In October, I visited Australia for the first time However, whilst I had managed to navigate three airports, multiple time zones and spent countless hours in duty-free, when I reached the baggage carousel at my final destination, Melbourne, my bag hadn’t arrived at all!
After over 24 hours of flying, with no sleep, puffy eye bags and a bit of dehydration, I was exhausted and I wasn’t too happy about the prospect of having just the clothes on my back with me for my three days in Melbourne! I spoke with the airline and left, accepting the bag had not boarded the plane with me in Perth and there was nothing I could do at that point. I was staying with my uncle and aunt in Melbourne, so we agreed to call the airline the next day to follow up and so that night I crawled into my bed drifted to sleep, ready for some much needed sleep.
Well, turns out the universe had other plans and my jetlag disagreed with me. 2 hours later my jet lag kicked in and I was wide awake.
I just needed to sleep!
I was wide awake but absolutely exhausted, after an hour of squeezing my eyes shut hoping I’d fall asleep I gave up and gave in to scrolling through Instagram and Bloglovin to kill time.
By the time I finally fell asleep properly, it was 9am and I managed to sleep until midday! It was safe to say any plans for an active first day were put aside. I had missed the morning sunshine and the weather was windy and grey.
My bags eventually were dropped off that afternoon by the airline, leaving not much time for sightseeing. We had a much needed coffee (Melbourne’s coffee is truly excellent!) and my uncle and aunt mentioned that they’d managed to secure a late afternoon booking at some hot springs near Melbourne. In my tired state I left it to them – as I hadn’t a clue on where else to go in Melbourne when the weather is bad.
Those hot springs just so happen to be the Peninsula Hot Springs, an absolute hidden gem that I just have to share with you!
It was just what I needed! Some much needed R&R to melt away the stress of travel.
The One place you must visit if in Melbourne
The world and Google, in particular, has no shortage of suggestions for sightseeing in Melbourne. There’s absolutely loads you can do – it’s a place full of beautiful scenery, relaxing beaches, amazing vineyards, super friendly people and fabulous wine-bars.
What I hadn’t come across in my research was the fact that Melbourne is nearby to the Peninsula Hot Springs in Rye. I was about to discover an absolute hidden gem!
Melbourne is known to be a place where you can experience four seasons in a day – regardless of the weather, or whether you are jet lagged, or whether you’ve a busy itinerary already… the Peninsula Hot Springs are an absolute must-do! We had a cooler largely grey day, with bursts of sunshine and also warm rain. Despite all of this, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
The Pools
The Peninsula Hot Springs consist of completely natural thermal hot springs, outdoors, just over an hour from Melbourne. There are more than twenty bathing experiences, from warm paddling pools, massaging thermal baths, a traditional hammam style steam room, cold plunge pools, and deliciously hot natural pools, which feel just like a Jacuzzi.
As if these incredible thermal baths aren’t enough, they also offer activities such as yoga and aqua aerobics there during the week – unfortunately none were on whilst we visited – I can imagine if I moved to Melbourne I’d plan my week around those!
The pools raise in temperature as you walk from the lower pools and head further up. The hottest pool has a temperature rising up to 42 degrees Celsius. The varying heats are meant to assist with relaxation and the elimination of any toxins in the body. What I loved is that each one feels different, no two are the same in temperature, views or style and I honestly think you could spend hours exploring and not get bored. It is incredibly relaxing to ease in the first day of a holiday in such a breathtakingly beautiful place.
The steps lead up to my absolute favourite of the hot springs, a hilltop thermal bath with 360 degree views of Victoria. It’s green and lush, you can see vegetation and animals and birds in the distance. So incredibly relaxing and beautiful, and so peaceful, for any time of the day. They reminded me of a slightly more built up version of the hot springs I visited in Thailand a few years ago, but the scenery was completely different.
Top Tips
- Book ahead – the Peninsula Hot Springs have to control the numbers to ensure it’s a relaxing experience so do phone before you go and book in!
- Take two towels – one to dry off between the thermal springs and one for post showering (on the showering note it’s fairly simple so you may want to take along some nice toiletries!)
- Don’t forget flip flops – it can be slippery on the wet stones
- You can hire a robe when there but I’d recommend taking a cover-up, as walking between pools is quite scenic and the cold shouldn’t be stopping you from stopping to take it all in!
What I Didn’t Expect
We spent a good 3-4 weeks planning that trip, even though it was a last minute one.
But here’s what I didn’t plan for.
I didn’t expect my bag not to arrive with me.
I didn’t expect to be so jet lagged that I’d “lose” half a day to snoozing in Melbourne.
I didn’t expect that my first day wouldn’t be spent sightseeing in the city.
I certainly didn’t expect that I’d start my trip with somewhere completely off the radar!
But all of that meant that I went somewhere we never planned to, that turned out to be the best start to the trip I could have ever asked for. Melbourne is an amazing place and I just know you’ll love it here. If you haven’t already, check out this itinerary to help you plan your trip!
So if you find yourself in Melbourne, with or without bad weather and you need to relax but don’t know where to go in Melbourne – head straight to this hidden gem, the Peninsula Hot Springs. Trust me, you couldn’t possibly regret it!
The Peninsula Hot Springs can be found at:
Springs Lane, Fingal, 3939
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
Website here.
