Hepburn Springs
Welcome to spa country
If you’re looking for Australia’s largest concentration of mineral springs, you’ve found it. This charming town is home to the Hepburn Springs Mineral Reserve, as well as serene bathhouses, luxury accommodation options and fine restaurants.
The Dja Dja Wurrung people, who’ve lived on these lands for thousands of years, long regarded the wellsprings in this region as special places of healing. When Europeans arrived to seek their fortune, it was the Swiss-Italian miners who championed the springs and ensured they were protected from gold prospectors. Their legacy lives on. Visitors come here to rejuvenate, but they also get to enjoy fine food and stunning architecture.
Set yourself up for relaxation at one of the many hotels and retreats with their own aqua therapy facilities: Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa, the Mineral Springs Hotel and the Japanese-inspired Shizuka Ryokan. All these places also have wellness options for day visitors. Otherwise, stay at adults-only The Dudley Boutique Hotel or the country-luxe Hotel Bellinzona.
Things to do
What to do in Hepburn Springs
While everyone’s thoughts immediately go to wellness, Hepburn Springs is also paradise for nature lovers. With Hepburn Regional Park on its doorstep, there are trails for walkers and mountain bike riders. One leads to The Blowhole, a tunnel cut through rock that has created a manmade waterfall. Even parts of the 210-kilometre Goldfields Track run past, with the Dry Diggings Track section connecting Hepburn Springs to Daylesford in one direction and Mount Franklin in the other. Here, you’ll find the Mount Franklin Reserve, with its picnic areas and camping grounds in the crater of a 470,000-year-old volcano.
For walking of a different type, organise a round at Hepburn Golf. Mobs of kangaroos often graze on the greens or rest in the shade of the trees at this 18-hole public course. Or if shopping is more your thing, stop by Portal 108, home to a curated collection of womenswear and homewares.
If picnicking is on your agenda, Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve has barbecue facilities and tables. Bring your water bottles and fill them from one of the hand pumps. Within the reserve, you’ll also find the Hepburn Pavilion Cafe, located in a historical Edwardian building. Drop in for a fresh seasonal salad or for a warming toastie.
Eat & Drink
Eat and drink
Just as neighbouring Daylesford has benefitted from the rich produce grown in the region, Hepburn Springs restaurants also feature the seasonal harvest. The European-inspired menu at The Argus Dining Room showcases the outstanding produce from the primary producers of the Daylesford Macedon Ranges region, while The Surly Goat and its four-course prix fixe menu are popular among locals.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at The Virgin Kitchen, which brings diverse culinary traditions together to showcase local producers. For most of the week, the restaurant at Shizuka Ryokan offers a journey through Japanese cuisine in its omakase menu, but ramen dinner is served on Friday.
The brewhouse at Hepburn Springs Brewing Co. is the go-to spot for a refreshing ale. Choose from an extensive selection of handcrafted small batch beers, or opt for a botanical vodka or gin.
Events
The best Hepburn Springs events
Every October, the town celebrates its heritage during the Swiss Italian Festa. For three days at venues including Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm and the Palais-Hepburn host a series of events that honour these immigrants who brought wine, pasta and joy to the area in the 1870s. Enjoy local, artisanal food and wine, history tours, parades, performances, art shows, bocce tournaments and fireworks throughout the village and surrounds.
Getting to Hepburn Springs
The drive from Daylesford to Hepburn Springs takes just five minutes, and there’s also a regional bus service. Otherwise, the town is a 90-minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD.
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