Eureka Skydeck

I'm finally catching up on everything we've done in Australia, which is good since I start my travels in 4 days!!

On Thursday we went up the Eureka Skydeck. It's the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere at 285 m (935 ft). I thought it was the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, but it's actually the highest public vantage point. The panorama above isn't the best I've every taken, obviously, but it'll do. On the left side of the image is the CBD, the city centre. Just below, the yellow lines, is Flinders Street Station and across that is Federation Square. The river is the Yarra River, and on the right side of the River is Southbank and the Arts Precinct. The blue point is on top of one of the two theatres. The green lights are alongside the road. When we first moved to Melbourne they were a pale purple but in November they turned green. If you follow the street with the green lights, St Kilda Road, you'll get to the Shrine Of Remembrance.

We went up the Eureka Skydeck at about 18.00, right after sunset. When we got up to the top it was still pretty light, and by the time we went walked a circle it was pitch black. The photo to the left is my favourite photo. It's right as the sun is setting over the CBD with the reflection of the building.

It took 4 years and 2 months to build, and opened on the 11th of October 2006. The lift is the fastest lift in the Southern Hemisphere - it was incredibly quick. It took less than a minute to get up to the 88th floor (an estimate!). The top 11 floors of the building are golden and are actually infused with 24 carat gold!

The photo to the right faces towards the MCG, the cricket sports ground. The lights are off, but you can just about see it on the top left hand side. The white stripes underneath are all tennis courts.

The top of the tower can flex up to 600mm in high winds. Two 300,000 litre water tanks on level 90 and 91 help to dampen the oscillations! Source

The building stands 297 metres in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. It is one of only seven buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys and is the 50th tallest building in the world. It is also the second-tallest building in Australia and the tallest building in Melbourne. Source

The photo to the left looks towards the CBD and the station. 

The photo to the right is facing towards Docklands. Again I love the reflection on the right side of the photo! The colourful wheel is the Melbourne Star. Kind of like the London Eye but then smaller and more unstable. It originally opened in 2008 but closed after only 40 days because of structural defects. There were 14 cracks found in the steel. They completely scrapped it and had to rebuild the whole thing. It opened again in December 2013. Three days after the second opening they had to stop the wheel again as they found another crack in a window. A few days after that the wheel was stopped again for a full inspection as it stopped turning.. After that a family was traumatised because their cabin started turning as the wheel turned. However, the CEO said the wheel was safe to use so it stayed open and he refused to answer any questions about the mechanics of the wheel. In January 2014 the wheel was stopped again due to a software problem.... I don't think I'll be going there!! 

Anyway, back to the Eureka Skydeck. The photo to the left faces further down St Kilda Road towards the Shrine of Remembrance. At this point it was pitch black and very hard to take photos!

When you go back down to the ground you pass Australia's highest post box, which is a real post box and you can buy stamps from the shop. There is also a sign saying "Down To Earth"! 

This is after we left. I was standing underneath two bright lights.. cool effect right??