When your home bath just isn’t enough, this bathing trail will connect both new and existing geothermal pools and bathing spots across Victoria
Victoria is undoubtedly one of the best spa destinations in Australia, with a number of spas, mineral pools and natural hot springs bringing the goods year after year.
We’re pretty lucky to have such an awesome selection of spas, and we’re not the only ones who think so. Meet the proposed Great Victorian Bathing Trail.
Created to encourage locals and visitors to unwind in the surrounding atmosphere and let loose in natural mineral baths and hot springs across our state, the Great Victorian Bathing Trail was first proposed back in 2019.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
Channelling this much-loved past-time into the Victorian tourism industry, Matt Sykes is behind the idea to create a 900 kilometres bathing trail along the Victorian coast, linking the state’s hot springs, spas and bathing spots into one epic route for when you feel like letting off some steam with a soak.
After visiting hot springs, sea baths and saunas around the globe, Sykes collaborated with tourism industry leaders to propose a strategic vision for Victorian hot springs and bathing tourism.
“Imagine an epic pilgrimage trail which runs right along our southern coastline from Metung in the East Gippsland to Portland along the Great Ocean Road. Travellers would walk, cycle, bus and drive between a chain of world-class, architect-designed hot and cold bathing experiences,” the Great Vic Bathing Trail socials announced.
“Wake up to bathe in hot springs in Warrnambool, take a sea bath in Port Phillip Bay at lunch time and catch a floating sauna session along Birrarung/Yarra River by sunset.”
Sounds amazing right? Well that’s Sykes’ vision for the Great Victorian Bathing Trail, linking to other nature-based experiences as well as bathing spots, like iconic walks and food trails.
The development of a bathing trail in Victoria would boost tourism to one of the coldest areas of Australia, during the winter off-season, and become of one Victoria’s – and even Australia’s – signature tourism experiences.
Joining up Victoria’s must-visit spots, the trail intends to feature Peninsula Hot Springs in Fingal, Metung Hot Springs in East Gippsland, Phillip Island Hot Springs and Saltwater Hot Springs on Phillip Island, Nunduk Spa Retreat in the Lake Wellington part of Gippsland, 12 Apostles Hot Springs on the Great Ocean Road, Geelong Mineral Spa and the Eden project in Anglesea. The soon-to-launch Alba Hot Springs on the Mornington Peninsula is also feature on the lineup, as well as the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre in Traralgon and Warrnambool’s existing Deep Blue Hot Springs.
Essentially, the trail aims to connect all the state’s best spots for relaxing, stretching all the way from Portland in the state’s southwest over to East Gippsland, include several beaches and other bathings spots along the way, rivaling some of the famed bath trails from across the world.
With subsurface geothermal water resources along its southern coastline and a cool, temperate climate, Victoria would most certainly become Australia’s hot springs tourism capital with this epic trail.
The proposal envisions this nature-based tourism trail could become a reality by 2030, but you never really know. Regardless we are so ready for this, let’s get steamy.
For more information about the Great Victorian Bathing Trail, head to the project’s Facebook page here.
