Hepburn Springs, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Hepburn Springs is a resort
town located in the middle of the largest concentration of mineral spring
s in Australia. It is in Victoria
, 48 km northeast of Ballarat. At the 2006 census
, Hepburn Springs had a population of 601 and Hepburn had a population of 375. Total population of Hepburn-Hepburn Springs is 976 and the Daylesford-Hepburn Springs area has a population of 3071. The town is named after Captain John Hepburn
who was an early squatter
of central Victoria.
Hepburn and Hepburn Springs are twin towns which are often badged together under the Hepburn Springs name. Hepburn Springs was originally known as "Spring Creek" and Hepburn as "Old Racecourse". Old Racecourse is the location of the recreation reserve and "new racecourse" is Victoria Park in nearby Daylesford. Both Hepburn and Hepburn Springs were located on the Jim Crow Diggings and the towns were settled by miners in the 1850s, predominantly from China, England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. The Hepburn Post Office opened on 1 January 1854 and closed in 1964. Later, the Hepburn Springs Post Office opened on 1 October 1908
Today the village is known as a tourist destination spa town
where visitors can sample the local mineral water
s, and has spa
and massage retreats, three cafes, six restaurants, four food takeaway venues, two pubs, a live music venue, three bars, a general store, shops and galleries.
Hepburn Springs is predominantly Edwardian architecture unlike the Victorian architecture of nearby Daylesford
. This is due to the devastation of the 1906 bushfire which destroyed most buildings in the settlement.
Hepburn Springs is located in the Wombat State Forest
between former volcanoes - Mt Franklin and Wombat Hill. The prevalence of mineral water in the area is related to the distance from the great dividing range and the volcanic nature of the geology.
In the 1864 its citizens met at the Savoia Hotel and petitioned the government to protect the mineral springs from mining - the water was rated above gold and the Hepburn Mineral Spring Reserve was created in 1865. Many of its residents came from 'spa' areas in Italy, Germany and England and appreciated its value.
A Bathhouse was created in the 1890s which has been remodelled several times. The latest remodelling opened in 2008. Several springs exist in the main reserve - Soda, Sulphur, Pavilion, Locarno and Wyuna. Golden Spring, Hendersons and Lithia Spring are located in the vicinity.
The influence of the Swiss Italians of Australia
- Italian speaking Swiss from the cantons of Ticino and Grison and the northern Italians is still present in the township - through the names of its residents, the names of its springs (Locarno) and buildings (Savoia Hotel, Parma House, Perinis, Bellinzona) and the annual Swiss-Italian Festa.
The heart of the Italian speaking community was the area around the Savoia (Spring Creek) Hotel and the Macaroni Factory. The Savoia is named after the royal family of the unified Italy. An Italian reading library was located at the hotel and pasta was made opposite in Lucini's Macaroni Factory which was also home to the Democratic Club. Lucini's moved from Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
in 1865, where they had set up as the first pasta factory in Australia in 1864. Vanzetta's bakery supplied bread and Crippa, Perini and the Gervasoni's (Yandoit Creek) produced wine.
A local delicacy is bullboar which is a sausage made from beef, pork, garlic and spices. In 2005 Daylesford Secondary College came second in ABC's Young Gourmet's by making bullboars from the Gervasoni and Sartori recipes which gained much media attention over the fate of Charlotte the pig, with little concern for the steer involved! The Bullboar has been named an endangered recipe by the Slow Food Movement.
A book on the Swiss Italians in the region entitled Bullboar Macaroni and Mineral Water by Clare Gervasoni
details the influence of the Swiss Italians on Hepburn Springs.
In 2007 the Melbourne Immigration Museum featured a display entitled Wine Water and Stone reflecting the Swiss and Italian heritage of the area.
Hepburn Springs has 7 sites on the Victorian Heritage Register
: Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
including the bathhouse and the pavilion; Hepburn Pool
which was named Victoria's Favourite Built Place in 2004; Parma House; Blowhole Gold Diversion Tunnel where Chinese miners diverted the Jim Crow Creek; Former Macaroni Factory which is still owned by the descendents of the Lucini family; Jim Crow Creek Gold Mining Diversion Sluice and Breakneck Gorge Puddling Site which is located near the Blowhole.
The Hepburn Planning Scheme also lists a number of sites of local heritage significance including the Savoia Hotel, Wyuna, Mooltan, the Grande, the Palais, Dudley House, Mineral Springs Hotel and the Breakneck Gorge culvert.
The Palais is a well known and popular bar and music venue which regularly attracts national and international acts including Paul Kelly
, Mark Seymour
and Lloyd Cole
. The Palais was a popular dance venue in the 1920s - 1950s and has a sprung wooden floor which is good for dancing.
The recreation reserve is a popular place for walking amongst the trees planted by Laurie Sullivan, many of which are now memorials to local stalwarts who were instrumental in the development and management of the reserve.
The area is well known for its health, wellbeing and food. Several day spas utilising mineral water are located in the township as well a wide range of restaurants, cafe, hotels, guest houses and accommodation options.
The town is surrounded by the Hepburn Regional Park. There are many opportunities for short or long bushwalks, often along old gold mining water sluices and peppered by mineral springs.
Playgrounds are found at the Hepburn Mineral Spring Reserve and at the Laurie Sullivan Recreation Reserve. Barbecue facilities are located at the Hepburn Mineral Spring Reserve and the Hepburn Pool.
. In summer the Hepburn Cricket team also play at the reserve. Hepburn football and cricket clubs have been successful clubs in the early twentyfirst century.
Golfers play at the course of the Hepburn Springs Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
town located in the middle of the largest concentration of mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s in Australia. It is in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 48 km northeast of Ballarat. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Hepburn Springs had a population of 601 and Hepburn had a population of 375. Total population of Hepburn-Hepburn Springs is 976 and the Daylesford-Hepburn Springs area has a population of 3071. The town is named after Captain John Hepburn
John Stuart Hepburn
John Stuart Hepburn was an early pastoralist and landholder in Victoria, Australia.Hepburn was born in Scotland in 1800. He initially became a seafaring man and progressed to become a Master of a 226 ton brig, The Alice. In 1835 the Alice sailed for Hobart...
who was an early squatter
Squatting (pastoral)
In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area....
of central Victoria.
Hepburn and Hepburn Springs are twin towns which are often badged together under the Hepburn Springs name. Hepburn Springs was originally known as "Spring Creek" and Hepburn as "Old Racecourse". Old Racecourse is the location of the recreation reserve and "new racecourse" is Victoria Park in nearby Daylesford. Both Hepburn and Hepburn Springs were located on the Jim Crow Diggings and the towns were settled by miners in the 1850s, predominantly from China, England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. The Hepburn Post Office opened on 1 January 1854 and closed in 1964. Later, the Hepburn Springs Post Office opened on 1 October 1908
Today the village is known as a tourist destination spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
where visitors can sample the local mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
s, and has spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
and massage retreats, three cafes, six restaurants, four food takeaway venues, two pubs, a live music venue, three bars, a general store, shops and galleries.
Hepburn Springs is predominantly Edwardian architecture unlike the Victorian architecture of nearby Daylesford
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
. This is due to the devastation of the 1906 bushfire which destroyed most buildings in the settlement.
Hepburn Springs is located in the Wombat State Forest
Wombat State Forest
The Wombat State Forest is located west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between Woodend and Daylesford, at the Great Dividing Range. The forest is approximately in size and sits upon Ordovician or Tertiary sediments...
between former volcanoes - Mt Franklin and Wombat Hill. The prevalence of mineral water in the area is related to the distance from the great dividing range and the volcanic nature of the geology.
Mineral Springs
A Bathhouse was created in the 1890s which has been remodelled several times. The latest remodelling opened in 2008. Several springs exist in the main reserve - Soda, Sulphur, Pavilion, Locarno and Wyuna. Golden Spring, Hendersons and Lithia Spring are located in the vicinity.
Swiss and Italian Influence
Swiss Italians of Australia
Swiss Italians of Australia, are Italian speaking Swiss that settled in Australia during the 1850s and 1860s. The Swiss Italians initially settled in the area around Daylesford, Victoria...
- Italian speaking Swiss from the cantons of Ticino and Grison and the northern Italians is still present in the township - through the names of its residents, the names of its springs (Locarno) and buildings (Savoia Hotel, Parma House, Perinis, Bellinzona) and the annual Swiss-Italian Festa.
The heart of the Italian speaking community was the area around the Savoia (Spring Creek) Hotel and the Macaroni Factory. The Savoia is named after the royal family of the unified Italy. An Italian reading library was located at the hotel and pasta was made opposite in Lucini's Macaroni Factory which was also home to the Democratic Club. Lucini's moved from Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1865, where they had set up as the first pasta factory in Australia in 1864. Vanzetta's bakery supplied bread and Crippa, Perini and the Gervasoni's (Yandoit Creek) produced wine.
A local delicacy is bullboar which is a sausage made from beef, pork, garlic and spices. In 2005 Daylesford Secondary College came second in ABC's Young Gourmet's by making bullboars from the Gervasoni and Sartori recipes which gained much media attention over the fate of Charlotte the pig, with little concern for the steer involved! The Bullboar has been named an endangered recipe by the Slow Food Movement.
A book on the Swiss Italians in the region entitled Bullboar Macaroni and Mineral Water by Clare Gervasoni
Clare Gervasoni
Clare Gervasoni, author, publisher and curator was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1962.-Education:Gervasoni was educated at Genazzano FCJ College, Melbourne College of Advanced Education and Deakin University Clare Gervasoni, author, publisher and curator was born in Melbourne, Australia in...
details the influence of the Swiss Italians on Hepburn Springs.
In 2007 the Melbourne Immigration Museum featured a display entitled Wine Water and Stone reflecting the Swiss and Italian heritage of the area.
Heritage listed sites
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
: Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve
The Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve is a 30 hectare reserve near Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia. It contains several mineral springs that have been used for drinking and bathing since the 1860s.The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register...
including the bathhouse and the pavilion; Hepburn Pool
Hepburn Pool
Hepburn Pool is located on Spring Creek within the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve in Hepburn Springs and was included on the Victorian Heritage Register following a nomination and comparative analysis of pre Olympic Swimming Pools in Victoria by Lisa Gervasoni....
which was named Victoria's Favourite Built Place in 2004; Parma House; Blowhole Gold Diversion Tunnel where Chinese miners diverted the Jim Crow Creek; Former Macaroni Factory which is still owned by the descendents of the Lucini family; Jim Crow Creek Gold Mining Diversion Sluice and Breakneck Gorge Puddling Site which is located near the Blowhole.
The Hepburn Planning Scheme also lists a number of sites of local heritage significance including the Savoia Hotel, Wyuna, Mooltan, the Grande, the Palais, Dudley House, Mineral Springs Hotel and the Breakneck Gorge culvert.
Entertainment
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
, Mark Seymour
Mark Seymour
Mark Seymour is an Australian musician and vocalist best known for his work as the frontman and songwriter of rock band Hunters & Collectors...
and Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.-Early life:...
. The Palais was a popular dance venue in the 1920s - 1950s and has a sprung wooden floor which is good for dancing.
The recreation reserve is a popular place for walking amongst the trees planted by Laurie Sullivan, many of which are now memorials to local stalwarts who were instrumental in the development and management of the reserve.
The area is well known for its health, wellbeing and food. Several day spas utilising mineral water are located in the township as well a wide range of restaurants, cafe, hotels, guest houses and accommodation options.
The town is surrounded by the Hepburn Regional Park. There are many opportunities for short or long bushwalks, often along old gold mining water sluices and peppered by mineral springs.
Playgrounds are found at the Hepburn Mineral Spring Reserve and at the Laurie Sullivan Recreation Reserve. Barbecue facilities are located at the Hepburn Mineral Spring Reserve and the Hepburn Pool.
Sport
The local Australian Rules Football team is the Hepburn Burras who play at the Laurie Sullivan Recreation Reserve in 20th St,competing in the Central Highlands Football LeagueCentral Highlands Football League
The Central Highlands Football League is an Australian Rules Football League in the Ballarat region. The league coordinates Senior, Reserve, Under 18 and Under 15 grades.-History:...
. In summer the Hepburn Cricket team also play at the reserve. Hepburn football and cricket clubs have been successful clubs in the early twentyfirst century.
Golfers play at the course of the Hepburn Springs Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
External links
- Hepburn Springs - Official state government tourism site.
- Palais music venue
- Film Ballarat Hepburn