Australia’s cultural capital, Melbourne thrives on contrasts: Victorian arcades and cutting-edge laneway cafés, grand theatres and street art alleys. By day, browse galleries like the NGV or cycle along the Yarra; by night, the city hums with rooftop bars, hidden speakeasies, and live music. A short drive takes you into vineyard country, while within the city, wellness seekers can find stylish spas and bathhouses offering mineral pools and hammams. Melbourne is a city to linger in — cosmopolitan yet grounded, where food, art, and ritual bathing weave into everyday life.

The mineral heart of Victoria, Hepburn has been a spa retreat since the 19th century. Springs bubble across the landscape, feeding bathhouses, hydrotherapy pools, and historic pump houses where locals still fill bottles to take home. Elegant guesthouses and wellness resorts carry on the tradition, pairing mineral soaks with massage and mud treatments. Surrounding bushland invites gentle walks among eucalyptus and mineral reserves, while cafés and galleries add a creative flair. Hepburn is a place where water, health, and heritage flow together.

An hour from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula feels worlds away: rolling vineyards, olive groves, and hot springs overlooking gentle bays. Bathing here ranges from open-air thermal pools carved into the hillsides to private wellness pavilions offering clay rituals and sea-breeze saunas. The coastline shifts from family-friendly beaches to surf breaks and wild headlands, while inland you’ll find cellar doors pouring cool-climate wines. With its blend of indulgence and nature, the peninsula is Melbourne’s favourite escape for both spa-goers and gourmands.

Hidden among Tasmania’s highland plains and coastal fringes are wildflower-framed thermal pools, where steaming waters meet rugged landscapes. In spring, native blooms brighten the valleys, while year-round the pools offer a primal kind of bathing — outdoor, unpolished, and deeply connected to the land. Some sit near rainforest trails, others in clearings alive with birdsong, always with the crisp Tasmanian air as a counterpoint to the heat. These wild soaks are less about luxury than about immersion: a rare chance to slip into nature’s raw rhythms.

Long celebrated as Australia’s spa capital, Daylesford is a town where wellness and creativity intertwine. Dozens of mineral springs feed bathhouses, from historic pump rooms to sleek modern sanctuaries, while boutique galleries, antique shops, and cafés fill its leafy streets. Lake Daylesford offers a serene walking loop, and the surrounding hills brim with lavender farms and kitchen gardens. Evenings bring a slow rhythm — seasonal dining, fireside wines, and perhaps a twilight soak under the stars. Daylesford is less a visit than a ritual of renewal.

On the rugged edge of the Great Ocean Road, Warrnambool is shaped by sea and story. Waves crash against basalt cliffs while Southern Right whales calve offshore in winter. The town pairs maritime heritage — best seen in Flagstaff Hill’s living museum — with natural hot springs that invite travellers to soak under wide skies. Coastal trails lead to wild beaches and the volcanic tower of Tower Hill Reserve, home to emus and koalas. Warrnambool feels both raw and restorative, a place where the ocean’s power meets the quiet healing of thermal waters.

Gateway to the Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell is a small coastal town with outsized drama. Golden limestone stacks rise from the Southern Ocean, sculpted by waves into arches and gorges that glow at sunset. Between cliff walks and photography stops, visitors can return inland to discover boutique spa lodges and mineral-rich bathing pools tucked into farmland valleys. Seafood straight from the coast and local cheeses complete the picture, grounding the grandeur of the landscape in warm hospitality. Port Campbell is as much a place to restore as to marvel.