Victor Szwed
Hidden away on Spring Creek in the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve is the unique Hepburn Pool built in the early 1930s by the Zelman family, who ran the Bellinzona Guest House. It was of Olympic size and hosted many swimming competitions including the Victorian Swimming Championships.
In 1969 the Daylesford Olympic Pool opened and the Hepburn Pool was somewhat forgotten. It began silting up but a group of locals cleaned it out and helped re-open it in 1994. Their efforts are acknowledged on a plaque.
Following the creation of Hepburn Shire in 1995, some State Government bureaucrats pressured the new Shire to decommission the pool by destroying the concrete wall which was holding the water. Council is the Committee of Management of this Crown Land and the State bureaucrats decided to remove insurance protection which would have placed the burden on Council and community if an accident happened and someone sued. Fortunately the local community was highly motivated and successfully fought the State move. The Council also lobbied the State and threatened to hand the Crown Land back to them if they did not agree to a practical solution.
The BBQ at Hepburn Pool built by Daylesford Rotary members in 1994 as part of the community restoration of this important site. (Photo: Victor Szwed)
A number of safety works were put in place and the Hepburn Pool continues 30 years later to be historically and socially significant to Victoria. Local artist and town planner, Lisa Gervasoni, formulated a comparative analysis of “pre-Olympic” swimming pools and prepared a detailed and ultimately successful nomination for the Victorian Heritage Register. Hepburn Pool was included in the Victorian Heritage Register in March 2000 thanks Lisa’s efforts.
And in case you’re wondering, Daylesford’s Olympic Pool had nothing to do with the Olympic Games. After the 1956 Melbourne Olympics the Government encouraged and funded many new swimming pools across Victoria and having a 50 metre length gave a pool “Olympic” status.
Drive into Sixth Street at the Savoia Hotel and carefully continue down to The Poolway where there is a carpark. Alternatively, you can walk from the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. See the Visitor Information Centre for maps and details.
When you wander down to the Hepburn Pool you will also see a BBQ shelter which Daylesford Rotary built. There are many community structures, interpretive signs and improvements which Daylesford Rotary has done over the 72 years it was formed. Rotary members have been restoring some of these recently and this BBQ is expected to get some extra love and care once the weather improves.
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Victor Szwed is a Daylesford resident and Rotary member who contributes this series on interpretive signage and historic sites around the town.
