The amazing 30-pool spa resort at Alba Springs At the 2023 National Pool & Spa Awards of Excellence, one of the most exciting awards presented was for the Commercial Project of the Year, shared by Aquarius Pools and Paul McQuillan Landscapes.
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ABOVE: Alba Thermal Springs is one of the most significant projects on the Mornington Peninsula. Image: Alba Thermal Springs, Photography: Chris McConville 26
SPLASH!
he astounding scope and incredible detail in the Alba Thermal Springs project elicits admiration from all quarters. The $100-million-plus wellness resort is the largest of its type in Victoria, with 30 dedicated pools dotted across an undulating 16-hectare landscape in the popular spa region of the Mornington Peninsula, a 90 minute drive from Melbourne. The combined efforts of Aquarius Pools and Paul McQuillan Landscapes (PML) earned them both the award for 2023 National Commercial Project of the Year. Both companies were instrumental in this project coming to beautiful fruition. Aquarius was critically involved from the very beginning of the project, while PML had 30 staff working at the site for two years, and were the most heavily involved of the contractors.
December 2023/January 2024
Like Alba Thermal Springs, both Aquarius Pools and PML are located on the Mornington Peninsula. The pools at the highly luxurious immersive bathing destination feature salt baths, geothermal pools, cold plunge pools, five traditional chlorinated pools and a whirlpool. The layout of the pools creates a sensory journey: their appearance is paced to elicit a sense of suspense, with the pools scattered throughout the native landscape, seeming to disappear and emerge as the guests move through the property.
Creating the vision
Both Aquarius Pools and PML were instrumental in the vision coming to life, based on the breathtaking landscape design by Mala. “Aquarius came to the project in its infancy, back when it was first being planned with the developers,” says Aquarius Pools director Chris Jackson. “Mala designed the landscaping, and we offered advice on seat heights and pool sizes for the geothermal pools, and designed and constructed the filtration systems for the traditional swimming