The best part of having international friends come and visit is that you can be a tourist in your own city, and so it was with that logic that I convince Kat – a friend visiting from the UK – to head to the Eureka Skydeck 88 to see the best views across Melbourne.
Situated in Southbank, on the other side of the Yarra river from the city, the building has no competition for spectacular views as it dominated the skyline as Melbourne’s tallest building. Located on the 88th floor of the Eureka building – so named after the Eureka Stockade in the 1850s – and crowned with 24 carat gold plated glass windors on the top 10 floors, the Skydeck offers not just views of the city but also out across the Bass Strait and you can just see a glimpse of Tasmania on a good day.
Indeed, it was a good day when we visited.
(It’s a little bit difficult to describe locations of a city from photos up high but I’ve included descriptions incase you are curious!)
The first view of the city as you exit the crazy fast elevators on the 88th floor (9 metres per second, 38 seconds from ground to the 88th floor)
Overlooking the city, the Yarra River, the Olympic precinct (the blue courts about half way up on the right) and historical Flinders Street Train station (bottom right yellow with green dome).
The spire in the bottom right hand corner is on top of Melbourne’s Arts Centre, and more commonly what I refer to as the Eiffel Tower of Melbourne – yes, I begun saying this when I was four and it has stuck! Federation Square, what is considered one of the ugliest buildings in the world, is located on the left side of the Yarra river and looks akin to building blocks.
In the top right hand corner you’ll see the stadium with six light pillars – this is Melbourne Cricket Ground, more commonly known as the MCG or to sound like a local ‘the G’
Shadow of Eureka Tower, overlooking the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Olympic Precinct.
Overlooking South Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay, Albert Park Lake and out to where Tasmania is! (Tis also the way out to my hood)
Sunset over the Docklands and the Crown Casino precinct (behind the building with the ‘f’ on it).
Melbourne twinkles at night!
Overlooking Rod Laver Arena (the rectangle boxes and small stadium) and the MCG at night.
Overlooking the Olympic Precinct – MCG, Hisense Arena, Rod Laver Arena, and AAMI Park (where the purple and blue lights are!)
Kat and I only did the general admission option which gives you access to the Skydeck, all of the facilities, ‘The Terrace’ – which takes you to a balcony outside the building to experience the elements, but there are free viewing binoculars for you to see the view across Port Phillip Bay and the Sporting Precinct. There is an option to take the Edge Experience – a glass cube that projects 3 metres out from the building with a glass bottoms so you can see the world moving under your feet… litterly! At AU$12.00 extra for adults, less for kids and concession, it is a fun experience but the line was too long for us to wait on that particular day.
Kat and I did opt for one upgrade though and I’d definitely recommend that you get a Sun & Stars upgrade (AU$3.50 extra) because Melbourne is magical at night, but bring a tripod if you want good photos because I took around 100 at night and only got 3 good ones! Try to get there just before the hour and watch over the Crown precinct as they have fire displays each night along the banks of the Yarra.
Locals – get a yearly pass! It’s on my Christmas wish list and for AU$50 it’s a steal. They have free WiFi, a cafe and other facilities worth using and it’s a beautiful place to visit with visitors or on a date.
Which city have you seen from up high?
Details
Eureka Skydeck 88
Eureka Tower
7 Riverside Quay
Southbank, VIC
Website: Eureka Skydeck 88
9 Comments
Scarlett
December 16, 2012 at 8:09 pmI love it when friends come over and you can show off your city and act the tourist for the day! Love the pictures, I want to come back to Melbourne so much!! xx
Nicole
December 17, 2012 at 8:17 pmIt’s such a great excuse! 🙂
Hope you can come back to Melbourne soon! Would be so lovely to have ‘another’ excuse to be a tourist. xox.
Sofie
December 17, 2012 at 5:59 pmThese are some cool pics. Melbourne has been on my ‘to visit’ list for some time now, and I’m adding this building!:-)
Nicole
December 17, 2012 at 8:18 pmThank you so much, Sofie!
Hope you get to visit Melbourne soon – it is such a cool, vibrant city with an almost European feel.
Looking forward to seeing your photos from the top of Eureka Tower. 🙂
Josie
January 17, 2013 at 9:30 amHi Nicole,
What fun pics! Conrad and I were there in 2008 and loved Melbourne. We just spent some time studying your views to find places we know or where we wandered. We went to a football game at MCG, and when over we wandered around and back to Federal Square. The city is indeed beautiful at night and we have fond memories of our time there.
Thanks for letting us dream of “our” Melbourne!
~Josie
Nicole
January 29, 2013 at 1:30 amHi Josie,
I’m so glad that you and Conrad were able to reflect on what sounds to be a fantastic trip to Melbourne – and good on you for being able to spot some of the sights that you visited!
I do hope you and Conrad can both get back soon and create some more memories in the city. =)
– Nicole
Sabrina
April 5, 2013 at 10:26 pmFrom the first panoramic photo…I knew that this had made it to my bucket list! Great job with the shots! For now I will just dream of my Skydeck experience.
Alessandro
January 19, 2015 at 8:52 pmDoes anyone have any idea where I can find the bilding to take a picture of the city??
Nicole
January 25, 2015 at 1:38 pmHi Alessandro,
Eureka Towers is located in Southbank in Melbourne, Australia.