The best pools in Australia: Poolz Awards crown the most spectacular backyard designs for 2023

The most lavish and luxurious backyard pools of 2023 have been named, including a multi-level oasis with a picturesque design built inside a shipping container.

A panel of industry experts crowned a modern masterpiece in Melbourne with a glass wall for underwater viewing and a sun-drenched wading area as the country's best swimming pool at the inauguration Poolz Awards.

The winners also included a lap pool with panoramic countryside views, a resort-style spa with a rainwater feature and smoke machine bridge, and a small but spectacular plunge pool in Brisbane.

AUSTRALIA'S BEST POOL

The aptly named Aqua Paradise in the backyard of a house in Donvale in Melbourne's eastern suburbs earned the top gong.

The sleek design features a picturesque wading area and an underwater glass window to the home's subterranean playroom and an infinity edge.

There is a clear viewing panel showing how the steps in the shallow end perfectly mirror the garden stairs.

Aqua Paradise also won the prizes for the best modern swimming pool, the most insta-worthy swimming pool and the most expensive swimming pool.

Byron Bonner of Aloha Pools, the builders behind the design, said: 'The pool measures 20 by 4 metres, plus a shallow wading pool and a wraparound 'pond' that extends the pool all the way around the side of the house to the front. '

“It looks like a resort pool and functions like one… it was undoubtedly one of the most special and rewarding projects we have worked on.”

BEST POOL WITH A VIEW

A 12 meter long shipping container has been suspended above the ground to create a unique swimming pool with breathtaking views of St Andrew's Beach on Victoria's iconic Mornington Peninsula.

The pool is designed so that swimmers can wade in the middle of nature without disturbing its beauty and paddle to the edge to take in the seaside scenery.

It is located meters above the ground so as not to disturb the flora and fauna below and to be in line with the home's entertainment terrace.

The client's brief for her was that the beautiful pool should have something that was 'as if you were floating in the ocean under a starry sky'.

BEST RESORT STYLE POOL

Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that the winner of the resort-style pool category was actually installed in a luxury hotel.

However, it is located in a residential home in Brisbane and has all the trimmings, from a relaxing spa to a rainwater feature and even a smoke machine.

The rain waterfall flowing down from the ceiling acts as a curtain between the spa and the main pool.

A bridge, with a smoke machine underneath for an extra dramatic effect, floats over the water, while a glass window wall with bubbling water jets separates the pool from a multi-level fountain.

PRIZE FOR PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Thousands of votes were cast to declare one of the largest and most expensive prize pools the people's favorite.

The custom-designed pool, in a property in the inner Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo, is spread across the two levels of the house.

There is a shallow area on the top floor with sun loungers and a separate tiled spa and pool with a striking glass window.

The window offers an underwater view of the lower level wading pool near the sunken fire pit area.

Builders at Broadwater Pools and Spas who were behind the state-of-the-art creation said the owner loves the finished product and loves nothing more than relaxing after a long day with a champagne at the spa.

BEST IMMERSION POOL

A lack of space hasn't stopped Australian homeowners putting aside their dream of their own swimming pool. That is why plunge pools have been all the rage in recent years.

Roger Pools was called in by a Brisbane family to transform their sloping, 'unusable' front garden into an inner-city oasis.

The result is a plunge pool with mosaic tiles, perfect for a relaxing dip on a balmy evening.

The water flows over the far edge so that the pool doubles as an impressive water feature, while tiles of gray, gold, purple and white brush draw the eye.

BEST POOL

While not a highly anticipated category, the Best Acreage Pool winner is one worth watching.

Raised above the ground to enjoy rolling green countryside views, 'Ultimo' is a chic lap pool that allows swimmers to 'immerse themselves in the natural beauty surrounding the property'.

Thanks to the precise height, the fencing does not have to enclose the pool and obstruct the view. A glass gate sits subtly at the bottom of a series of limestone steps leading down to the water's edge.

The pool is located on a property near the historic town of Toodyay in Western Australia's Wheatbelt, northeast of Perth.