For many Wollongong home owners, a pool has become a must-have - prompting waiting lists that are months long.
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In 2022, Wollongong City Council received a massive number of development applications from people wanting to install a pool in their backyard.
Read more: Warning for swimmers in Wollongong Harbour
There were 362 applications - that's almost one a day for all of 2022 and in a city with no shortage of public beaches nearby.
That figure only takes into account the construction of new pools - there were also a number of applications to create extensions to pools and also to demolish those in the ground.
This year suggests the popularity might be slowing down; as of Australia Day there were only eight applications on public exhibition.
One of the people who had a pool built was Corrimal's Alisha Stoddart, who had one in their old house and wanted to include one in a knock-down and rebuild approach at their new property.
"We like being able to jump in and out of the water all the time," Ms Stoddart said.
"We like the accessibility of it, rather than having to go down to the beach all the time. Our kids, they're the water a lot, so they'll jump in and out all day."
When they were getting quotes for the pool, Ms Stoddart said they discovered there was a lot of people in the line ahead of them.
"August-September last year is when we put it in," she said.
"When we ordered the pool, there was a seven-month wait. And that was one of the quicker ones, for example Narellan Pools was over a year wait."
There hasn't been this much of a demand before.
- Alicia Bostock on the long waiting list for pools in Wollongong
The company that installed her pool put the surge down to COVID; people figured they'd be stuck at home more often so felt a pool gave them something to do.
The surge in pools was something Alicia Bostock from Unanderra's Bostock Pools had also seen.
"We've been building pools for 24 years and its been constant in that time, but there hasn't been this much of a demand before," Ms Bostock said.
She also said there was a waiting list, with some customers yet to have their pools finished.
"The waiting list was six months last year and obviously the rain didn't help with that either," she said.
"Now we're looking at four or five months ahead. Last year was chockers - we had to push some of them over to this year."
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
