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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/daylesford-victoria-au/mineral-springs
Daylesford and Hepburn Springs sit on the largest cluster of mineral springs in Australia — water that bubbles up cold and tangy, naturally carbonated, with a strong taste of iron. The pumps in the reserves are free and open to everyone; bring a bottle and try a few, because no two springs taste quite the same. Here's where they are and what to expect.
Lovely water — but not your everyday tap
The spring water is naturally mineral and completely untreated: never filtered or chlorinated. Filling a bottle is free, but health authorities are clear it shouldn't be your routine drinking water — the minerals that give it its taste add up if you drink it every day. Enjoy it as the local treat it is. The council monitors the springs and posts a notice on its mineral-springs page if a pump is closed or the water shouldn't be taken.
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
Water
Naturally sparkling — Cold and lively, with a strong iron tang. Each pump tastes a little different — the Sulphur Spring earns its name, the Soda Spring is softer.
Pumps
Several hand pumps and free-flowing spouts: Pavilion, Locarno, Wyuna, Sulphur and Soda, with the Argyle Spring about a 2 km walk further on.
Where
(3 months ago)
In Hepburn Springs, in the valley below Main Road by the old Bathhouse and Pavilion. Free entry, open at all hours.
Filling up
Free hand pumps; bring your own bottle. Walking paths, a playground and picnic tables around the reserve.
Australia's first mineral reserve, set aside in 1865. Some pumps run more freely than others — if one's slow, try the next.
Central Springs Reserve
Water
Naturally sparkling — Gently fizzy with a clear iron taste — the closest springs to the middle of Daylesford.
Pumps
Three hand pumps, in place since the late 1920s.
Where
In the Wombat Creek valley just below Lake Daylesford, off Central Springs Road — a few minutes' walk from the lake.
Filling up
Free hand pumps; bring your own bottle. Easy to pair with a walk around Lake Daylesford.
Tipperary Springs
Water
Naturally sparkling — The fizziest in the district by local reckoning — sharply carbonated, with a rusty, iron edge.
Where
On Sailors Creek off Tipperary Springs Road, southwest of Daylesford. A short bush walk in from the parking area.
Filling up
Free pump; bring your own bottle. Quieter and more bush than the town reserves — good walking shoes help.
Sits on the Sailors Creek tracks in Hepburn Regional Park if you want to make a morning of it.
Sailors Falls Mineral Springs
Water
Naturally sparkling — Tangy and fizzy like the rest — a bore sunk in 2013 feeds the tap right by the car park.
Pumps
Two taps: one at the picnic ground, another a short walk along the creek toward the falls.
Where
Beside the Sailors Falls picnic area on Ballan–Daylesford Road, about 6 km south of Daylesford, in Hepburn Regional Park.
Filling up
Free taps; bring your own bottle. Undercover picnic tables, a toilet, and step-free access from the car park to the top lookout.
The waterfall itself runs after winter rain and can dry up in summer — the spring tap runs year round.
The official word
This is a guide to the public taps, not the last word. For closures, water-quality notices and the full list, check the pages that keep them:
These are free public springs, and the water is untreated — naturally mineral, never filtered or chlorinated. It is not a routine drinking-water source. Pumps are sometimes dry or closed for works; the official pages above carry any current notice.