Great Ocean Road Hot Springs proponents Gene and Rebecca Seabrook plan to build about 20 ground-level pools, many set in artificial limestone caves, on land that is part of their Deep Blue Hotel and Deep Water Spa property off Viaduct Road.

The pools will be linked to various activities such as reflexology and include an interactive mud bath where people can rub each over with mud, a salt cave that helps respiratory problems and star gazing pools where people can lie just under the water surface and look at the stars.

“People can meander from pool to pool.

“We want to create a journey,” Mr Seabrook said.

Pool temperatures will vary from 38-41 degrees with water from an 850 metre deep bore on the property.

Mr Seabrook said the underground water was rich in minerals that had health properties.  

The rooftop spas will be in cabanas built on top of Deep Blue’s conference centre.

The conference centre will be converted to change rooms and reception and other Deep Blue buildings will be demolished to make room for the ground floor cave-themed pools. The ground level pools will have a cafe and a bar will service the rooftop private spas.

Plans for the project have gone out for public consultation and Warrnambool City Council has yet to decide on the development application. 

Mr Seabrook said if the project was approved, it was hoped to start construction in March-April next year and open the centre on New Year’s Eve in 2017.

“This will be the first hot springs on the Great Ocean Road and the first that have ocean views,” he said.

Mr Seabrook said its Deep Water Spa currently received about 30,000 visitors a year and it was hoped the new complex would attract about 200,000 visitors a year. Many of the visitors would come during winter, providing a boost to the seasonal trough in tourism, he said.

“We want to make Warrnambool a year round destination,” Mr Seabrook said.