Peninsula Hot Springs

Peninsula Hot Springs opened in 2005 after a bore struck geothermal water at around six hundred metres, and it has grown into a large bathing complex of more than fifty pools and experiences spread across landscaped grounds. The signature is the hilltop pool, reached by a spiral path, which looks out over the peninsula and Bass Strait while sitting in water at around forty degrees. Elsewhere there are cave pools, a Turkish steam bath, cold plunge pools, a sauna, reflexology walks and a separate quieter bathhouse for adults. Food and treatments are available on site. Sessions are timed and booked in advance, and the place is busiest in winter, when hot bathing makes most sense.

What you actually see

• The hilltop pool - the spiral climb to a hot pool with coastal views.
• The pool network - cave pools, plunge pools, steam and sauna across the grounds.
• The adults-only bathhouse - the quieter separate section.
• The landscaped grounds - gardens and paths linking the bathing areas.

When to go

Year-round, but winter is when hot springs work best, and the complex is busiest from June to August. Early morning and late evening sessions are quieter. Bookings are required and weekends fill weeks ahead.

Honest expectations

Prices are high, especially for the adults-only areas and treatments, and the general bathhouse can be crowded with queues for the hilltop pool. Walking between pools in cold weather is uncomfortable. There is no public transport to the site.

Nearby

Rye and the back beaches are close; Cape Schanck lies southeast.