Now Open: Cunnamulla Hot Springs Is Your New Excuse for an Outback Queensland Getaway

At two locations in Victoria, and over in New Zealand as well, the Peninsula Hot Springs crew have made bathing in relaxing warm water reason enough to book a holiday. Now, the team wants travellers to think about hitting the outback Queensland town of Cunnamulla in the same way. The spot has just become home to Cunnamulla Hot Springs, which the local Paroo Shire owns but Peninsula Hot Springs Group is running.

If your idea of bliss is a lengthy soak in a stunning location, you have a new getaway spot to pop on your agenda, then. Perched right by Warrego River for the ultimate in scenic surroundings, Cunnamulla Hot Springs boasts seven geothermic pools. First announced in 2023, it launched at the beginning of February 2024.

The $11.7-million, five-star site — which came to fruition with contributions from both the federal and Queensland state governments — is the largest-funded project that the Paroo Shire Council has ever undertaken. Getting Peninsula Hot Springs Group to look after day-to-day operations means capitalising upon its expertise honed elsewhere, however. As well as Peninsula Hot Springs, of course, it has Metung Hot Springs in East Gippsland to its name, plus Aotearoa's Maruia Hot Springs.

In Cunnamulla, bathers slip into pools surrounded by native trees, and featuring mineral- and vitamin-rich water taken from and heated naturally by the artesian basin underneath. Learning about the latter around your soak is also part of the experience — calming your body and feeding your mind at the same time.

Each of Cunnamulla Hot Springs's bathing spots sport different temperatures, so you can get steamy, opt for a stint in the chilled plunge pool or both. One has been specifically built to be shallow, so that folks sitting in it can gaze at the stars in the most immersive way possible. In the state-of-the-art complex, a sauna and a steam room is also part of the setup, as is an area for salt scrubs and clay masks.

Fancy taking a dip by sunrise or sunset? That's on offer as well, to make the most of day's cooler temperatures. Dawn bathing starts at 6am, while a twilight soak is on offer from 5–9pm on weekdays.

Patrons aren't merely surrounded by Cunnamulla's landscape as they sit; everything about Cunnamulla Hot Springs has taken its cues from its environment, with Cox Architects on design duties. Think: earthy colours, and using stone and ironbark timber among other natural materials — plus the thermal waters, of course.

When it was announced last year, Cunnamulla Hot Springs was named as a highlight on the Outback Queensland Traveller's Guide, which is filled with things to do inland in the Sunshine State. Queensland isn't just about beaches, rainforests and the tropics, even if that's what it's best known for. So, the bathing venue joins everything from starlight river cruises in Longreach and Winton's Australia Age of Dinosaurs Museum through to the Southwest Queensland Indigenous Cultural Trail and a heap of national parks (and other outback spas and baths, including in Julia Creek, Bedourie, Quilpie, Mitchell and Yowah).

If you're now planning a trip to Cunnamulla, it's around a nine-hour drive west from Brisbane, with flights via Rex, and also boasts an outback river lights festival; the Artesian Time Tunnel, which explores the Artesian Basin's history; and safari-style glamping — among other attractions.

Find Cunnamulla Hot Springs at Lot 5 Ivan Street, Cunnamulla, Queensland — head to the venue's website for bookings and further information.

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