Plunge pools for Mackay courtyards, townhouses and compact backyards.

A plunge pool is a small, deep pool designed for cooling off, quick swims and hydrotherapy rather than lap swimming. Typically 2.8m to 6m long, with a uniform depth around 1.2–1.7m — deeper for its length than a family pool. In the Compass range that's the Plunge, Oasis, Refresh and Refresh Max shapes. In Mackay's climate, a plunge pool is usable roughly ten months a year without heating.

The Plunge 2.8 — 2.85m × 2.10m × 1.20m deep. It's a proper fibreglass plunge pool that fits into spaces most builders will tell you can't take a pool at all: a townhouse courtyard, a wide side-return, a small deck extension. Same Ceramic Core shell as our largest builds, same lifetime warranty.

Plunge pool if your priority is cooling off, hydrotherapy, or the absolute smallest shell that still gives you a usable pool — usually deeper for its length. Small family pool if you want the kids to properly play, if two adults want to swim gentle laps side-by-side, or if you want a soft leisure-zone shape. The small pools page covers the family-pool side of that decision.

Yes — Vantage self-cleaning is available on every shape in the Compass Plunge Pool Range, right down to the Plunge 2.8. The in-floor cleaning heads circulate water and sweep debris to the drain automatically, so a 3-metre plunge pool in a leaf-heavy Mackay courtyard maintains itself the same way our largest Sanctuary does. Highly recommended for shaded courtyard installs where debris is a factor.

For most of the year, no — Mackay's climate keeps a plunge pool comfortable from about September through May without any heating at all. If you want to swim year-round, a heat pump or gas heater turns a plunge pool into an all-season asset. Because the water volume is small (typically 6–15 kL), plunge pools generally cost noticeably less to heat than a full-size pool. We size the heater to your pool and can estimate running costs at the site visit.

A supplied-and-installed Compass plunge pool build in Mackay typically lands between $55k and $85k (typical 2026 range, not a quote) depending on shell size, site access, self-cleaning and finishes. Landscaping, decking, fencing and heating are separate. If you need a faster and cheaper option, the freestanding Express Plunge range can be swimming-ready in under a week for materially less. Every quote we give is a written line-item price — no ballpark ranges, no lock-in.

The Plunge 2.8 and Plunge 3.8 are the classic answers for tight access. The 2.8 shell is 2.10m wide — narrow enough to crane over most single-storey Queenslander rooflines and lower into a rear courtyard. We've installed plunge pools on blocks in East Mackay and South Mackay where the truck couldn't get within 30 metres. A site visit tells us in ten minutes whether crane access, an alternative delivery route, or a different shell size is the right call.

Yes — any pool over 300mm deep in Queensland needs building approval and must comply with the QLD pool safety standard (MP 3.4). That covers fencing, CPR signage, non-climbable zones and a pool safety certificate before you swim. As a licensed QBCC pool builder, we handle the building approval, the certifier engagement and the pool safety inspection as part of every plunge pool build in the Mackay and Isaac council areas.

For an in-ground Compass plunge pool build in Mackay, plan on 4–6 weeks from excavation to fill. That covers dig, install, plumbing, filtration, pool safety inspection and handover. If your block has tight access that needs crane delivery, add a day or two of coordination up front. If you want a genuinely fast install with minimum site works, the freestanding Express Plunge 2.8 is the fastest plunge pool install we do — usually swimming-ready within a week.