Australia's hot springs run from outback bore baths to coastal spas, and at least 37 of them sit in this directory. Peninsula Hot Springs near Melbourne draws crowds to its hillside pools, while Mataranka Thermal Pool sits in a palm forest in the tropical north. 9 of the 37 listed here are free to reach. Great Artesian Basin bore baths and spa resorts define the country.
The outback plains of New South Wales and Queensland hold the Great Artesian Basin bore baths, where towns tap the deep aquifer. The art-deco Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre, the free Lightning Ridge Bore Baths and Walgett Artesian Bore Baths, the mud baths of Eulo Artesian Mud Baths, and the pools of Cunnamulla Hot Springs and St George Aquatic Centre artesian baths draw travellers crossing the interior. Many of the directory's Australian springs are these artesian baths of the outback.
Victoria's spa country, on the Mornington Peninsula and at Daylesford, holds the country's polished day spas. The hilltop pools of Peninsula Hot Springs, the architect-designed Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, the Deep Blue Hot Springs at Warrnambool, and the historic Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa at Daylesford pair thermal water with wellness centres. Several of the listed Australian springs cluster across this southern spa region.
The tropical north, across the Northern Territory and the Kimberley, holds palm-fringed wild pools. The clear water of Mataranka Thermal Pool and nearby Bitter Springs flows through tropical forest, while Katherine Hot Springs sits by its river and Zebedee Springs hides among Kimberley palms. Four of the springs listed here lie across this northern region.
The deserts and high country hold the most remote wild springs. Dalhousie Springs rises in the South Australian desert at the edge of the Simpson, while the cave pools of Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs in Tasmania and Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool in the Snowy Mountains sit far to the south. These scattered springs round out the directory's Australian entries.
Australian bathing splits between the free artesian bore baths of the outback, fed by the vast Great Artesian Basin, and polished spa resorts near the southern cities. The tropical north adds wild palm-fringed pools, giving a range from rough bush soaks to designer wellness, unlike countries built around one style. 9 of the 37 springs listed in this directory are free. Many bore baths run hot straight from the aquifer. These sit within the wider hot springs in Australia and Oceania.
