Mt Hotham's Onsen Retreat & Spa - Australian Traveller

That achy feeling after skiing is about to be a distant memory when you check into Mt Hotham’s Onsen Retreat & Spa.

Located in the Victorian Alps in the Great Dividing Range, Hotham Alpine resort is home to the most relaxing experience. The Onsen Retreat & Spa offers patrons massages, facials, skin and body treatments as well as the outdoor Onsen. After you’ve done a few laps through most of the 66 runs over the 320 hectares, a retreat and spa is the perfect stop off before dinner.

This Japanese styled Onsen is heated to 38 degrees and sits just outside in the midst of the snow. The warmth of the natural hot springs is said to relieve muscle pain, fatigue and stress.

If you’re staying in the Dinner Plain area, the Retreat & Spa is located smack bang in the middle. However, if you’re 10 kilometres up the road on Great Alpine Road, a shuttle bus can easily take you there and back.

The entry road to Mt Hotham: Great Alpine Road.

What’s Offered?

Bathing

Each bathing session goes for two hours in the outdoor heated Onsen. A single session is $45 per adult and also offers access to the heated plunge spa, sauna, heated lap pool and fitness centre.
Guests can also opt for a Private Geisha Bathing, priced at $110 for 30 minutes. Instead of using the communal Onsen, they will be lead into a private room with a spa containing only the purest alpine water. Guests can choose from an array of customised bath salts to maximise the experience.

Onsen Retreat & Spa, Mt Hotham — Sink into the 38-degree hot springs.

Unlike a traditional Japanese Onsen, the Retreat & Spa requires patrons who are using the communal bathing facilities to wear swimwear. Before your session, you’ll be given a warm fluffy robe and slippers to drape over you walk between each area.

Spa Packages

The packages that Onsen Retreat & Spa have available range from $199 to $760 (couples) and offer a wide variety of treatments. Each package offers a complimentary session of Alpine Onsen Bathing.

Enjoy the light touch of their signature massage and organic facials to get you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Most of the packages include a light tasting platter in case your stomach starts rumbling throughout that body exfoliation and wrap.

Please note that while some guests prefer to undress entirely for their treatments, whereas some leave on underwear. The Onsen Retreat & Spa explains that they will accept whatever is comfortable for you.

Massage Therapies

With a mixture of massage therapies available to patrons, it’ll be tough to choose the favourite. With remedial, volcanic hot stone, muscle focus and Moroccan remedy options, each one will bring you ultimate relaxation. If the classic suits your interests, then the signature massage with customised aromatherapy will do the trick.

Body and facial therapy are well performed as well. With organic facials both for men and women, it will replenish, brighten and be a natural anti-aging agent for the skin. And if you’ve ever dreamed of a body wrap, the mineral detox therapy will do you wonders.

When to Go

The best time to visit the Onsen Retreat & Spa is right after you’ve spent some time skiing or snowboarding on the slopes. The treatments are incredibly therapeutic and performed by professionals.

During the winter season, the centre offers fitness and wellness classes. Sign up for a Mountain Yoga session before your dip in the outdoor or indoor spas. A single class will only set you back $15, which is an absolute steal considering the location. The instructor is an experienced yogi who will cater for all ages and health levels. The class will be about healing your physical, mental and spiritual body.

Nearby Restaurants

When you’ve finished up your afternoon delight at the Onsen, hop down to the local eateries to replenish your bellies.

Hotel High Plains is located in Dinner Plain, so very close to the retreat. The menu is full of delights from the Chicken Schnitzel Saltimbocca to the Prawn Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake).

And just up the road in Mt Hotham sits The General . They’re well known for the quirky woodfired pizzas. Order up a Flu Fighter or even a Pelly Pond and it’ll have your taste buds dancing.

Getting There

When heading straight from Melbourne the drive to Mt Hotham will take roughly 4 and a half hours. Whereas Sydneysiders, get yourself strapped in for a long 8-hour road trip.

For those who hate to drive that long, HothamBus offers discounted express coaches heading to the Victorian snowfields. The bus departs from three major cities, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

HothamBus also offers day trips for central Melburnians straight to Mt Hotham. The overnight service departs at 1:50 AM, offering guests a whole day of swooping along the snowy ravines and relaxing in the Onsen retreat.

Open 10 AM to 6 PM Monday through to Sunday, these expansive services are offered every day.

Address: Big Muster Drive, Dinner Plain

Is High Country where you’re planning on heading? Click here for our guide on everything you need to know.

Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.

There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.

So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.

1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism — Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.

Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.

2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool

woman relaxing at Deep Blue Hot Springs — Let mineral-rich water heal you.

If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.

The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.

3. Take to the air at Princetown

12 Apostles Helicopters flight alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road — See an icon from a different view.

You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.

The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.

4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill

Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum , a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.

The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.

If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.

5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea

kid having a lesson with Go Ride A Wave — Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.

Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.

6. Tackle the trails in Forrest

Barwon Flow Trails Otways Flow MTB — Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.

Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.

Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.

7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay

bush rat on Wildlife Wonders tour — Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)

If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.

The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.

8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation

Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red .

While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.

And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.

Plan your next no-stone-unturned journey along this iconic Aussie road at visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.

Mt Hotham Onsen Retreat & Spa