Gippsland: Stage one of $120m hot springs at Metung to open in July

Baths in wine barrels, pools and safari tents will form part of a multimillion-dollar hot spring destination when stage one opens in Gippsland. See the designs.

An artist’s impression of the exterior of the safari-style glamping tents at the multimillion-dollar Metung hot springs.

Barrel baths, pools and safari tents will form part of the $120m hot springs when the first stage opens at Metung in July.

The development, on a 25-acre block of land, overlooks 700m of water front across Lake King.

Stage one includes barrel baths — baths in a wine barrel — glamping tents with king beds, ensuites and private barrels, hot and cold pools, a reflexology walk, a nature trail and saunas.

Future stages will see include a 350-berth marina — a collaboration with a local golf course — and 250 spaces for guests to extend their relaxation time.

Operations manager Rachel Bromage said the project had been years in the making.

“A sauna perched on a hilltop escarpment will be open as well as six geothermal pools of varying depth and temperatures, seven individual barrels, cold plunges and a stargazing pool.

“The water is 45C at source, our bore id 500m deep so it loses a few degrees when it’s pumped up. The hottest pools will be 42C down to 37C and the cold plunges will be an ambient temperature, around 12C,” Mrs Bromage said.

An artist’s impression of barrel baths will form part of a $120m hot springs at Metung, set to open in July.

An artist’s impression of the interior of the development planned for Metung.

A trail for guests to wander from the beach through the property will be operational as well as a double massage dome, socials areas with beanbags and blankets, a reception and a cafe.

Ten safari tents, overlooking a natural lagoon, will be ready by the end of July.

“The safari tents are a luxurious experience and will take glamping to the next level,” Mrs Bromage said.

“We wanted to get involved in the East Gippsland Winter Festival, so we will also be running a winter wellness program throughout that time.”

Mrs Bromage is running the operation with her husband, Adrian, who is in charge of the project.

“For Rachel and I, we’re local residents and we see this as a bit of a legacy project for us and our region,” he said.

“We would love to put our feet up at the end of the day and say we have achieved something significant for our region.”

The vision was to resurrect the Metung hot pools, which closed in the mid 1990s, and to draw people to the town year-round as the “best time to be in a hot spring is during winter”.

The natural lagoon takes up about 20 per cent of the land and attracts birdlife.

Visitors will also be able to spot echidnas, wombats and longneck turtles.

Future stages will open depending on interest and demand.