Daylesford and Hepburn Springs

Daylesford and neighbouring Hepburn Springs sit on a belt of naturally carbonated mineral springs, the largest concentration in Australia, tapped from the nineteenth century when Swiss-Italian settlers who recognised the water from home built the first bathhouses. Public pumps in the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve still let visitors fill bottles free from several springs, each tasting different, and the restored Hepburn Bathhouse offers pools and treatments. Daylesford itself has a strong food scene, antique shops, Lake Daylesford, the Convent Gallery in a former nunnery on a hill, and a long-standing role as a centre of Victoria's LGBTQ community, marked by the ChillOut Festival each March.

What you actually see

• The mineral springs - public pumps where visitors taste and bottle the water.
• The bathhouses - the restored Hepburn complex and other spas.
• The Convent Gallery - the hilltop former nunnery turned gallery.
• Lake Daylesford - the walking circuit and boat hire in town.

When to go

March to November; the hills are cold and often foggy in winter, which suits bathing, and autumn colour is strong in April and May. The ChillOut Festival in March fills the towns. Weekends are busy and accommodation books ahead.

Honest expectations

The towns are expensive, with weekend accommodation priced for Melbourne escapees. Bathhouse sessions must be booked well in advance. The mineral water is strongly flavoured and not to everyone's taste. Winter here is cold and damp.

Nearby

Ballarat lies southwest; Castlemaine and the gold towns are north.