Victoria’s best pools: great ideas and inspiration for your own pool building project

Victoria’s temperamental weather may mean a swim isn’t always on the cards — but we can still lay claim to having some of the Australia’s best pools.

Victoria’s temperamental weather may mean a swim isn’t always on the cards — but we can still lay claim to having some of the Australia’s best pools.

From featuring a swimming spot guarded by Terracotta Warriors to a man-made beach in the backyard, our state’s homes sure make a splash.

News Corp Australia’s real estate teams have scoured the country to bring our readers the ultimate list of Australia’s 100 Cool Pools.

Here, we unveil Victoria’s top five offerings and a few quirky extras that will make you realise there can be a lot more to a pool than one might think. Where do you think they ranked on the national list?

Does it get any better? Picture: Supplied

1. Clifftop pool - Munbilla, Walkerville

Munbilla arguably boasts some of Victoria’s best views from its clifftop position high above Cape Liptrap Coastal Park — and they’re best enjoyed from the infinity pool. The dreamy abode in an exclusive gated community near Wilsons Promontory sold for an undisclosed price above $5m in November, after attracting extraordinary buyer interest. Ray White’s Jason Hellyer said the house’s “unique aspect” of the Gippsland coast created spectacular sunset views from the perfectly perched pool, which was complemented by a nearby private beach ideal for surfing, fishing and finding fresh seafood in rockpools.

Clifftop high. Picture: Supplieds

2. Highest pool in the southern hemisphere - Australia 108, Southbank

Swimmers can freestyle through the clouds in the southern hemisphere’s highest pool at the Australia 108 tower. The building is Melbourne’s tallest, stretching 319m, and its impressive views remain on show from a pair of sky-high infinity-edge pools set an astonishing 212m above sea level. Both have glass walls allowing residents to dive into a view of the Dandenong Ranges and Port Phillip Bay on one side and the CBD from the other, all while 70 storeys up. But despite their altitude, both 18m-long pools are only 1.2m deep. Only Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton is believed to have a pool higher in the sky, on that tower’s 118th floor.

3. Private beach in the bush - Smiths Lane, Sunday Creek

Built and designed by its original owners Alex and Nicole Greco, this one-of-a-kind lagoon pool with a man-made beach might be the best pool money can buy. The Grecos created the swell swimming spot after deciding their country Victorian home was too far from the ocean for their liking, and sold it (and the impressive family home it shares a title with) for $1.7m in November last year. The price was a whopping $350,000 above expectations. Complete with a stone-lined spa, a waterfall and two jetties, it’s the kind of backyard most kids — and parents — would kill for.

Beach in the bush. Picture: Alex Coppel.

4. Sky Pool - Hawthorn Park, Hawthorn East, VIC

Suspended seven storeys high between two buildings, and featuring a glass bottom, Melbourne’s first sky pool straddles the line between beautiful and terrifying. Either way, the feat of engineering has been making a splash at Dahua Group’s $300m Hawthorn Park development since late last year. It’s also left residents with the conundrum: can you have a shallow end 18.5m above ground? It took more than a year to plan and seven months to build the marvel, with the stainless-steel frame made in Italy and shipped to Australia in parts, before being assembled on the ground and winched into place whole by two cranes.

5. Terracotta Warriors - South Yarra, VIC

Flanked by mosaic Terracotta Warriors and illuminated by bold coloured lighting, this indoor pool by Neptune Swimming Pools made a splash when it (and the South Yarra house it’s part of) hit the market last year. Selling agency Dingle Partners said the mosaic provided “an artistic backdrop reminiscent of a world-class gallery” in its marketing for the property, which remains for sale with a $7-$7.5m price guide.

Terracotta Warrior Pool South Yarra. Picture: Nick Wellman

If that wasn’t impressive enough, the luxury pad has a second pool. It’s outdoors and almost as wacky, overlooking a huge TV screen.

Additional reporting by: Mikaela Day, Jayitri Smiles, Nathan Mawby, Christina Karras and Scott Carbines.