One of Melbourne’s most heightened experiences has relaunched with a multi-million-dollar redevelopment and new name and brand. Melbourne Skydeck, formerly the Eureka Skydeck, is the highest observation platform in the Southern Hemisphere, and is still the best way to discover Melbourne from a dizzying height.
It’s Melbourne, on another level.
Opening to the public on Wednesday 15th December, the new attractions make it the perfect place to take a deep dive into what makes Melbourne one of the most liveable cities in the world — whether it’s via family activities, adrenaline-pumping adventure, immersive “mixed reality” tech experiences, a glass of champagne or cocktails and premium snacks or all of the above.
The iconic city centre attraction now boasts the largest virtual reality theatre of its kind in the world, and the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The Melbourne Skydeck Voyager Theatre has 24 Positron chairs showing a bespoke film that takes guests through 16 iconic Melbourne and Victorian experiences. The film features stunning scenery shot in Super 8K high definition, complemented by sounds, scent and movement accompanied by a score by local music legends Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill of Cat Empire. Visitors will ride Luna Park’s historic wooden rollercoaster, smell freshly roasted coffee as they explore Melbourne’s laneways, enjoy the action of the Australian Open from a courtside seat at Rod Laver Arena and feel crisp ocean air on their face as they swoop over the Great Ocean Road.
Then, for an even closer look at the city, there is an augmented reality 1:1100 3D scale model of Melbourne showcasing eight periods of its development, from pre-settlement through to the future, based on work by Monash University architecture professor Dr Tom Morgan.
The model comes alive via a new Melbourne Skydeck app, for Android and iPhone, which also includes a virtual treasure hunt of 31 hidden markers. Guests who find, scan and unlock all can claim a Melbourne Skydeck gift on departure.
Visitors can cap off their Melbourne Skydeck experience with a drink at the soon-to-be-iconic Bar 88, where Champagne Bollinger will be on pour. Operated by the Eureka 89 fine dining team and featuring window-ledge seating right around the deck, Bar 88 offers a range of champagnes, wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks all served up with freshly made bar snacks, cheese plates, pates and savoury nibbles from the kitchen of Eureka 89. The bar is set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s most stunning views and is set to take its place alongside the world’s most iconic tower venues.
Guests will still be able to test their nerve on the Edge, a world-first transparent cube suspended almost 300 metres above Melbourne’s streets as well as walk THE PLANK, a virtual reality experience that ends with a thrilling virtual plunge and zipline ride. Guests get an exciting perspective of our beloved city and surrounds from its highest observation deck.
“Skydeck has cemented its place as one of Melbourne’s best attractions, but we wanted to take it to the next level, to give our guests a deeper, more immersive and entertaining experience and the ability to explore Melbourne from different perspectives,” Mark Shaw, General Manager said.
“We drew on Melbourne’s best designers, VR specialists, academics, historians, story tellers and musicians, and of course, one of our best chefs, to create a series of incredible immersive experiences that are as thrilling and surprising as they are fascinating and informative.
“We really believe we’ve encapsulated Melbourne in a nutshell,” he added. “We’ve taken everything we love about our city, all of the great stories and facts and showcased it in an innovative and exciting way that everyone from kids to grandparents will love.”
A Melbourne Skydeck ticket grants entry to the fastest lifts in the Southern Hemisphere, taking visitors up to Melbourne Skydeck on level 88, as well as giving access to the Melbourne 3-D interactive model and Bar 88 experiences. The brand-new Voyager Theatre, Edge and Plank Experiences are an additional cost and can be added when purchasing tickets.
WHAT’S NEW AT MELBOURNE SKYDECK
Virtual Reality Voyager Theatre
The largest of its kind in the world and first in the Southern Hemisphere, the Voyager Theatre has 24 award-winning Positron Voyager Virtual Reality chairs that take guests on an 11-minute immersive journey through 16 iconic Melbourne and Victorian experiences seen from perspectives never before possible.
The 360-degree voyage includes Melbourne’s laneways, festivals and sporting events, as well as some of Victoria’s most stunning scenery in Super 8K high definition. The chairs feature movement, vibrations, and scents, from the aroma of freshly roasted coffee to roses in the Melbourne Cup winners’ circle to the smell of crisp ocean air above the Great Ocean Road.
A bespoke soundtrack by Melbourne music legends Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill of The Cat Empire complements the experience in the Positron Voyager chair, the first designed for fully immersive cinematic virtual reality. A plush, lounge-style seat sits in a gleaming, futuristic shell featuring precision engineering.
Augmented Reality 3D Melbourne Model
A finely detailed augmented reality 3D model of Melbourne built to a 1:1100 scale. Six digital tablets around the model provide interactive windows into eight of Melbourne’s most significant eras; from pre-settlement to 1836 settlement, then into 1880, 1920, 1980, 2020 and beyond. It took four printers 240 days to create the 184 pieces of the model, and 40 3D augmented reality models were created to overlay the installation. Data, including information about boundaries and land ownership, was interpreted by Monash University architecture professor Dr Tom Morgan and is incorporated in the central file, making it the most deeply detailed 3D model of Melbourne anywhere. The backdrop to the display is a giant screen showcasing the development and stories of Melbourne.
Melbourne Skydeck App
Available for both Android and iPhone, the app allows users to find, scan and unlock 31 hidden Melbourne landmarks and international towers throughout the exhibit. Unlocking all 31 earns the visitor a prize on exit. Users can connect to Melbourne Skydeck free Wi-Fi.
Bar 88
A cool and classy full-function bar run by the Eureka 89 fine dining team, featuring Champagne Bollinger. The Bar 88 window-ledge seating around the deck and intimate seating areas are all designed to take advantage of the world class 360-degree view with a bar menu designed by award-winning Eureka 89 executive chef Renee Martillano. The launch of Bar 88 finally gives Melbourne the iconic venue this internationally loved city deserves.
Melbourne Skydeck
Open 7 days a week, Monday – Sunday
12pm-10pm
Skydeck Experience
Child: $19.50
Concession: $27.00
Adult: $29.50
Virtual Reality Voyager Theatre
Child: $11.50
Concession: $13.00
Adult: $14.00
Edge
Child: $9.50
Concession: $13.00
Adult: $14.00
Plank
Child: $6.50
Concession: $7.00
Adult: $8.00
For more information and to book tickets, please visit melbourneskydeck.com.au
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