Nature’s healing pools
Formed by natural geological forces of the Earth and sacred to indigenous cultures around the world, geothermal springs are associated with myth, pleasure and the quest for health. But there’s no need to book a flight to Japan. Hot springs are also a thing in Australia, ranging from man-made bath houses to naturally occurring hot pools, rivers and streams.
At the forefront of the domestic hot springs industry is Charles Davidson, co-founder of Peninsula Hot Springs, Victoria’s first commercial natural hot mineral spring bathing facility. Excitingly, he reveals hot springs are about to boom in Australia, hinting at new developments at Phillip Island, Warrnambool, Metung, Perth and more, on the horizon.
The former food exporter’s crusade to create a hot springs bathing culture in Australia was inspired by a chance visit to a hot spring in Japan in 1992. “It was March and there was still snow around,” Davidson recalls. “I looked up at the mountains and thought, ‘This is just so sensational’ — the feeling of total, blissful relaxation; being part of the environment. Here I was, outside in the cold having an experience that was like the most beautiful summer’s day lying on the beach with friends. I thought that bringing that sensation home ... would be such a lovely thing to do with my life.”
AUSTRALIA’S THERMAL HISTORY
“There used to be a hot springs culture pre-white man,” Davidson says. “When Aboriginal people went on walkabout, they
