Port Campbell

On the long 243 kilometres of the Great Ocean Road, there are dozens of amazing places to stay and Port Campbell has to one of the best.

Located in the heart of the Port Campbell National Park on the Shipwreck Coast and near the end of the Great Ocean Road, just ten minutes or so from the famous Twelve Apostles and tragically infamous Loch Ard Gorge.

Tourists are attracted to the area due to the incredible nearby natural attractions then come into Port Campbell as it has one of the only safe beaches in the area and loads of options for accommodation and food.

Tourists often visit Port Campbell for the beach and end up staying for the week. Locals …Australia’s living within a few hundred kilometres, typically to the north and west, also love coming here and will fill the place on long weekends and other local holiday periods.

There are loads of word-class natural sights to visit in the Port Campbell area. The incredible 12 Apostles are just one of many places that must be visited in the nearby, the wider area is called the Port Campbell National Park.

Over at the Loch Ard Gorge, explore where a ship wrecked in the late 1800’s. From the car park, also take short walks to The Razorback where you’ll see three of the eight 12 Apostles that can’t be seen from the official Apostles viewing area. While you’re there, also walk to Thunder Cave, Mutton Bird Island, Broken Head Beach & Sherbrook River Mouth. Easily spending half of the day at this spot alone before driving anywhere else.

Heading the other direction, west, as you drive over the river and up the hill leaving Port Campbell, you can take the first left. This small road is unsigned, but can sometimes lead to an incredible sight. It’s the location of 2 Mile Bay and often you’ll see Pro Surfers riding 20 foot waves.

If you continue west, there are some more incredible stone formations to see that are just like the 12 Apostles but also much different. London Bridge is the most famous attraction to the west and still very close to Port Campbell. It’s also worth visiting The Grotto and Bay Of Islands.

You’re in luck. Just about every establishment in Port Campbell is somewhere that you can eat, drink or sleep.

From luxurious holiday homes and villas, to affordable accommodation and a backpackers hostel, you’ll be spoiled for options at Port Campbell.

There are two large main private camping parks in Port Campbell and then 98 camp grounds across 4 national parks with-in 100kms of Port Campbell. If you head into the Port Campbell Tourist Information Centre on the edge of town, at the end of the main street heading away from the beach, they’ll be very pleased to see you and tell you all about the best places to go camping.

We’ll be updating this page over the coming months with loads of recommendations on Port Campbell accommodation and camping in the area.

Originally, this area was occupied by the Kirrae Whurrong (Girai wurrung) people for tens of thousands of years.

To avoid a storm, Alexander Campbell found shelter in the cove at Port Campbell in 1843. Years later, he returned to the area with some acquaintances to show them his paradise. Some people began to slowly reside in the area and once it officially became a town in 1875, they dedicated the name to Mr. Campbell.

In the early 1800s, some convicts from England that were sent to colonise Australia fled the farms that they were given by the Government to go and colonise their own land and live seperate to the other colonials. Some of them made it all the way to the Port Campbell area and much further and were the first European settlers.

In the 1850s, gold was found near Melbourne and a surge of people migrated to Australia. After years of hard work, many of the new immigrants would then head off to acquire their own land. This caused Port Campbell to grow from a small hamlet with just a few people into a town. At the end of the 1800’s, once the gold rush was slowing, the population in Port Campbell dropped, although it’s slowly been growing for the last century, since the Great Ocean Road began to bring attention to the area in 1920’s and 30’s.

Originally a fishing town and now one of the most popular tourist towns in the area.

Correct. We have no photos of Port Campbell, although we’ve been here at least a dozen times. We’ll be sure to head here soon to take some photos and get a bit more information about where is best to stay the night or grab some lunch!