Lyonville Mineral Spring
Lyonville Mineral Spring has a hand pump but the rendered trench (sunken stair structure) is no longer accessible to the public.
Facilities
Facilities include toilets, fireplaces, two unshaded tables and seats and shelter.
How To Get There
From Daylesford/Lyonville: Head east towards Trentham. Approximately 1km from the Radio Springs Hotel turnoff / Tram Street intersection, turn left at the "Lyonville Mineral Spring" sign. Follow this road 1.5km to reach the spring.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are permitted on leash.
Interpretative Signage
Lyonville “…one of its chief attractions.”
By the middle of the 19th century, the lands covering the basalt aquifer that supply these springs with much of its water were cleared for agriculture. The impact of clearing the landscape was noted in 1912 by Dunn of the Geological Survey:
“The inevitable result of removing trees is that the country becomes drier, and this has taken place and affected the mineral springs as well as other sources of water in the district… Unless the original conditions as regards forest are restored, it is unlikely that the mineral spring will regain the volume of outflow that formerly prevailed.”
The flow still varies, however hand pumps allow the public to sample Lyonville’s “chief attraction”.
Lyonville’s mineral water
The number and position of springs along the Loddon River north of Lyonville have been a source of confusion. Much of this may be attributed to the intermittent and ephemeral flow of the springs.
Two mineral springs at Lyonville have, however, been consistently described – this picnic area spring (MS 53) and the township spring (MS 57).
While both these spring waters are of the sodium bicarbonate type, they differ markedly in their constituents. This northern, picnic area spring has a slightly higher chloride level.
The water from the pit and the pump here also differs, the pit water being generally higher in total dissolved salts, bicarbonate, total inorganic carbon and all the trace elements except calcium than the pump water.
Lyonville Mineral Springs
Lyonville mineral spring was discovered in 1912 and a reserve was established in 1914. Construction of the pit followed soon after.
The pit walls were constructed using local rock and most likely bound together by a lime-cement mix.
Mineral water flowed into the pit through a gravity fed pipe. For much of the year the mineral water outlet was flooded due to the base of the pit being lower than the nearby Loddon River.
Deterioration and damage
Over time the pit walls have deteriorated – with the side walls bowing inwards and the external render cracking. In July 2016 a large tree fell over the pit, damaging the cage and exposing the pit wall.
An engineering report noted that the structural integrity of the walls could not be relied upon and that the cracked render posed an immediate safety risk.
Closure of the springs
Maintaining public access to the pit was not possible due to the poor condition of the structure. The pit was repaired and barriers installed to limit public access.
The historic spring pit has been retained for public viewing and mineral water can still be collected from the hand pump in the shelter nearby.
For more information about mineral springs in Victoria, see "From The Spa Country, A Field Guide to 65 Mineral Springs of the Central Highlands, Victoria", published by Edward and Maura Wishart
Photos:
Location
Lyonville Springs Road, Lyonville 3461 View Map
