The Holiday and Travel Magazine: Eureka Skydeck 88 - Reach for the Skies in Melbourne!

Sunday, 24 November 2013

Eureka Skydeck 88 - Reach for the Skies in Melbourne!

Eureka Tower

Eureka Stockade was one of the TV mini-series popular it the 1980's. I remember it well, as it starred Bryan Brown and I was one of the extras taking on several roles in the cast. It was based on the Eureka Stockade, a rebellion that took place in the Victorian Gold Rush in 1854. The word Eureka is a an exclamation to announce a discovery, or another way of saying "I have found it!".

The Eureka Tower is a skyscraper open in 2006 on the Southbank of the Yarra River in Melbourne Australia. When it opened it was the worlds tallest residential tower standing at 297 metres tall. It is though the Eureka Tower has reached upwards to the heights of Melbourne and is exclaiming "I have found it!" The design of this building reflects the Eureka Stockade in that:

Eureka Tower

- the gold crown at the top of the tower represents the gold rush - the windows on the top 8 floors are 24 carat gold infused
- the red stripe represents the blood spilt during the rebellion
- the blue tinted glass and white lines represent the Eureka flag
- the white horizontal stripes represent markings on a surveyor's measuring staff

The single level basement and first 9 floors are carparks, with several residential apartments on each of the floors 10 - 81, with individual apartments on floors 82 to 87. An observation deck is on level 88, a restaurant on 89, communications room and balcony on 90 and water tanks on 90 and 91.

Eureka Tower

On a recent visit to Melbourne after an absence of 25 years I decided that the best way to get an appreciation of how the city has changed over the years was to see it from above. I had heard about the observation deck at the top of the Eureka Tower so I made it a point to include it in my visit.

Myer Music Bowl, Yarra River, MCG

It is high up on the 88th floor, hence its name the Eureka Skydeck 88. It is 285 metres above the ground, making it the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere. I easily found the Eureka Tower, as it is the tallest building in Melbourne and was just a short walk from my hotel. Access was through the reception area on the ground floor of the Eureka Tower. The lifts were just past a small exhibition area. These were not snail-paced lifts, as they raced smoothly up to the 88th floor at an incredible 9 metres per second. They are the fastest lifts in the Southern Hemisphere! It was incredible watching the floor level indicator change rapidly on the way up.

Yarra River, Docklands

On exiting the lift I found myself on the Skydeck that occupies the entire 88 floor looking out the floor to ceiling windows high in the sky above Melbourne. The windows went all around the outside of the observation level so provided a wonderful 360 degree of Melbourne. I saw all the things that I remembered so well from the years I lived in Melbourne - the Yarra Rriver meandering its way through the city, the CBD buildings, Flinders Street Station, Melborne Cricket Ground, Myer Music Bowl, Shrine of Remembrance, Botanical Gardens and Port Phillip Bay. However I saw all the new developments that have sprung up over recent years, such as the Docklands, Southbank, Federation Square and Tennis Centre. It was fun looking through the many mounted eyepieces scattered around the Skydeck aimed at various iconic buildings and landmarks.

Flinders Street Station, Federation Square

My visit to the Eureka Skydeck 88 was during day light hours. It is also open during the evening, so provides wonderful views of the lit up Melbourne. A two-entry ticket is available to enable a day time and night time visit.

A feature of Eureka Skydeck 88 is 'The Edge'. I had a short wait til I entered a glass cube that moved 3 metres outside of the Eureka Tower. Once it was outside the smokey glass walls and floor of this 3 metre cube went clear and I found myself suspended almost 300 metres above the ground looking down at the view below. Some of the other people in the cube even lied face down on the glass to really experience the sensation of being high in the sky.

Post Box

The Skydeck has a cafe providing drinks and snacks, rest rooms, and Australia's highest post box. As the King Kong musical is currently playing in Melbopurne, a photo opportunity with King Kong is also available.

I ventured out on to a small open air deck to feel the wind blow on my face. As there is no glass, safety is provided with a wire screen.

Next time you visit Melbourne, make sure you reach for the skies and visit the Eureka Skydeck 88 as I did.