Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I met the Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association. They spoke to me about the old mineral springs site from which Clifton Springs gets its name. This site represents a fascinating glimpse of a largely forgotten chapter in the history of the Bellarine Peninsula. The mineral springs sit within an area known as the Dell, at the base of the cliffs overlooking Corio Bay. A series of springs stretch along the coastline but, while they still flow with water, the water is no longer safe to drink.

But that was not always the case. More than a century ago the mineral water produced by these springs was a major drawcard, attracting visitors from across the bay and indeed the region, eager to sample the health-giving properties of the mineralised water. By the late 1870s a thriving industry was established, with a bottling plant selling water of exceptional quality and a spa bath facility for visitors to bathe in heated mineral water. There are photos from the early part of last century that show the ornate but sturdy bathhouses, a kiosk, a series of wells and a pump house dotted along the foreshore. Further up the cliff, a grand 30-room hotel was on the site of what is now the Clifton Springs Golf Club.

It is hard to believe this was all there until the first half of the 20th century. These days there is little to suggest that any substantial structures existed along the coast. There are the remnants of one of the brick wells and a cellar, but nothing much else. The original hotel was destroyed by fire in the early 1920s. The rest of the springs complex has been literally washed away by the sea. Coastal erosion has eaten up to 20 metres of foreshore in the past 50 years, erasing the beachfront and contaminating the springs. An archaeological investigation was conducted in 2008, and this sets out in fantastic detail the rise and the decline of the mineral springs business.

I would like to congratulate the Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association for its work in campaigning for the preservation of the heritage of the site. It is no small thing to refuse to accept as inevitable the damage caused by coastal erosion. The City of Greater Geelong must be congratulated too. It commissioned an investigation into what can be done, especially in the short term, to protect the Dell beach area. The results of that report are expected within the next few weeks, and I hope that council can allocate funds within the next 12 months so that works can start on the preservation of the site. The aim is to stem the tide of erosion and preserve what is left of the built heritage along the beach. I believe a welcome inclusion would be the construction of a replica well to give us all a better view into the past and encourage once again visitors to the mineral springs site.