Lorne is home to Victoria’s best drop

Lorne Water Treatment Plant has been crowned as the producer of the best tap water in Victoria.

After it was a finalist in 2024, Barwon Water went one better when its sample from Lorne won the Victorian leg of the 2025 IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition.

The win secures Barwon Water a spot in the national showdown, with the Australian title to be awarded in November.

Head of Treatment and Chief Scientist, Dr Will Buchanan, said Barwon Water is committed to providing safe, secure, high-quality drinking water to the community.

“Safe high quality drinking water doesn’t just happen - it requires protection of precious water catchment environments and the day-to-day actions by highly skilled and competent operators.”

Lorne’s drinking water is sourced exclusively from the Allen Reservoir on the St George River, about 3 kilometres west of the town.

The Allen Reservoir is surrounded by the Great Otway National Park.

Water is treated at the Lorne Water Treatment Plant on Polwarth Road, where it is filtered and disinfected, before being distributed to more than 2000 customers.

All water suppliers across the state were invited to submit a sample of their finest water to the Water Industry Operations Association of Australia (WIOA).

The annual competition involves a blind taste test, with the judges evaluating key attributes such as colour, clarity, odour and taste – just like a wine tasting.

WIOA Chief Executive Officer Dean Barnett said the event shone a spotlight on the work happening behind the scenes to safeguard Australia’s water future.

“The competition highlights the dedication of individuals and organisations that work tirelessly – often in challenging conditions – to provide their communities with safe, high-quality drinking water every day,” he said.

Barwon Water supplies more than 37,000 million litres of drinking water each year – across an area of more than 8100 square metres.

Acting Head of Water Quality, James Fenton, and Indiana Bowden, Resource Recovery & Customer Relations Officer, sampling the winning product.