Melbourne Skydeck relaunches with new branding and Virtual Reality Voyager Theatre

Melbourne Skydeck - formerly the Eureka Skydeck – opens to the public today having relaunched following a multi-million-dollar redevelopment, new name and brand and boasting the largest virtual reality theatre of its kind in the world.

Melbourne Skydeck is the highest observation platform in the Southern Hemisphere, and is still the best way to discover Melbourne from a dizzying height with the new attraction offering a mix of family activities, adrenaline-pumping adventure, immersive ‘mixed reality’ tech experiences, along with a selection of food and beverage.

The city centre attraction now boasts the largest virtual reality theatre of its kind in the world, and the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The Melbourne Skydeck Voyager Theatre has 24 Positron chairs showing a bespoke film that takes guests through 16 iconic Melbourne and Victorian experiences.  The film features stunning scenery shot in Super 8K high definition, complemented by sounds, scent and movement accompanied by a score by local music legends Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill of Cat Empire. Visitors will ride Luna Park’s historic wooden rollercoaster, smell freshly roasted coffee as they explore Melbourne’s laneways, enjoy the action of the Australian Open from a courtside seat at Rod Laver Arena and feel crisp ocean air on their face as they swoop over the Great Ocean Road.

Then, for an even closer look at the city, there is an augmented reality 1:1100 3D scale model of Melbourne showcasing eight periods of its development, from pre-settlement through to the future, based on work by Monash University architecture professor Dr Tom Morgan.

The model comes alive via a new Melbourne Skydeck app, for Android and iPhone, which also includes a virtual treasure hunt of 31 hidden markers. Guests who find, scan and unlock all can claim a Melbourne Skydeck gift on departure.

Visitors can cap off their Melbourne Skydeck experience with a drink at the soon-to-be-iconic Bar 88, where Champagne Bollinger will be on pour. Operated by the Eureka 89 fine dining team and featuring window-ledge seating right around the deck, Bar 88 offers a range of champagnes, wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks all served up with freshly made bar snacks, cheese plates, pates and savoury nibbles from the kitchen of Eureka 89. The bar is set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s most stunning views and is set to take its place alongside the world’s most iconic tower venues.

Guests will still be able to test their nerve on the Edge, a world-first transparent cube suspended almost 300 metres above Melbourne’s streets as well as walk THE PLANK, a virtual reality experience that ends with a thrilling virtual plunge and zipline ride. 

Mark Shaw, General Manager notes “Skydeck has cemented its place as one of Melbourne’s best attractions, but we wanted to take it to the next level, to give our guests a deeper, more immersive and entertaining experience and the ability to explore Melbourne from different perspectives.

“We drew on Melbourne’s best designers, VR specialists, academics, historians, story tellers and musicians, and of course, one of our best chefs, to create a series of incredible immersive experiences that are as thrilling and surprising as they are fascinating and informative.

“We really believe we’ve encapsulated Melbourne in a nutshell,” he added. “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.”

A Melbourne Skydeck ticket grants entry to the fastest lifts in the Southern Hemisphere, taking visitors up to Melbourne Skydeck on level 88, as well as giving access to the Melbourne 3-D interactive model and Bar 88 experiences. The brand-new Voyager Theatre, Edge and Plank Experiences are an additional cost and can be added when purchasing tickets.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit melbourneskydeck.com.au