When the Campbells moved into their Castle Hill home in 2020, they felt like something was missing. Living in north-western Sydney meant the family was miles from any beaches or swim spots, and just two public pools service the 200,000 or so people in the Hills Shire area.“Summer’s getting hotter, and it’s not like there’s many swimming places to go to. We’ve got a public swimming pool but with the large population around here, it can get quite busy, and be an expensive day out,” Kellie Campbell said.The family was determined to take matters into their own hands. Over the course of three years, they spent $200,000 to build a pool, cabana, spa, shower, and heating facilities, which has tided them through two summers.“It takes time to get to the beach, it seems more convenient to have a pool yourself … even though it’s an expensive project, we just thought we’d get it done,” Campbell said.https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/modules/before-after-image-slider/index.html?resizable=true&v=295&configUrl=https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/hub/configs/before-after-image-slider/55395.json&v=0.1209968532341863; size: mediumThe family is not alone in its love for pools – there are 225,122 residential outdoor swimming pools across Greater Sydney, according to AI-powered analysis of aerial “bird’s-eye view” imagery from Nearmap. Melbourne has about half this, with 112,122 pools.And in other parts of Sydney, suburbs with the most pools are concentrated in the eastern suburbs, north shore, and south.If the surface area of all of Sydney’s 225,122 pools was amalgamated, it would make up a rectangle that is 2km wide and 3.6km long, stretching from Pyrmont to Paddington.https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/modules/graphic-embed/?resizable=true&v=479&configUrl=https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/hub/configs/graphic-embed/54619.json&v=0.3368629835521224; size: mediumWestern Sydney suburbs such as Harris Park, Granville, and Lakemba had fewer pools, along with dense inner-city areas such as Redfern, Woolloomooloo, Surry Hills, and Ultimo, which typically have smaller lot sizes.Suburbs such as Sydney Olympic Park, Chippendale, and Milsons Point had just one pool each, as was the case for 13 other suburbs in Sydney.Sydney real estate agent Karen D’Angola was unsurprised by these trends, and said three factors could determine whether a suburb had many pools – they were often affluent areas, had large lot sizes, and were attractive to families with children.In terms of size, however, the biggest pools were much more spread out across the suburbs – from Duffys Forest in the city’s north, to inner-city Elizabeth Bay, Cecil Park in western Sydney and Middle Dural in the north-west.https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/modules/graphic-embed/?resizable=true&v=716&configUrl=https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/hub/configs/graphic-embed/54611.json&v=0.9309400821433957; size: mediumSydneysiders have always had an affinity for pools – it was the most-searched keyword on Domain in 2025.D’Angola noticed about 60 per cent of Hills Shire properties that went on the market had pools – and they were often the focal point agents pushed thanks to it being part of the “Australian dream”.“It’s probably more of a status symbol. Sydney has pretty expensive real estate, if you spend millions, you kind of almost expect it to come with a pool,” she said.The cost to build and install a pool typically starts about $75,000, and can be north of $100,000 if clients are willing to pay for a premium product. It can be a complex construction process involving council approval, excavation, concrete reinforcing, plumbing, landscaping, fencing, and equipment installation.https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/2026/sydney-pools/stage/assets/ai2html/sydney-pools.html?resizable=true; size: largeDespite its high entry costs, interest in pools has not waned. Greg Judd from Crystal Pools, which has been installing pools in Sydney since 1957, said there was strong demand for services from residents in the northern beaches, north shore, and Hills district.“When it’s a hot summer’s day, we see all the inquiries come in,” he said.For many Sydneysiders, the aspiration to own a pool goes beyond personal use scenarios, as it taps into a desire to increase the value of their home, and maximise returns if one day they intend to sell it off.“If it’s done properly, a pool will improve the value of your house,” Judd said. “But building on a beachside suburb gets much better return on investment. A pool enhances profitability and marketability, you outcompete others.”https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/modules/graphic-embed/?resizable=true&v=293&configUrl=https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/hub/configs/graphic-embed/54634.json&v=0.752528485610778; size: mediumCrystal Pools sales and marketing manager Andrew Rothery agreed: “If you’re selling your home, the picture out the front they show on the ‘for sale’ sign is a pool. We even have clients that put pools in solely for that reason.”Urban planner and UNSW City Futures Professor Susan Thompson said swimming was an “integral” part of outdoor recreational infrastructure and “almost a birthright of Australians”.But Thompson pointed out that pool installation and maintenance costs, and a rise in medium and high-density apartment living prevented many from having a backyard pool. Thompson thinks this bolsters the case for more public pools, especially in areas that do not already have ready access to beaches.Thompson said a growing preference for amenities such as pools to be private, personal sanctuaries at home had implications for the demand for public facilities.https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/modules/graphic-embed/?resizable=true&v=630&configUrl=https://thearticlestack.com/interactive/hub/configs/graphic-embed/54618.json&v=0.6475519209931535; size: medium“It’s akin to a lot of other private services and facilities such as cinema rooms that people might have in their own homes, or swanky houses,” she said. “There’s huge concern about the loss of these public pools which were really cheap for families to go to, a place where kids hung out all summer, and a safe place.”Many communities across Sydney are preparing for summers without easy access to a public pool, while others wait years for theirs to reopen. The Herald previously reported about 40 per cent of Australia’s ageing public swimming pools will be obsolete by 2030. In NSW alone, it will cost $2.7 billion to replace them.Thompson also highlighted the importance of where pools are located: “Many suburbs in western Sydney are hotter in summer, and pools are a way people can cool off. [If there are fewer pools there], then it further exacerbates disparities in a warming climate.“It has huge implications for public health. Public pools end up taking on even more importance,” she said.