New-look Melbourne Skydeck takes guests to new heights

After undergoing a multi-million-dollar makeover, Southbank’s iconic 300-metre observation platform has relaunched with a new look and name.

The Eureka Skydeck, now renamed Melbourne Skydeck, now boasts new “world-class” experiences including the largest virtual reality theatre “of its kind in the world”.

The Melbourne Skydeck Voyager Theatre, which has 8K high definition, takes guests through 16 iconic Melbourne and Victorian experiences, including a ride on Luna Park’s historic wooden rollercoaster, a courtside seat at Rod Laver Arena, and feeling the crisp ocean air above the Great Ocean Road.

Guests are taken on 11-minute journeys in the theatre with chairs that feature vibrations, movement, and scent emission - from the aroma of freshly roasted coffee to roses at the Melbourne Cup.

For a closer look at the city, there’s an augmented reality 3D model of Melbourne showcasing the city’s development from pre-settlement through to the future, based on work by Monash University architecture professor Dr Tom Morgan.

Also new to Melbourne Skydeck, the highest observation platform in the Southern Hemisphere, is the Melbourne Skydeck App, for Android and Apple. Using free Wi-Fi, guests to go on a virtual treasure hunt of 31 hidden markers – with those who find, scan, and unlock all can claim a prize on exit.

Bar 88, which is hailed as a “cool and classy” full-function bar featuring French champagne, allows guests to enjoy 360-degree views on the window-ledge seating.

And for the brave, there’s The Edge, which suspends daring guests in a transparent glass cube that projects out from Melbourne Skydeck as well as The Plank, a virtual reality experience that ends with a thrilling virtual plunge and zipline ride.

General manager Mark Shaw said the relaunch on December 15 gave guests “a deeper, more immersive and entertaining experience and the ability to explore Melbourne from different perspectives.”

“Skydeck has cemented its place as one of Melbourne’s best attractions, but we wanted to take it to the next level,” he said, adding “we really believe we’ve encapsulated Melbourne in a nutshell.”

“We’ve taken everything we love about our city, all of the great stories and facts and showcased it in an innovative and exciting way that everyone from kids to grandparents will love.”

Mr Shaw said his team engaged Melbourne’s best designers, VR specialists, academics, historians, storytellers and musicians, and chefs to create a series of “incredible immersive experiences •