One of the best activities to do when the weather gets chilly in NSW is to spend an afternoon soaking in a hot spring. It’s a naturally heated pool with mineral-rich water, said to leave your mind and body better than it was in pre-soak.
NSW has a handful of them. Though most are a day-long drive from northwest of Sydney, conveniently, they sit beside campgrounds so you can make a weekend of it. Fortunately for Sydneysiders, though, two of these hot springs can be visited on day trips. Grab your bathers and a new magazine or book, and let’s hit these NSW hot springs.
Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool
Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool is heated to 27ºC by a natural spring, year-round. A 3-hour drive from Canberra and 5.5 hours’ from Sydney, the pool is surrounded by mountains and cascades into a children’s wading pool. Combine a visit here with a walk or picnic in the Yarrangobilly area of Kosciuszko National Park, keeping in mind the pool’s hours are 7am to 7pm. While entry to Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool is free, to get into the park, it’s $4 per vehicle.
Goodooga Artesian Springs
Artesian water has been said to boost blood circulation, reduce stress, promote sleep and heal skin problems, used for treatments in Japan and Europe for thousands of years. It’s the water you’ll find at Goodooga Artesian Springs, a 20-minute drive southwest of the Queensland border. The pool sits at 40ºC year-round and is open 24 hours a day.
Japanese Bath House
The difference between onsens and hot springs is that hot springs are any spring producing geothermally heated water, while an onsen has to be a certain temperature and contain a certain amount of minerals. Japanese Bath House in the Blue Mountains has indoor and outdoor onsens. Book online ahead of time and add on a treatment.
Burren Junction Hot Springs
Burren Junction Hot Springs is closed during the warmer months but re-opens every April. The hot springs are a seven-hour drive from Sydney and 100m off Kamilaroi Highway. Make a trip out of a visit here by staying in the hot springs’ neighbouring campground, which is equipped with toilets, showers and barbecue facilities.
Lightning Ridge Hot Bore Baths
The water at Lightning Baths Hot Bore Baths comes from the Great Artesian Basin, Australia’s largest underground freshwater resource and one of the largest in the world. Soak in water that’s a toasty roughly 41ºC year-round. The baths have been open since 1962 and are free to use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You’ll find them an 8.5-hour drive northwest of Sydney.
Pilliga Bore Baths
Getting to Plliga Bore Baths is a bit of a trek. It’s a seven-hour drive northwest from Sydney and 56kms along Pilliga Road, which is partly unsealed. Though, once you’re there, you can stay overnight at the next door after soaking in the hot spings’ 37.1 ºC water. Stop for breakfast or brunch at the Pilliga Café on the way home.
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