Government cancels planned Great Ocean Road parking charges

Plans to charge visitors to park at some of Victoria’s most iconic attractions have been scrapped less than two days after they were announced.

Plans to charge visitors to Lorne and other parts of the Great Ocean Road for parking have been scrapped. Picture: Alan Barber

The state government has hastily backflipped on controversial plans to introduce parking charges along over 100km of the Great Ocean Road.

“My advice is that we’re not charging people to park at the beach,” Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said on Wednesday, just two days after the proposal was announced.

“We won’t be doing that is what I’m told.”

On Monday, the government had introduced plans to implement a “visitor parking fee” in all areas managed by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCPA), including the iconic Twelve Apostles and Shipwreck Coast.

The sun has quickly set on plans to charge for parking along the Great Ocean Road, including at the Twelve Apostles. Picture: Getty

Money raised from the fees was due to be used for conservation and maintenance purposes along the stretch of coast, which attracts over six million visitors a year.

Locals in the region were to be exempt from the parking charges, although it was unclear what the definition of a local under the scheme was or how it would be monitored.

Liberal MP Richard Riordan, whose Polwarth electorate covers much of the Great Ocean Road, derided the plan as a “beach tax”.

Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan criticised the plans. Picture: Brad Fleet

By Wednesday evening, a Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) spokesperson confirmed the proposal had been scrapped.

“The Great Ocean Road is one of Victoria’s best tourist destinations because it is accessible for families and we won’t implement any measures that would harm this,” the spokesperson said.

“We will continue to work with the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority to maintain this beloved part of Victoria and deliver for the region.”

Lorne Beach was also due to be affected by the planned charges. Picture: Peter Ristevski

A page on the engage.vic website designed to capture public feedback on the proposal had been removed on Wednesday afternoon after less than 48 hours of community consultation.

Mornington Shire Council implemented a pilot program for paid parking in some of its most popular beaches during summer 23/24.

The Mornington pilot raised $347,721 but was criticised for being harmful to local businesses and possibly discriminatory in how it was applied.

DEECA was contacted for further comment regarding what caused the Great Ocean Road proposal to be suddenly ditched.