Southbank boasts highest homes in the Southern Hemisphere

By Katie Johnson

The completion of Melbourne’s newest skyscraper, Australia 108, has officially put Southbank on the map for having the tallest residential tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located in the heart of Southbank, the tower reaches 319 metres tall or 100 storeys – well surpassing Eureka Tower’s 88 storeys.

Chief executive of the building’s developer World Class Global David Ng said the topping out of Australia 108 was a special moment for Melbourne’s skyline.

“Over the past five years, Australia 108 has steadily been growing on Melbourne’s skyline. Now, we are immensely proud to announce the project has officially gone where none of its neighbours have been before – we have completed the structure,” Mr Ng said.

“We could not be prouder of our entire team and external project partners who helped us realise our dream to create a twinkling new landmark for Melbourne’s amazing city skyline.”

Beginning construction in 2015, the building was completed in late November after the remaining Cloud Residences at the top of the building were finished.

The amenities within the Starburst – the Commonwealth star-inspired golden structure from levels 70 and 71 – were also completed.

These include the 2800 sqm Star Club where residents can enjoy infinity pools, dining rooms, gyms and lounge areas.

Karl Fender, founding partner at Fender Katsalidis, which designed Australia 108, said the Star Club was designed to create community within one of the city’s biggest buildings.

“We imagined the Star Club as almost like a town hall where residents come together like a community and indulge in the style of facilities you would expect in one of the world’s greatest hotels,” he said.

“Nothing of this scale has been created in a residential setting in Australia before, which echoes the boldness of Australia 108 as a whole.”

Building the Starburst required new techniques spearheaded by Multiplex, including creating purpose-built platforms used by workers to install the golden panels that were delivered by crane in the middle of the night.

The tower also had to be fitted with a 300,000-litre damper tank under level 100 to act as a counterbalance to the gale force winds up to 140km/h which blow in from Port Phillip Bay.

Multiplex regional managing director Graham Cottam said the build from many metres below ground to the top had required innovative thinking.

“This is a build that has never been attempted in Australia before–the challenges in getting people and materials to such height required innovation, as did the construction of the cantilevering Starburst,” he said.

“It is wonderful to be able to look at Melbourne’s skyline and see the hard work of so many hundreds and hundreds of people who have worked so tirelessly in all manner of conditions to bring this icon to life.”

Although many residents have been living in the tower since 2018, those who have purchased the apartments from levels 72 onwards will soon be moving into their new luxury homes.

Those lucky new Southbankers will now be perched higher than their neighbours and enjoy unparalleled 360-degree panoramic views of Melbourne •