Old Hepburn Pool – A Local Hidden Treasure
The old Hepburn Pool is a very intriguing and pretty place for a picnic and a swim, it is another of Daylesford’s and Hepburn’s historic attractions to discover and explore.
It is hidden away out of sight of most visitors as it is built in the Spring Creek which is in a deep gully several hundred metres from the main road in Hepburn Springs.
The pool is very special and has a great story to tell as it was built in the early 1930s by the owners of the Bellinzona Guesthouse. The Zelman’s paid for local workers to construct the pool to their specifications so the visitors to local guest houses could go for a swim to refresh themselves on hot days.
My first glimpse of the Hepburn Pool
When I first saw the old swimming pool it really was a mesmerising ‘WOW’ moment, I had only seen it on a 1930s black and white photo similar to the one below.
The photo above shows the Spring Creek flowing into the swimming pool and then the water returns back into the Spring Creek near the bridge at the other end.
The pool has a weir system so the environmental flow is kept controlled.
The Hepburn Swimming Pool in 1938, a very popular place to be on a hot day.
This overview image from the walkway shows the water flowing in over the cement weir wall. On the far side is a shallow toddlers pool with a cement wall to keep the younger children out of the deeper water.
The pool was constructed so that it could be used for the Victorian Swimming Championships, it has 6 stones marked at one end for each lane, it is the length of 50 yards that was required for competitions.
Two well known swimmers swam at the pool in the Victorian swimming Championships, they were Annette Kellerman and Frank Beaurepaire.
There are plenty of grassed areas, seats, firewood available and many reminders of yesteryear when you explore around the pool which you will find very interesting.
There are no toilets or change rooms available.
In 1969 the Daylesford Olympic Swimming Pool was constructed so this ‘old swimming pool’ was neglected, fortunately in 1993 volunteers returned the pool to its former glory with the help of old photos and a lot of hard work.
This pool is most likely the only surviving natural pool so it has huge historical significance to the area and Victoria.
The Shire of Hepburn have improved access to the pool with ramps and walkways and also keep it maintained. There are walking trails to follow to continue along the creek.
Further Information about the Hepburn Pool
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepburn_Pool
www.ballaratheritage.com.au download PDF
Daylesford has an outdoor Olympic sized swimming pool near the main street on the corner of Central Springs Road and Bridport Street. For more information and the location on a map go to the Tourism, Community and Sport Facilities Page.
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Hepburn Pool