After tallying up thousands of public votes and collating points from a panel of industry experts, Australia’s best pools for 2023 have been revealed! And if you’ve been thinking of taking the plunge (come on, I couldn’t resist!) then we have plenty of inspiration for you as we share them.
The aptly-named Aqua Paradise got the most overall votes and was declared Australia’s best pool in the inaugural Poolz Awards.
The luxury resort-style pool has been named Best Modern Pool, scoring top marks for its sleek design, modern grandeur and how it blends seamlessly into its architecturally designed Donvale home. Costing more than half a million dollars to build, it was also the most expensive pool entered in the awards, and the Melbourne masterpiece also took out Most Insta-Worthy Pool, in large part due to its picturesque wading area, an underwater glass window into the underground games room, and unique acrylic viewing panel which perfectly mirrors the garden steps and offers crystal-clear underwater viewing.
Byron Bonner from Aloha Pools said the custom concrete pool required a great deal of thought, planning and detailed drawings to achieve the desired result. “Aside from being unapologetically large and jaw-droppingly beautiful, the sheer size of this pool is astounding. The pool is 20m by 4m plus a shallow wading pool and wraparound ‘pond’ which stretches the pool all the way around the side of the house to the front.
“It looks like a resort pool and functions like one too, with a commercial hydraulic and filtration system, and heating such a large body of water is a challenge in itself. The spill over ‘knife edge’ isn’t just for looks; it minimises the heat loss and water reduction of the pool. Aqua Paradise was a challenging build, particularly with the inclusion of an underwater window into the house and the fine detail required to make the side viewing panel line up perfectly, but there’s no doubt it was one of the most special and rewarding projects we’ve worked on.”
Take a closer look in the video below.
A panel of industry experts judged the 20 main award categories on form, function and first impressions, with the following pools taking out the other awards:
Best Infinity Pool: Elwood by Blue Pools and Spas – Elwood, Melbourne VIC
Best Pool on a Steep Slope: Forest Bliss by Blue Pools and Spas – Belgrave Heights, Melbourne VIC
Best Pool and Entertainment Area: Maiden Gully by Summertime Pools – Maiden Gully, Bendigo VIC
Best Pool with a View: What a beach! by Shipping Container Pools – St Andrews Beach, Mornington Peninsula VIC
Best Lap Pool: An Exquisite Luxury Lap Pool by Mr Pools – Northbridge, Sydney NSW
Best Pool and Landscaping: Trendy Inner-City Pool Space by Mr Pools – Annandale, Sydney NSW
Best Hamptons-Style Pool: Collaroy by Aquify Pools – Collaroy, Sydney NSW
Most Challenging Pool Build: Cardiff by Soaked Pools – Carss Park, Sydney NSW
Best Pool and Slide: Thirroul by Oceanscape Pools – Thirroul NSW
Best Family Pool: Bigger is Better by Vogue Pools – Tumbi Umbi, Central Coast NSW
Best Resort-Style Pool: Resort by Norfolk Pools – Gold Coast QLD
Australia’s Coolest Pool: Bundall by Broadwater Pools and Spas – Bundall, Gold Coast QLD
Best Pool Design for a Small Yard: Inner City Oasis by Rogers Pools – Hamilton, Brisbane QLD
Best Glass Window Pool: Coorparoo by Broadwater Pools and Spas – Coorparoo, Brisbane QLD
Best Out of Ground Pool: New Farm by Norfolk Pools – New Farm, Brisbane QLD
Best Pool and Spa: Stunning Pool and Spa by Taylor’d Pools – Clontarf, Moreton Bay QLD
Best Acreage Pool: Folewood – The ‘Ultimo’ by Countrywide Pools – Toodyay, WA
After counting the thousands of votes in the remaining three People’s Choice categories, one of the biggest and most expensive pools entered in the competition, located at Coorparoo Brisbane, won Best Concrete Pool, a picturesque pool east of Perth took out Best Fibreglass Pool and an inner-city oasis in Brisbane took out Best Plunge Pool.
Founder and CEO of online pool marketplace Poolz, Tony Loxton, said judging the awards was a tough job. “Australia is home to some stunning pools. We are absolutely obsessed with backyard pools and go the extra mile on water features, spas, slides, benches and mind-boggling designs high above the ground, on steep slopes and in tight spaces.
“The Poolz Awards show off Australia’s biggest, boldest and most beautiful pools, as well as the downright whacky and absolutely exorbitant. The awards are a well-deserved pat on the back for the world-class talent in the local pool industry and provide a visual feast of pool inspo as well as all the latest and greatest in pool and spa trends.”
