About Mineral Springs
What you need to know
Most springs are well-signposted from the major roads.
On this webpage springs near each other have been grouped together to enable you to sample all the springs in a given area. Or you might like to pick one from each area and make a whole day of it.
Springs at Blackwood, Glenlyon, Hepburn, Lyonville and Spargo Creek are all within a 30 km radius of Daylesford while others such as at Ballan, Taradale and Kyneton are further dispersed.
Most springs are within easy reach of carparks except for Argyle which is a 1.4km walk, Golden a 400m walk, and Deep Creek a 200m walk.
Many springs have picnic and toilet facilities.
Sometimes the pumps on the mineral springs stop working or the spring may be closed for other reasons. Please check the information provided about each spring before visiting to check the spring is open.
Wheelchair accessible springs are Sulphur, Soda, Wombat Flat, Kyneton, Sailors Falls, Taradale, Glenlyon, Woolnoughs, Leitches Creek, Eastern Beach and Tipperary.
Learn about mineral springs
Mineral Springs are naturally occurring groundwater with high concentrations of carbon dioxide and soluble matter, resulting in effervescence and a distinct taste. Victoria has over 100 natural mineral springs on both public and private land, making it Australia's most mineral spring-rich state. This website provides information about the springs that are available for you to visit, experience, and enjoy.
With the exception of one spring (Eastern Beach at Geelong), all are located within the Central Highlands region of Victoria.
The mineral spring water is given to you either directly from the earth via a pipe where the water occurs at ground level, or through pumps where a bore has been drilled to intersect with the mineral water. The bores range in depth from 9m to 135m. The shallowest and oldest bore, sunk in 1929, is at Suttons Mineral Spring, while the newest, drilled in 2023 is at Central Mineral Spring, Lake Daylesford. The deepest bore, at a whopping 135m, is at Sailors Falls. Except for one at Leitches Creek Mineral Spring, all other locations where mineral water could formerly be accessed from a pit or trench are closed due to ongoing water quality issues.
Many of the mineral springs are linked by the Goldfields Track, a 210km walking track linking Ballarat and Bendigo. The springs that are found along the track are Sailors Falls; Tipperary; Central & Suttons at Lake Daylesford; Soda, Locarno, Sulphur, Wyuna, Argyle, Golden around the Hepburn area; and Jim Paull & Lawson at the Vaughan Springs Day Use area near Castlemaine.
Publicly accessible natural mineral spring water outlets in Victoria are spread across 19 different reserves managed by nine different land managers: the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Moorabool Shire Council, City of Greater Geelong, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Hepburn Shire Council, Mt Alexander Shire Council, Parks Victoria, DJAARA and the Blackwood Crown Reserves Committee of Management Incorporated. These organisations are responsible for day-to-day operations while DEECA provides the policy and management oversight for mineral springs on public land.
How are mineral springs formed?
Mineral Springs are formed by hydro-geological processes and contain varied and unique concentrations of minerals that cannot be artificially replicated.
The water in our mineral springs originates as rain, and the Great Dividing Range serves as a massive sponge and water storage system. Some rainwater evaporates or runs off into streams, creeks, and rivers, while some soaks into the earth where it is either absorbed by trees or seeps into the ground to enter the Ordovician bedrock aquifers. This aquifer is made up of fractured sandstones, siltstones, and mudstones that effectively retain and store water. Over time, the water flows very slowly, percolating through all the cracks and holes in the rock far underground before eventually coming to the surface as a natural spring.
As water passes through the rock, it dissolves minerals and salts from the rock, mixing them in solution. Other reactions occur, such as the conversion of carbonate (a salt of carbonic acid) into carbon dioxide.
The composition of the rock, as well as the time it takes for groundwater to reach a certain spring or bore, control the variable composition of the water. The quantities of sodium chloride, lime, sulphate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, lithium, and potassium can all vary, and some springs lack some minerals entirely.
This variation in mineral content is responsible for each spring's distinct flavor.
Where the mineral water occurs naturally at ground level eg at Spargo Creek and Carrolls Mineral Spring’s the water is delivered via pipes. At other spring sites bores have been sunk to intersect the aquifer which has stored the mineral water. The deepest bore is located at Sailors Falls at a depth of 135m!
The Wombat and other forests in the Central Highlands are vital for the health and well-being of the mineral springs.
The Ordovician bedrock aquifer dominates the surface geology of the Central Victorian Mineral Springs areas. The bedrock aquifer comprises two types of groundwater flow systems: shallow local systems with short flow paths up to a few kilometres, and deeper systems that include those that host carbonated mineral water flow paths extending up to 40km from the Great Dividing Range.
TASTE
Pure water (H2O) is odorless and tasteless, it can absorb flavours from the items it comes into touch with. Mineral water contains minerals and salts that are gathered and dissolved as the water travels through broken rocks. The longer a water droplet is travelling under the ground, the more 'flavours' it is likely to absorb, resulting in a richer taste.
Temperature also impacts flavour since it affects the subtlety of the mineral salts. For example, if the water is colder than the exit temperature, you may be drinking soda water, while a warmer temperature could turn the water flat and uninteresting.
Thus each mineral spring has a slightly different taste and it can vary from day to day and year to year.
How to use the Springs
Water from the mineral springs is untreated. Regular water quality monitoring is undertaken so you can indulge in drinking the mineral water with minimal risk however it should not be used as your routine drinking water source as mineral water may contain naturally occurring elements at levels that may be harmful if regularly consumed and/or harmful microbes that may cause illness.
When drawing water using the hand pumps it is always best to pump a few times to ensure a charge of fresh fully carbonated water.
Take your own cup or water bottle.
If you are filling bottles and taking them away with you to drink later, decant the water and wait a week before drinking. During this time some of the metals such as iron drop out of the water and deposit on the inside of your bottle, the sulphur smell and iron taste will leave the water making it much more palatable.
Health Benefits
Water is vital for the correct functioning of the body and natural mineral water has long been associated with mental and physical health benefits.
Bicarbonate–balances the pH in the blood stream.
Calcium–vital for bone tissue, proper functioning of muscles, relaxation.
Chloride–for glands, eg prevents skin disorders, inflammation, etc
Iron–is more easily absorbed in water, enables red blood cells to carry oxygen, also vital for the formation of haemoglobin.
Magnesium–good for muscles, nerves and essential for proper functioning of kidneys.
Potassium–for overall mental health, helps combat hysteria and depression
Silica–for bone formation, also good for skin and hair.
Sodium–fluid mineral (prevents stomach disorders)
Sulphate–purifies the liver
Is it safe to drink?
In Victoria, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are used to guide drinking water safety by defining what constitutes good, safe, and quality water. The ADWG defines what levels of minerals/metals are suitable for intake using health-based guidelines. Because people drink less mineral water than regular potable water and mineral water is not considered a primary drinking water source for the general population, risk-based health limits are used to assess the suitability for consumption of minerals identified as "of concern".
Mineral springs are tested twice per annum in April and November for minerals, with some additional testing undertaken to monitor those springs recording minerals ‘of concern’. The results of the testing reveal the concentration of minerals in the water varies between springs and can change from day to day, year to year.
MANAGEMENT OF MINERAL SPRINGS
A draft Master Plan has been developed to provide direction to assist in the management and enhancement of mineral springs in Victoria between 2023-2032.
There are five distinct objectives the Master Plan seeks to support:
RAPs are able to determine their level of involvement in the active management of mineral spring sites
The heritage of Victoria’s natural mineral spring sites is appropriately recognised and protected
Mineral spring water is safe for human consumption
Mineral spring sites are safe, accessible and offer amenity commensurate with their use
Mineral springs are valued; meeting needs locally and attracting tourists to regional Victoria