If you’ve yet to experience the “escaped the winter cold with a hot pool adventure”, you should so check out these mineral water therapies mountaintops complete with supersized hot tubs!

Mataranka Hot Springs

Located in the Elsey National Park near the tip of the Northern Territory, Mataranka provides you with one lush thermal dip. You have two options: the bigger, more frequented Rainbow Springs and the off-the-beaten-track Bitter Springs. Both boast clear waters, which is perfect if you want to get a peek of some adorable freshwater turtles nuzzling among the reed beds. Camping or no-frills cabins are the sleep styles of choice around here, so these are the springs to go to for a real back-to-nature buzz.

Japanese Mountain Retreat Mineral Springs and Spa

To do it Japanese-style (and in about as luxurious a fashion as it gets in Oz), head to the Japanese Mountain Retreat Mineral Springs and Spa, which you’ll find in Montrose, just 40 minutes’ drive from Melbourne, between the Dandenongs and Yarra Valley. You can book your very own private pool or go all- with one of their packages, which include a variety of spa treatments, from aromatherapy facials to hot stone massages, as well as gourmet Japanese fare.

Peninsula Hot Springs, Mornington Peninsula

This is where Victorians started escaping winter via thermal means. Jump in a car in the Melbourne CBD and drive for just over an hour in a south easterly direction — onto the Mornington Peninsula — and you’ll hit the Peninsula Hot Springs, the state’s first ever hot springs. No fewer than 20 steamy escapades are on the cards, including those to be had in caves, gullies and Turkish-style bathing rooms.

Rekorderlig Hot Pool, Thredbo Alpine Hotel

While not strictly a thermal spring, the heated, steaming waters of Thredbo’s Rekorderlig hot pool get bonus points for being a complete music, food and beverage indulgence. The cider legends bring the towels, umbrellas, blankets and illuminated trees — you just need to bring your swimmers and the courage required to strip down to them in the snow. Not game? You’re still welcome to while away some time poolside. Think deckchairs and beanbags, losing yourself in alpine sunsets and contemplating which black runs you’re going to conquer in the morning. Check out Thredbo Alpine Village.

Sparadise, Blue Mountains

The Sparadise Japanese Garden and Bathhouse, the only Japanese hot springs experience to be found in New South Wales, boasts stunning views of Lake Lyall. You can opt for baths of the indoor or outdoor varieties, or kick back in the herbal steam room. To top it all off, the surrounding zen gardens and accompanying Japanese tea house provide the ultimate place to relax post-swim, and you can even stay the night in the onsite accommodation — a converted Tudor House.

Hepburn Springs, Daylesford

The Hepburn Springs, about two hours’ north west of Melbourne is slightly further away, but definitely worth the drive. The bathhouse, built back in 1895, is the oldest in the whole country. An array of communal swimming experiences is on the menu, including pools specifically devoted to therapy and relaxation. Plus, there’s a cafe that has been serving up goodies to visitors since 1908 (go for the Devonshire Tea) and a day spa.

(Content and image source: Concrete Playground)

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