MELBOURNE The opening date for the brand new Melbourne Southern Star Wheel is expected to be announced imminently. Currently under construction in the city’s Dockland, the new wheel is entering a crucial stage of development. The management group has announced that it is preparing to install the wheel’s 21 passenger cabins and will announce the opening date to mark the start of this stage of construction. Alongside the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer, the 120 meter high observation wheel is one of only three giant wheels in the world and the only one in the southern hemisphere.
Touted as Melbourne’s 'Venue with a Difference', the Southern Star will have dedicated function space capable of hosting large and small gatherings, from cocktails for 400 guests to a sit-down dinner for up to 250 people and business meetings for between 14 and 300 guests. The Star Piazza, surrounding the base of the Star, will have the capacity to host a cocktail reception for up to 1500 people, making it one of Melbourne's largest open-air event venues.
Southern Star Management Group said the new Southern Star would be the first significant tourism attraction to open in Melbourne for five years and, with its striking scale and innovative design, will become a vibrant addition to the Docklands landscape as well as adding further support to Melbourne's meetings and incentives market.
This new development is the second giant observation wheel of it’s kind to be built on the site. The original Southern Star Wheel was closed in 2009 due to a structural failing. This latest incarnation has been developed by Arup and Hyder Consulting, a global engineering firm whose track record also includes the London Eye and the Singapore flyer.
Graeme Park
