Cool pools: Australia’s top 10 suburbs making a splash

A surprise new area has beaten powerhitters on a key home feature - and it’s not due to the climate.

It may come as a surprise, but Melbourne now tops the nation when it comes to the suburbs with most homes sold with a swimming pool.

The renowned bayside suburb of Brighton leads the pack, with 31 properties featuring pools changing hands over the past year, followed by Birkdale (Brisbane), Hampton (Melbourne), and Mount Eliza (Melbourne), according to Ray White research.

This property in Brighton recently won Best Pool Design for a Small Yard at the Poolz Awards.

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Half of the top 10 suburbs directly border the ocean, suggesting proximity to water remains a key factor in pool ownership patterns.

All lie with a half hour drive of their CBDs, indicating pool ownership in Australia’s most active markets correlates strongly with established wealthy areas.

Top 10 swimming pool suburbs based on sales in the past year. Supplied by Ray White.

This property at 4 Denistoun Ave, Mount Eliza, is on the market with an amazing swimming pool.

The view from the pool at 4 Denistoun Ave, Mount Eliza.

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Ray White Group senior data analyst Atom Go Tian said Melbourne emerged as a “fascinating outlier”, ranking second in terms of total pool sales and dominating the list of top 10 suburbs despite being the second-southern most capital city.

“While Sydney leads in total pool sales across its metropolitan area, Melbourne’s pool market shows greater concentration in specific high-value suburbs, creating distinct ‘pool precincts’, particularly the city’s affluent inner south and east,” Mr Tian said.

This property at 30 Kungung Rd, Mount Eliza, is on the market with an epic swimming pool.

Sydney had the highest overall number of pool property sales in the past year at 923, followed closely by Melbourne with 909 sales, then regional Queensland, with 890 pool sales.

Among major cities, Perth comes fourth with 484 sales, while Darwin comes ahead of only Canberra and Hobart with just 68 swimming pool sales.

This property at 21 Downwind Court, Birkdale, is on the market with a nice swimming pool.

“Ultimately, the data suggests that while climate creates the conditions for pool ownership,

wealth and location ultimately determine where pools become defining features of residential real estate.

“Melbourne’s dominance of the top 10 pool suburbs, despite its southern location, demonstrates how socio-economic factors can override climatic considerations in shaping the

geography of pool ownership.”

This property at 416 Moule Ave, Brighton, is on the market with an amazing swimming pool.

Poolz founder and CEO Tony Loxton said Australians were “obsessed with pools”.

“Whether we have a tight space in the backyard, live on a challenging slope, or want to make the most of waterfront or valley views, Australia’s talented pool builders are up to the task,” Mr Loxton said.

Winners in the recent Poolz Awards ranged from a custom plunge pool in a tiny Brighton backyard to a 12m-high shipping container pool in Buderim.