Award-winning dips: The best backyard swimming pools of 2024 revealed

Growing up, Rob Hitchcock spent school holidays helping his dad, a pool builder, with the family business. While he initially pursued a career in engineering, he eventually returned to his roots when he had children of his own, taking over the business from his father, Bruce.

Now, alongside his brother Ben, Hitchcock has led FreeStyle Pools to win the award for Australia’s best pool award 2024 from online pool marketplace Poolz.

Australians’ love for swimming pools is clear: “pool” was the No. 1 search keyword used by potential property buyers on Domain.com.au last year.

The luxurious, infinity-edged swimming pool, built for a waterfront client in Seaforth, overlooks Sydney’s Middle Harbour and was built entirely above ground, which was more challenging than a regular pool build.

“The form workers … were working on that for three or four months, whereas in a normal pool they might only be working for a week,” he explained. “Normally, you just dig the hole and then bend the steel over the dirt … but this one, they had to create the shape of the pool in free space.”

Completed in late 2022, the 10-metre-long, 3.5-metre-wide swimming pool is set to continuously flow and would cost between $300,000 and $350,000 to construct today, Hitchcock said.

The northern beaches pool also took out an additional two awards for best out-of-ground pool and the people’s choice award for best concrete pool. Hitchcock’s own personal pool on the Central Coast won the gong for best family pool.

Hitchcock said he feels humbled by the award. “There are a hell of a lot of really cool pools being built. It’s great to get the recognition,” he said.

In Victoria, David Jarman and Lewis Moran from Coolabah Building and Landscapes won three awards: best modern pool in Albert Park; best pool and entertainment area in Lysterfield; and best pool with a view in Kallista.

In the trade for more than 40 years, Jarman began as a landscaper, before becoming a builder and then a pool builder. His company now offers all three services and takes care of the whole backyard.

“When people see that you’ve won these awards, they will make a point of ringing you … it just gives you that little bit of an extra kick because people see you are quality,” Jarman said.

The backyard pool awards, hosted by Poolz, are in their second year. Poolz founder Tony Loxton launched the platform to connect pool builders with homeowners.

“I wanted to create something that was really about showcasing the pool builders’ work to the Aussie public,” Loxton said. This year, over a five-week period, 1500 entries were submitted across the categories, attracting about 60,000 online votes.

Entries can feature pools built within the past five years, although next year this will be limited to three years. “No one wants to enter a pool that was built in the last 12 months because the landscaping won’t be done. It won’t look any good. So generally, the sweet spot is two to three years,” Loxton said.

He came up with the idea to launch his business after buying a house and wanting to build a pool and finding the process too difficult.

Poolz vets builders for quality, and while Loxton has 500 members on his platform, he said they have rejected 170 for not meeting their standards. They also manage a Facebook group with 150,000 members who discuss all things pool: “The number of stories, horror stories, that go through there, it’s almost on a daily basis.”

Still, Loxton thinks Australia is a great place to be in the pool industry, since the nation has more pools per capita than anywhere else.

“We all love the water, and we’re a very, kind of, beach culture. And so, what better way to bring that home and improve your lifestyle?”

Despite the awards, Hitchcock remains modest, saying he is just a “pool man” and telling this masthead that his father didn’t know about the outcome yet.

Full list of winners

Australia’s Best Pool, Best Out of Ground Pool and Best Concrete Pool (People’s Choice): FreeStyle Pools, Seaforth, NSW

Australia’s Coolest Pool and Best Lap Pool: Feature Pools, Armadale, Vic

Most Expensive Pool (builds 300K+) and Best Infinity Pool: Feature Pools, Malvern East, Vic

Best Acreage Pool: Swimco, Red Hill South, Vic

Best Family Pool: custom concrete pool, Holgate, NSW

Best Hamptons-Style Pool: Sydney Poolscapes Leppington, NSW

Best Modern Pool: Coolabah Building and Landscapes, Albert Park, Vic

Best Pool and Entertainment Area: Coolabah Building and Landscapes, Lysterfield, Vic

Best Pool and Landscaping and Pool Owners Australia Top Pick: Custom Creations Landscapes and Pools, Paddington, NSW

Best Pool and Slide: Aqua Technics, Baldivis, WA

Best Pool and Spa: Oceanscape Pools, Cobbitty, NSW

Best Pool Design for a Small Yard: Eco Plunge Pools, Brighton, Vic

Best Pool on a Steep Slope: Shipping Container Pools, Doonan, Qld

Best Pool with a View: Coolabah Building and Landscapes, Kallista, Vic

Best Resort-Style Pool: Norfolk Pools, Broadbeach, Qld

Best Glass Window Pool: Flotech Pools, Mermaid Waters, Qld

Most “Insta” Worthy Pool: Feature Pools, Red Hill, Vic

Most Challenging Pool Build: Shipping Container Pools, Buderim, Qld

Best Fibreglass Pool (People’s Choice): Hunters Hill, NSW

Best Plunge Pool (People’s Choice): Arundel, Qld