‘The development of this great asset was of great value to the State. The people of the district had the opportunity of giving valuable service to the State and the Commonwealth. If they stood together they would continue that same great service. Everything was in Daylesford’s favor – a high elevation, beautiful scenery and there was an abundance of mineral water. Should the desire for progress be maintained [Lord Somers, Governor of Victoria] could see a future for Daylesford second to none, and as Governor of the State he was pleased to identify himself with the movement. He hoped that the time would come, and not in the too distant future, when Daylesford would be covered with hydropaths. He declared the lake and springs open.’ 

This extract was taken from a report in The Daylesford Advocate on Thursday April 17, 1930.

If you live in Melbourne, in all probability you’ve visited Daylesford at least once and been amazed at just how many hydropaths you can fit into a small town.

You might even have escaped the lure of Vincent Street’s cafés and boutiques to dally near the lake – picnicking, strolling, watching your children play or feeding the ducks.

While there are two lakes in Daylesford – Lake Daylesford and Jubilee Lake - only one of them is referred to by visitors as ‘the lake’.

So much has been written about Lake Daylesford – and there are so many photographs of it – I was reluctant to devote a post to it. But if you’ve never been a visitor to this region, and by some remote chance you’ve never heard of the highly acclaimed Lake House, there’s a strong possibility that you know nothing about the lake.

Lake Daylesford covers the site where gold was discovered in the early 1850s. The area, known as Wombat Flat, was not nearly as pretty as the lake, nor did the gold yield enough riches to generate anything other than interest.   

From 1893 the citizens of Daylesford lobbied their civic leaders to dam the creek near Wombat Flat and turn it into a lake. In 1896, the April 21 issue of The Daylesford Advocate reported: ‘…Should further delay occur it will be said that is too late to do anything in the present season.’ 

Thirty-four years later, in 1930, Lake Daylesford was officially opened.

Remember, this was during the Great Depression, when millions were out of work and suffering great hardship. Led by James Scullin, the Australian Labor Party had won government, assuming power just a week before the Wall Street stock market crashed in 1929.

Which leads one to wonder… the coincidence of the Australian Labor Party’s rise to power and global economic catastrophes: What’s that all about? But I digress…

The lake and mineral springs scheme was a very welcome local economic stimulous. Infrastructure included roads, walking tracks and a parking area, providing jobs when unemployment was at an all-time high. 

Funds to build the lake were not taken from the general funds of the Daylesford and Glenlyon Shire. Rather, ratepayers agreed to pay a separate rate of 6d. in the £1. It was reported in The Daylesford Advocate that they did this with enthusiasm. The folk of Daylesford recognised the assets their town had to offer the rest of the world and envisioned a future.

To help realise the dream, Gordon Frost, the hard-working Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Maryborough and Daylesford, attended meetings with the Council and facilitated a grant from the government of £1,500.

In his speech before opening the lake, the Governor said that he hoped that ‘the spa of Daylesford would be as great, or greater than, those on the Continent.’ The Daylesford Advocate reported that this was met with applause.

In the late 1920s, in an attempt to help pay for the lake and mineral springs scheme, it was proposed that the Crown lands adjoining the lake should be divided and sold. After visiting Lake Daylesford, the then Minister for Lands opposed the proposal, instead promising the Daylesford and Glenlyon Council £1,000 in compensation for his refusing permission for the land sale.

It was rumoured that Walter Burley Griffin was to be appointed to beautify the area surrounding the lake but – as the public buildings there attest – that didn’t happen.

The lake has been a popular picnic spot for decades, with a particularly strong appeal for Melbourne’s post-war European migrants, who’d make the long train or car journey to Daylesford to spend a day or two taking the waters, swimming and walking.

These days, swimming is strongly discouraged because of deep holes and freezing currents – of little concern to previous generations when a walled pool was part of the lake. 

Courtesy of the Calder and Western Freeways, Melbourne is now about a 90-minute drive away and a visit to Daylesford is an easy day-trip. 

There’s the leisurely walking track around the Lake, on the path that takes you in front of Lake House and past the Wombat Flat mineral spring, or the slightly more challenging walk that veers away from Central Springs and across the lake wall. 

Should you continue walking down the hill, you’ll end up at Central Springs, a pretty spot for a picnic and a good work-out after lunch when you have to climb back up the hill.

If you’re feeling particularly energetic, you could do the whole circuit – taking in the lake on both sides of the bridge – in less than an hour at a brisk clip. If you’re after a longer hike, click here to plan your route. 

Wherever you wander, the area around Daylesford is bound to yield at least one mineral spring from which to refresh yourself. Just watch out for all those hydropaths.

Acknowledgement: Daylesford Past and Present