Tourist sites The Arch and Loch Ard Gorge off limits to tourist over collapse fears

Authorities have urged tourists not to put themselves at risk attempting to visit the closed sites.

Assessments on Loch Ard Gorge will be carried out within weeks before any work to make the steps safer get started. But there are no plans to reopen The Arch just yet.

The popular lookout - which has been closed since February last year - has been deemed a "significant safety risk".

Fears of a potential collapse prompted authorities a month ago to close the steps which led to the beach and cave at Loch Ard Gorge.

An inspection at Loch Ard Gorge following a rock fall had found a crack in the cliff face overlooking the beach access steps.

Parks Victoria acting district manager Michael Smith said geotechnical specialists would be on site at Loch Ard Gorge in the next two weeks to determine what needs to be done to make the steps safe again. "The results of this secondary, in-depth assessment will determine our approach before a contractor can be engaged to carry out the recommended works," Mr Smith said.

While Loch Ard Gorge steps could soon be back, if or when The Arch might reopen remains unclear. "The Arch lookout was closed in February 2022 after an internal inspection found significant movement in the cliffs near the Upper Lookout, which posed a significant risk to public safety," Mr Smith said.

"Geotechnical specialists have assessed the cliff face around the lookout and recommended the site remain closed due to continued movement in the cliffs, which could lead to a collapse."

In a sign that The Arch could be off-limits for some time, the tourist sign pointing to the stop-off has been covered over.

"We recognise the importance of these sites to the local community and tourism sector, but as a responsible land manager we have to take a safety-first approach and close access when there's a known risk of a landslide or cliff collapse," Mr Smith said.

"Please respect the closures and don't put yourself at risk."

In November, Wild Dog Cove beach at Peterborough was closed temporarily over fears a rock column was in danger of immediate collapse. Specialist teams were brought in to manually bring it down in January.

Any work to restore access to Loch Ard Gorge and The Arch lookout will be subject to cultural, ecological, geological and funding approvals.

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