Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
Home to the Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa
The
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve really is a delight to visit, the Hepburn Bathhouse is impressive and you can see and feel the history as the ‘reserve’ is about one hundred and fifty years old.
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Where ever you walk and look there is bushland, beautiful old trees and gardens, old structures like bridges and buildings including the ‘caretakers’ cottage, the sound shell and the ‘Edwardian’ style Pavilion Cafe.
It is an exciting place to have a picnic as there are many different areas and views to enjoy. There are picnic tables scattered about for everyone to use anytime and there are plenty of grassed areas in the shade or the sun to throw down the picnic rug and really relax and enjoy the moment. |
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There are several car parks, the first one is near the bathhouse at the entrance and there are more after the Pavilion Cafe. There are barbecues, toilet facilities, mineral springs, walking trails and a playground are nearby.
Map of the Reserve
The Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa
The Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa has been redeveloped several times during the last century, the most recent was in 2008. So now it is very impressive from the inside and out and it offers many luxurious spa packages and treatments.
From the Bathhouse there are several paths that lead to the ‘mineral springs‘, picnic areas and the Pavilion Cafe.
Looking back towards the bathhouse the Soda Mineral Spring is in a beautiful setting amongst huge trees, with the paving and a variety of plants.
Follow the path and walk amongst the trees and gardens and visit the Pavilion Cafe
The ‘Pavilion’ building was built in the early 1900s and was used a community meeting place for dances and other events. It was unused for several decades, then it was refurbished but kept as original as possible to create the very unique Pavilion Cafe.
Near the car park there are plenty of picnic areas to explore with bush walking trails and several mineral springs. As you can see there are many historic structures like the bridge and stone walls scattered in the reserve.
The
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
picnic area near the carpark
The Sulphur Spring is one of the four Mineral Springs you can visit, the others are the Soda, Locarno and Wyuna. The Pavilion Spring no longer operates, the outlet for it is inside the Pavilion Cafe. The locations are all marked on the map above.
This bubbling creek is only a short walk from the car park.
The History of the Reserve
The
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve has a long history, the ‘Pavilion Spring’ was one of the first mineral spring found around the same time that gold was discovered in the 1860s. The area was declared a ‘reserve’ in the later 1860s to protect the mineral springs from being damaged as they were already known to have ‘magical healing’ powers.
Selling of the ‘springs’ water started in the late 1860s and bottling commenced in the 1890s, also the original bathhouse was built around the same time.
Hidden Treasures
As you are walking around the
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve keep an eye out for historic treasures that really show how old and special the ‘reserve’ is.
Start with the ‘Memory of Place’ information board at the entrance to the Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa building.
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Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve