Split Point Lighthouse
The 1891 'White Queen' on the Aireys Inlet headland — guided tower tours, a cliff-top walk that frames the entire Surf Coast, and a generation of Australian TV nostalgia.
The most photographed lighthouse on the Surf Coast
Split Point Lighthouse stands on a sheer 30-metre cliff on the southern tip of Aireys Inlet, looking out over Bass Strait and the start of the Great Ocean Road. It was built in 1891 to guide shipping through one of Australia's most treacherous coastlines — the 800 kilometres between Wilsons Promontory and the South Australian border had claimed dozens of ships in the 19th century. Split Point closed a critical visibility gap between Cape Schanck (to the east) and Cape Otway (to the west).
The tower is 34 metres tall, built from local limestone and topped with the original red lantern room and gallery. From the gallery on a clear day you can see east to Bells Beach, west to Cape Otway, and on the rare exceptional day, almost to King Island, 80 kilometres south. The current LED optic flashes every 20 seconds and is visible to ships up to 28 nautical miles offshore.
For most travellers, though, the appeal is split between the lighthouse itself, the dramatic Aireys Inlet cliffs, and the surreal recognition factor for anyone who grew up on Australian children's television in the 1990s.
A pop-culture footnote that's bigger than the lighthouse
From 1989, ABC produced four series of Round the Twist — a children's TV show about a family of three kids living in a haunted lighthouse on the Australian coast. Every episode opened with sweeping aerial shots of the lighthouse and the cliffs below, set to a theme tune that any Australian or British child of the 90s can sing on demand.
The lighthouse in the show is Split Point. The keeper's cottage at its base is the actual cottage you can see at the lighthouse today. The cliffs, beach, and rock pools that feature in nearly every episode are the same ones you'll walk past on the loop trail. For a generation of viewers, this is the most recognisable headland on the Australian coast — even more familiar than its actual maritime role.
The show was produced for ABC Australia but also aired widely on the BBC, in Canada, the Netherlands, and across Asia, so visitors arrive from all over the world specifically because they recognise the lighthouse from television. None of this is heritage-listed but it is, in its own way, a layer of cultural significance laid over the maritime history.
The tour, the walk, and a coffee in town
Park on Federal Street at the lighthouse car park (free, ~30 spaces). From the car park, a 200-metre paved path leads to the lighthouse keeper's cottages and the tower base. The grounds are open to walk freely without paying — only the tower interior tour has a ticket cost.
Tower tour: Daily, every 45 minutes from 11am to 3pm. Adults around AU$20, kids and concessions cheaper, family pass available. Tours include the climb up the 132 internal stairs (steep but well-handrailed), a stop at the lamp room with the working LED optic, and time on the external gallery balcony. Booking ahead is strongly recommended in summer and school holidays.
Cliff-top walk: The Split Point loop is 2 km return and takes about 45 minutes. The path is mostly flat coastal heath with one short climb back to the car park. It links the lighthouse to Eagle Rock (a striking offshore stack), Pulpit Rock, the Steps Beach lookout, and the Devil's Cove. Wear closed shoes — the path crosses some loose rock.
After the lighthouse, walk or drive 5 minutes back into Aireys Inlet itself for coffee at A La Grecque or the Aireys Pub. Aireys is the quietest of the Surf Coast towns and the most underrated stop on this stretch of road.
Other lighthouses and Surf Coast stops
Cape Otway
Mainland Australia's oldest surviving lighthouse (1848), 90 km west, plus the koala-thick forest on the road in.
Cape Otway guide →Memorial Arch
5 km south. The wooden gateway at Eastern View — the official photo stop where most road trips begin.
Memorial Arch →Aireys Inlet
The quietest of the Surf Coast towns, with great cafés and the cliff path linking back to Pulpit Rock.
Aireys Inlet guide →Split Point Lighthouse FAQs
- Where is Split Point Lighthouse?
- Split Point Lighthouse stands on a clifftop in Aireys Inlet, on Victoria's Surf Coast, about 125 km from Melbourne and 75 km west of Geelong via the Great Ocean Road. The lighthouse car park is on Federal Street; from there it's a 200-metre walk to the tower itself.
- Can you go inside Split Point Lighthouse?
- Yes — guided tours run daily. Tours take you up the 132 internal steps to the working light room and the external balcony at 33 metres above the cliff edge (so roughly 65 metres above sea level). The view stretches from Bells Beach to Cape Otway on a clear day. Tours run for about 45 minutes and book out in summer; reserve in advance.
- How old is Split Point Lighthouse?
- Split Point Lighthouse was built in 1891 to guide ships through the dangerous waters off the Surf Coast. The tower itself is 34 metres tall and was originally manned by three keepers and their families. It was automated in 1919 and remains an active aid to navigation, though it now uses solar-powered LED optics rather than the original kerosene lamp.
- Why is Split Point Lighthouse called the White Queen?
- The lighthouse's nickname comes from its distinctive white limestone exterior with a red cap, which dominates the headland and is visible from miles along the coast in either direction. The name has stuck since the late 19th century. It's also referred to locally as 'Aireys Inlet Lighthouse'.
- What is the Round the Twist connection?
- Split Point Lighthouse and the cliffs around Aireys Inlet were the primary filming location for the cult Australian children's TV series Round the Twist (which aired across four series from 1989 to 2001). The lighthouse-keeper's cottage in the show is the actual cottage at the lighthouse base, and the cliffs and beach below appear in nearly every episode. Generations of Australian and British kids associate this exact view with the show's theme tune.
- Is the Split Point Lighthouse walk free?
- Yes. You can walk to the lighthouse, around the headland, and along the Surf Coast Walk without paying anything. Only the guided tour up the tower itself has an entry fee (typically around AU$20 per adult). The car park is free.
- How long is the cliff-top walk at Split Point?
- The signposted Split Point loop is about 2 km return and takes 45 minutes at a relaxed pace. It links the lighthouse to Eagle Rock, Pulpit Rock, and the Steps Beach lookout. The path is mostly flat with one short climb back to the lighthouse car park; suitable for most fitness levels but not wheelchair accessible.
- Is Split Point Lighthouse worth visiting?
- Yes. It's one of the best-preserved 19th-century lighthouses on the Australian coast, the cliff-top walk is genuinely spectacular, and the Round the Twist association makes it a soft pop-culture pilgrimage for many travellers. Allow 1.5 hours — the lighthouse, the walk, and a coffee at one of the Aireys cafés afterwards.
Combine the lighthouse with the full Surf Coast morning
The 3-day classic itinerary times Memorial Arch, Bells Beach and Split Point as a single morning before pushing west to Apollo Bay.