Having lived in Australia my whole life, I can safely say our country is obsessed with big things. From Mother Nature’s masterpieces to oversized icons we built ourselves (hello the Big Banana), we take the saying “go big or go home” quite literally. Something else most Aussies are huge fans of is swimming, which checks out, considering we’re surrounded by many of the world’s best beaches and swimming holes.
If you’re looking for a landmark that ticks both of those boxes, let me introduce you to the largest pool in the Southern Hemisphere. Spanning seven Olympic-sized pools, this water wonderland is found at the uber-luxe InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef. It holds a mammoth 6.5 litres of water and features both a saltwater pool and a surrounding freshwater section – complete with a bar in the middle, of course.
As someone who loves both record-breaking landmarks and a salty swim, you can imagine how excited I was to be invited to stay at the InterContinental. Australia’s most famous private island resort has a lot to boast about – infinity pools, private villas, overwater bungalows and an adults-only beach – so I didn’t expect to be most excited by the mega-sized pool.
My first day on Hayman Island didn’t exactly bring sunshine and blue skies, so I spent the afternoon longingly staring into the shimmering blue waters from my Pool Ocean View Suite – and also being slightly jealous of the lucky guests on the ground floor, who scored swim-out access to the pool from their private balconies.
By the second morning, patches of blue sky peeked through the clouds – a sign from above that it was time to make friends with Australia’s largest pool. I quickly warmed up on the sun loungers surrounding the pool, before slipping into the cool, calm waters. Even without heating, the temperature was surprisingly pleasant. I started with a casual paddle in the outer freshwater section before deciding to commit to a full ‘lap’.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in a pool since I was a kid. I dived under bridges, spied on fellow guests lounging on their private balconies and embraced the feeling of weightlessness. It took me about ten minutes to complete my leisurely victory lap around the full pool, and by the end, I was breathless – partly from the swim and partly from the beauty of it all. If I were a little fitter, I’d have done it again and again.