(Photo: June 2009)
The Innot Hot Springs located southwest of the Atherton Tableland, about 150km from Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The hot springs spout from bottom of the Nettle Creek, and you can enjoy making your own bath-like hollow, mixing river water for soaking. See the picture in the photo above.
The temperature of the hot spring itself is very high at 60-70°C so you'd better check the temperature carefully before stepping in. Even if you feel it's adequate, very hot water might come out of the bottom sand with your weight when you step in. That was my case and I screamed "あっぢ～" in Japanese and danced around. Everybody around there including my husband bursted out laughing.
In the early morning, you can see the hot spring steam clearly.
There are a campsite and some accommodation units in the Leisure Park by the creek. We stayed overnight there, soaked myself in the outdoor and indoor pools as well (My husband is a rare Japanese dislikes onsen, so he only took shower and complained that the shower was also hot springs and smelled like boiled eggs).
The indoor pool is divided into three parts, the biggest was around 37°C, the small parts were 29°C and 44°C each at my visit. The water was slightly whitish with sulphur smell.
My favorite is the hottest pool. It was as hot as general onsen bath in Japan. But most of the guests prefer lukewarm (by the Japanese standard) pool. One lady even kindly advised me "Be careful. that one is very hot". When I replied "Thank you, but I often soak myself in hotter bath in Japan, and this one is just perfect temperature for me", all soakers there looked so surprised. Am I weird?
The outdoor pools were chlorinated.
Type: Gender mixed open-air baths
Address: Innnot Hot Springs Leisure & Health Park, Kennedy Hwy, North Queensland 4872 Australia
Location: -17.69323,145.19326
Business hour for the pools: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM for day visitors, and 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM for overnight staying guests
Holiday: None
Admission fee: $6 for day visit soaking of the indoor and outdoor pools, free for the creek soaking
Equipment: Indoor pools, outdoor pools, accomodation, cafe, campsite, petrol station
Link: Official website of the Innot Hot Springs Park
My rating (out of five): 4
The main and only office of the Innot Hot Springs Leisure Park
You truly are an onsen soaker! :)
ReplyDeleteYou managed to find an onsen 150 km away from Cairns? Amazing!
How was the Cairns trip it self? And did you enjoy the great barrier reef?
As for the 'hot water' bathing, I reckoned the onsen in Japan is a bit too hot for me too :)
Hi Rashai!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, many of my friends tell me I'm an Onsen Craze as usually I don't drive a car in Japan.
We visited Ravenshoe, neaby town on Innot Hot Springs, too. A steam locomotive train run every Sunday, we enjoyed riding the train( My husband is a train spotter). Of course, we enjoyed Kuranda Railway as well.
As for GBR, I just made a day trip diving. I think I chose a bad day to dive. The sea was rough and maggy, some other divers on the same boat couldn't dive due to seasick. But I could see a big Napoleon Fish and enjoyed my dive. I want to come back in the best season for diving.