$8k to re-tile a pool or $4k to smash it in?

Beware of taking free fill. It costs $50m3 to dump soil so sell your hole dont give it away. Many dodgies will want to hide and dump asbestos, fibre sheeting, steel, bricks and glass and other materials !! A pool builder would be a good tip. They will be seeking to dump clean spoil that size and have the gear to do it all for free if you have access.

You cant preserve it for fixing later. Pools rise out of ground without water. Then crack. Water is uniform with its pressure on all sides and base. Fill isnt. So its water or it goes. Relining a pool may just be part of the costs - Consider state of pumps etc and likely costs over a few years. Pebblecrete it ?

And you likely need council permit. They then wipe the pool off your record. In Sydneys Hills Shire its an automated approval after 14 days. In Sydney a water inspection must occur to confirm that the waste to sewer has been disconnected too. Check local rules. A empty pool also needs a temp fence (rent) and normally existing fence must be removed for excavator. Until its removed it can fill with water and poses a hazard for people falling in. Councils DA said as much in the approval.