Take a wellness road trip along Australia’s new hot springs trail
From the coast to the bush, the Great Victorian Bathing Trail is drawing a 550-mile arc of well-being across the state.
In the parched expanses of Australia, where kangaroos lick their forearms to beat the heat and rabbitlike bilbies derive most of their hydration from food, a hidden, wet world lies deep within the earth. Created by volcanic activity, hot springs weave through the continent, enriched with minerals like potassium, boron, calcium, and magnesium. The Great Artesian Basin, a colossal underground water reserve covering over a fifth of the country and plunging nearly 10,000 feet in some areas, underscores this paradoxical abundance.
For over 40,000 years, Indigenous Australians have venerated and bathed in therapeutic waters such as Witjira-Dalhousie Springs in South Australia, Talaroo Hot Springs in Queensland, and Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs in the Northern Territory. Yet, many of these natural marvels remained largely untapped by European settlers until the 20th century.
Now, the southern Australian state of Victoria is angling to be part of Australia’s hot springs culture. The recently launched Great Victorian Bathing Trail, a 550-mile route across the state, aims to merge First Nations experiences with nature walks, local cuisine, and mindfulness practices. “The pursuit of wellness has woven itself into the fabric of our daily lives and is fast becoming an integral part of our cultural landscape,” says Charles Davidson, co-founder of Peninsula Hot Springs, Australia’s largest commercial soaking center, located an hour’s drive south of Melbourne.
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Inspired by similar ventures like Colorado’s Historic Hot Springs Loop and New Zealand’s Thermal Explorer Highway, this trail links numerous hot springs dotting the southern coastline, stretching from Portland to New South Wales in Victoria State. From steamy pools to bubbling springs, here are the four best geothermal waters to try along the new bathing trail.
Hepburn Bathhouse
Part of a network of more than 60 natural springs surrounding the towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, Hepburn Bathhouse is one of the oldest mineral baths in Australia.
“These are not underground lakes,” says Graeme Beardsmore, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “They are extensive formations of porous rock [aquifers] buried deep enough that the heat from inside the Earth warms the water held in the rock.”
Established in 1895 by Swiss-Italian pioneers during the Victorian gold rush, the original bathhouse features two bathing areas.
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As an upgrade, visitors can explore the Sanctuary, an elevated spa experience featuring salt and magnesium soaks, hammams, and invigoratingly cool plunges. Yet, the true allure lies in the open-air pool, nestled alongside Spring Creek, where mineral-rich waters offer respite amid a chorus of native birdlife.
Peninsula Hot Springs
“Thermal bathing is a perfect accompaniment to any activity,” says Davidson, but at the Peninsula Hot Springs, bathing is the activity. This 42-acre property sits beside the Tootgarook wetlands, once a favored hunting spot of the Indigenous Bunurong people.
Visitors can soak in outdoor jacuzzis, wade in mineral-rich subterranean pools, or boost their circulation via a “Fire and Ice” experience—a lengthy sauna followed by a cool dip and a freezing plunge. There is also a bathing gully, hilltop tubs, and a warm pool beside a natural watering hole reserved for wildlife. Still, nothing matches the moonlit hot tubs and pools of the Spa Dreaming Centre for overnight guests. Earplugs are provided, but that’s because of the tootgarooks, a Bunurong word meaning “croaking frogs.”
(This is what a cold plunge does to your body.)
Alba Thermal Springs
This 37-acre plot of land was once “just lots of blackberry bushes, rabbits, and land in terrible condition,” says Kadi Morrison, director of sales and marketing at Alba Thermal Springs. Meticulous efforts replanted indigenous flora such as sheoaks, pine-cushion hakeas, and banksias. Now visitors can indulge in one of the 22 geothermal and herb-infused pools, which come with sightings of kangaroos, echidnas, and wedge-tailed eagles soaring above.
On the rooftop of the main building, private open-air pools and enclosed baths offer nutrient-rich salts renowned for their restorative properties against cramps, pain, and joint stiffness.
Metung Hot Springs
A century ago, miners drilling for oil near the Gippsland Lakes—a 230 square-mile network of inland lagoons, lakes, and islands—found a different kind of liquid gold: a hot spring. After the closure of the original baths in the 1990s, Charles Davidson of Peninsula Hot Springs unveiled Metung in late 2022.
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Now, travelers can take the waters in hilltop pools, geothermal showers, and outdoor bathing barrels. If you spend the night in glamping accommodations, you can indulge in private moonlit soaks in individual barrels.
