Australia 108 rooftop stunt sparks safety questions

Police had no record and building authorities had no comment concerning a small group who found their way onto the top of Melbourne’s tallest building Australia 108 recently.

In a video filmed from inside a nearby high-rise, the group of what appeared to be five young men were seen performing on top of Australia 108, with several sitting on the edge of the unfenced rooftop, one walking along it and another posing on the edge with arms outstretched.

The video of the June 26 stunt made it onto Channel Nine’s 6pm news for around 20 seconds on June 27, and attracted more than half a million views and considerable controversy when it was posted to Instagram by 3AW presenter Jacqueline Felgate.

Posts from anonymous accounts claiming to represent the group said they were “photographers and videographers” who were pursuing their hobby of “urban exploration”.

According to information on one, “urbex” is “the act of exploring abandoned, hidden, or restricted places that most people never get to see”.

“Some people explore abandoned buildings, while others do rooftopping or enter active but restricted areas,” it said.

The activity has “a strong code” according to the description, which involves “tak[ing] nothing but photos and leav[ing] nothing but footprints”.

The self-confessed culprits suggested the group had made their way to the 99th floor of Australia 108 and somehow climbed to the 100th.

The majority of comments responding to the video on social media condemned the fivesome as stupid and irresponsible.

However, some expressed appreciation for their daring and the extraordinary photos taken from the tops of buildings and towers posted on their accounts.

Comments from at least one of the apparent climbers sought to distinguish them from “stupid daredevils” or “thrill-seekers” who would hang over the edges of buildings.

There have been at least two high-profile international “rooftopping” deaths over the past decade – the July 2023 fall of 30-year-old Frenchman Remi Lucidi from a residential building in Hong Kong, and the 2017 plunge of 26-year-old Chinese climber Wu Yongning from the top of a building in Hunan province.

Reportedly incidents like the Australia 108 event are not terribly rare around Southbank but tend to go unreported for fear of revealing security vulnerabilities and encouraging copycat activity. 

Australia 108’s building managers didn’t respond to a request for information.

Victoria Police had no comment on the issue. •