Peninsula Hot Springs on the Mornington Peninsula.
A Great Victorian Bathing Trail Matt Sykes outlines the opportunity to establish a signature tourism experience to meet Australian 2030 goals
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n an age of disruption and uncertainty the ways in which we derive meaning from travel are changing. We prioritise the Instagramability of our experiences and search for authentic local connections through online platforms like AirBnB. The white elephant of climate change means that if you’re not ‘plane shaming’ yourself, while planning your next holiday or business trip, then someone else is likely to, to which you can add global political and economic instability. However, among all of this there’s a rising force which for me is very interesting - wellness tourism, especially nature-based wellness tourism. Asking myself the question as to whether there could be a way of developing tourism trails and destinations which simultaneously improve the wellbeing of ecosystems, communities and economies, I have undertaken research into a hot springs and bathing tourism strategy for the state of Victoria. Before delving into more detail let’s set the scene.
pilgrimage changing. Nonetheless, we still yearn for connection to self, others, nature and the cosmos. During my time working as the Experience Manager at Peninsula Hot Springs I saw many, in fact thousands of people, finding a place of peace and retreat in its tranquil bushland setting. People of diverse ages and cultures use the space in the same way that their ancestors may historically have taken refuge in a temple, mosque or church. It provides a vital counterbalance to their hectic daily lives. A conversation with Uncle Max ‘Dulumunmun’ Harrison, Yuin Nation Elder, comes to mind, where he explained “we drink the same water, we bathe in the same water. All cultures walk the same land and breathe the same air. Water links all cultures.” Consider that during the last 12 months over 500,000 visitors made a pilgrimage to ‘take the waters’ at Peninsula Hot Springs. The question we have to ask is whether our community is searching for more?
Water links all cultures Travel has a timeless allure. For millennia we have made pilgrimages to holy places for religious motivations. However, when contemplating our changing world, including the trend towards more secular beliefs, I see our sacred places of
The opportunity under our feet Here’s the pitch … why not invest in a chain of hot springs and bathing destinations along Victoria’s southern coastline, from Portland to Mallacoota, linked as an epic 1200 kilometre trail to rival the world’s greatest pilgrimages? We have Deep Blue Hotel and Hot Springs, at the western edge of the Great Ocean Road, which has just opened its incredible new bathing Sanctuary. Latrobe City Council is currently constructing the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre which will use geothermal energy to heat its buildings and swimming pool. Add four more proposals; from Metung Hot Springs and Nunduk Spa Retreat in East Gippsland to Saltwater Hot Springs at Phillip Island and 12 Apostles Hot Springs in the west. We have the framework for something globally-unique. (All of these projects rely on accessing geothermal groundwater which sits roughly 600 metres below the surface, a renewable natural resource that must and can be managed sustainably). Let’s not forget the proposal for a public swimming facility called ‘Yarra Pools’ in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD as well as the potential for a string of contemporary sea baths and floating
Deep Blue Hot Springs, Warrnambool.
42 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 136 2019
