WOMBAT FLAT

Located on the edge of Lake Daylesford, Wombat Flat Spring is just a short walk or drive from Daylesford town centre. Surrounded by shady trees, and grassy banks it's an ideal picnic spot. The area also features a scenic walking trail which extends around Lake Daylesford with viewing points, places to sit and ponder, and opportunities to enjoy the local wildlife.

Historically the spring has been known as Boiling Spring, New Springs, Courtot’s Pump and Wombat Flat. When the Daylesford town was surveyed in 1854, it was included on a land sale plan as the 'Boiling Spring' on Wombat Flat."  Later it became known as Leggatt’s Spring since it was positioned in front of Leggatt’s Hotel. However that name was short-lived because, during mining activities along Wombat Creek in the late 1850s and early 1860s, the spring was totally covered in mine overburden and gravel. When it was unearthed 25 years later it was dubbed “New Springs”. However, this did not continue long, as the spring disappeared when Lake Daylesford was built in 1929. Prior to its construction Alfred Courtot, a nearby resident, unsuccessfully lobbied the then Borough Council to save the spring from being drowned and thus for a short time it was known as Courtot’s Pump.

However a good spring cannot be kept down. Lake Daylesford was emptied for maintenance in 1991 and the spring’s location, as well as others, were marked at the time. A bore was drilled at the spring in 1999, but it was too shallow to get strongly carbonated mineral water. In 2006, a new deeper bore was drilled. The bore is 78m deep as fresh water persisted to a depth of approx.45m before a mixing zone was reached at 60m. Strong mineral water intersections were found in the quartz veins at 64m, but it was difficult to construct the bore because the rock was highly fractured and kept caving in when drilled with air.

The other springs drowned by Lake Daylesford along the eastern margin of Lake Daylesford still discharge mineral water and on still days large amounts of gas and water rise from the floor of the lake.

A comparison of the levels of minerals in the springs can be found here.

GETTING THERE:

You can enter the region via two main freeways: The Western Freeway, connecting Ballarat to Melbourne, runs along the southern border of our region. For a more scenic route, exit at the Greendale-Myrniong Road and pass through Blackwood and Trentham. For a more direct route to Daylesford exit at Ballan. If you are travelling to Creswick, Clunes and Talbot, take the exit at Bungaree, or head north through Ballarat.

Managed by: Hepburn Shire Council