For most Sydney-siders, a pool in the backyard is a necessity. Whether it’s for exercise or simply for cooling off in hot weather, pools are one of our favourite things to do. But while it’s true that a big, luscious garden isn’t possible for many of us, creating the perfect pool doesn’t have to be as hard as you might think. This category features a list of local pool builders and designers that can help you create the perfect space for swimming.

Across the city, councils are rethinking their plans for public pools in favour of more specialised aquatic centres, such as those found at Ryde Aquatic Centre and the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. These new centres, which feature more advanced equipment and are designed for water-based activities such as kayaking, can be more cost effective and environmentally friendly than traditional pools. The pool industry also expects that the trend towards more health-focused pools will continue to grow.

As a result, visitation to pool and spa lifestyle shows has been on the rise, with February’s Sydney Pool & Spa Expo reporting a claimed increase in visitor numbers back to pre-covid levels. The event’s organiser, SPASA, says the figures support the industry’s view that pool ownership is high on the agenda for Australian families.

While many people would love to spend all their time at the beach, it’s not always practical or safe. Fortunately, Sydney’s iconic seaside pools provide an alternative, with the best of them having been built in Victorian elegance, often below sandstone cliffs to protect swimmers from the northerly breezes. Serene at low tide, choppy at high, Sydney’s harbour pools offer a variety of swimming experiences and are a great place to soak up some sun.

The biggest harbourside pool is probably the Elkington Park Baths, a corrugated iron and painted cream and green wooden pavilion tucked below Balmain’s sandstone cliffs. The baths were once known as the Olympic Park Baths and were later renamed in honour of swimmer and Olympic champion Elkington. They’re still a popular swimming spot, although the city’s other harbour pools have suffered from funding woes.

Another city pool with an interesting history is the Glebe Pool, which opened in 1897 and was named after the first Aboriginal lord mayor of Sydney, Yvonne Weldon. It’s an icon of the Sydney foreshore and a beautiful venue for public lap swimming, but its history is marred by claims of infighting among councillors, pork-barrelling and heritage concerns. With a budget that’s blown out to $100m and a scheduled opening date now well into the future, the pool’s future looks bleak. The NSW government is now seeking a new operator for the site.