Mineral springs are thick on the ground in this part of the world – or rather, thick under the ground.

In the early part of last century, the springs of the area were touted as having miraculous healing properties. While that particular selling point is no longer employed to lure visitors to the region, water from the springs is good for you. It’s also free.

I’ve taken the waters – as they say in Baden-Baden - from a few of the springs around here. While the taste of some is a real jaw-clencher, others are so refreshingly pleasant that for a few years after we moved here, we wondered why nobody bottled it.

Turns out somebody did, back in 1910, when The Hepburn Mineral Springs Company started operations. During its life, the company changed owners, changed its name and totally ceased trading in the 1970s.

Then there was the enterprising Gunsser family. They extracted water from the Ballan Spring and bottled it, and from then on it became known as Gunsser’s Mineral Springs. They then established a cordial and soft-drink factory in Ballan but by 1932 the factory had closed. In 1935 the Ballan Springs reverted to public ownership.

A few years ago, the Daylesford and Hepburn Mineral Springs Co. was resurrected, after a couple returning to live in Daylesford noticed that only Italian mineral water was served in local restaurants. So they set up business and starting bottling. Their mineral water has a mild, pleasant flavour – a perfect accompaniment to a meal.

And there’s at least one other company I know of which bottles the spring water of the area. They distribute it to households and businesses in large water-cooler type bottles. 

If you were to sample water from each of the mineral springs in the district, you’d encounter a range of robust flavours – such as the highly sulphurous water from the aptly named Sulphur Spring, or the iron-rich water at Central Springs. Further afield, at Vaughan Springs and Glen Luce, the waters are softer with no one particular mineral dominating their flavours.

Most of the springs are located in pretty spots where it’s pleasant to picnic on warm Autumn days. One of my favourites is the Lyonville Mineral Springs, deep in the Wombat Forest east of Daylesford, where there are tables and benches and a little shelter over the pump. It’s been a popular tasting and picnic spot since the early 1900s.

At the Lyonville Mineral Springs there are walks through the Candlebark trees, steep tracks to climb if you feel so inclined, and afterwards cool refreshment from the pump. It’s so little frequented, you’ll probably be the only ones there to enjoy it.

Another favourite spot is Deep Spring, on the road from Daylesford to Ballarat near Eganstown.

Although we couldn’t find anything resembling a pump, we enjoyed walking along the banks of Deep Creek. It’s a great spot for boys to rush about, with an abandoned mine shaft beckoning dangerously. Keep them well away from it.

If you’re interested in taking the waters, the Victorian Mineral Water Committee has a fairly comprehensive map of them.

And if you’re visiting vicariously, you might enjoy reading about the lure of the springs on the same website.

If you were to drive from Daylesford in any direction, sooner or later you’d come across a sign pointing to a mineral spring. Just make sure you reach it before a busload of Italian pensioners, otherwise you’ll have to queue for the pump.