During a recent trip to the Mornington Peninsula, along the eastern shoreline of Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay, micenet visited both Peninsula Hot Springs and Alba Hot Springs & Spa – both 90 minutes from Melbourne – to find both offer meeting facilities and incentive experiences.
Peninsula Hot Springs in Fingal said they had plans for another 10 luxury ensuited glamping tents, in addition to an existing 10, as well as plans for some eco-lodges. The attraction already has two meeting rooms for up to 150, as well as geodesic domes – casual spaces that can be made private – and two glasshouses overlooking a three-acre food bowl that supplies its kitchen.
The spa experiences at Peninsula Hot Springs include open air pools for 6-10 set into the landscape, plus wellness and spa facilities at an indoor bathhouse that can take groups of 50.
Alba, the newer of the two hot springs products, is also in Fingal, and we found they had five accommodation suites under construction on a hilltop overlooking the 30-odd acre site that includes 31 thermal pools. The new onsite accommodation will house at least 10 guests, while the owners, Hilltonia Homestead, have also bought and renovated the nearby Rye Beach Motel, turning it into a 16-room trendy retro-style motel, The Keith, which has just opened.
At Alba, there are three meeting rooms for up to 200 and a range of luxury experiences to suit incentive programs, including multi-sensory spa treatments over a half or full day, as well as exclusive use buy-outs after hours. The in-house restaurant Thyme has menus designed by TV chef, Karen Martini.
One of Alba’s most indulgent experiences is called Bathe & Beluga, which includes all-day access to 22 geothermal pools, sauna and steam rooms plus a two-and-a-half-hour treat involving caviar and sparkling wine.
Overall Alba can take groups of 10 up to 200.
Both springs were busy during our weekday visit and we were told they draw thousands of international and interstate visitors, along with locals.
In fact the coastal fringe of Victoria appears to float on an underground sea of hot thermal waters as springs are also found at Metung in east Gippsland, with the product there now owned by Peninsula Hot Springs, across the bay at Point Lonsdale and in western Victoria at Warrnambool and Portland.
This is an industry likely to expand as it is well known on the Mornington Peninsula that some local landowners have artesian water springs bubbling up in their backyards. Victoria’s original spa countries, Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, are regarded as the traditional home of the springs, which many believe to be healing waters.
