the Visitor Experience Centre will offer new views of the landscape, new visitor information opportunities, retail and hospitality options.
The redevelopment will make for a safer, more accessible and more engaging visit, and encourage longer stays and spending in the region.
Made from 1,500 tonnes of rock, the rammed-earth façade reflects the cliffs and rock stacks opposite, providing a fitting welcome for the millions of people who will visit each year. The hand-formed structure was created by regional Victorian company Earth Structures.
“I think this will be one of our most iconic buildings,” says Rick Lindsay, the Managing Director of Earth Structures.
“It has a beautiful and humble design, with the use of materials here echoing the structure of the cliffs and the rock stacks.”
Harriet Oswald, the Associate Principal of Grimshaw Architects, which designed the Visitor Experience Centre, agrees.
“Rammed earth was chosen for its strong connection to Country and Place,” she says.
“Its texture and warmth create a tactile experience that welcomes and grounds, encouraging a moment of pause as visitors move through the building from grasslands to coastal attractions.”
The facade will set the scene for an immersive experience with nature, with the building sitting gently in the landscape and among hundreds of native plants. These will be grown across the building’s rooftop and in a large Welcome Garden.
The plants are being selected by the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, part of a collaborative design that will help introduce visitors here to a deeper story of Kirrae Whurrong Country.
Regional businesses have been at the heart of the Twelve Apostles Visitor Precinct redevelopment, with companies from Colac, Warrnambool, Geelong and Ballarat involved. More than 90 full-time positions have so far been created during construction.
The project is part of the Geelong City Deal, a $676 million investment by the Australian and Victorian governments to unlock the potential of the Great Ocean Road visitor economy.