Porcupine Ridge - Woolnoughs Crossing Mineral Spring
This mineral spring is located at Woolnoughs Mineral Spring Reserve near Kangaroo Creek in the Hepburn Shire area. Mary Ann Woolnough was the daughter of the land owner after which these springs were named. At the spring there is a hand pump.
Facilities
There are no facilities except for a table and small carpark.
How To Get There
From Daylesford, head east on the Midland Highway. Turn right at the Malmsbury/Glenlyon turn-off. Pass through Coomoora. Cross Leitches Creek and within 200m, turn left into Back Glenlyon Road. After 4.6km, turn left into Woolnoughs Road. Just after the creek crossing, park in the clearing on the left. This is Woolnoughs Crossing Mineral Spring .
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are permitted on leash.
Woolnough's – Off the beaten track
Very little is known about the Woolnough's Crossing spring. It was first mapped in 1893 by Mr Taylor of the Geological Survey of Victoria.
Mr Foster, also of the Geological Survey, inspected the spring in 1930 and recommended that a bore be drilled here. It was later drilled privately.
In 1980, David Bolton had a bore drilled for mineral water on the Crown Allotment 7, Parish of Glenlyon, adjacent to Kangaroo Creek. He was licensed to extract 5 ML of mineral water per annum. The last extraction was reported in 1987.
Laing of the Geological Survey recommended in 1981 that this spring be returned to public use for tourism and recreation. A small car park and pump were installed.
Woolnough's mineral water
A new bore was drilled in 2006 and a hand pump fitted. The mineral water is a sodium-magnesium-bicarbonate type.
Woolnough's Spring has similar amounts of calcium, magnesium and sodium to the spring at Glenlyon's Recreation Reserve, yet it has only half the amounts of total dissolved salts (about 2000 mg/L) and total organic carbon (about 2350 mg/L).
There are other springs situated in the bed of the creek. They are only visible in summer or periods of low stream flow. Whilst they issue from small vents in the bedrock, the flow of the springs has been reported as being large.
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
71 Woolnoughs Road, Porcupine Ridge 3461 View Map
