Melbourne is home to a myriad of awesome attractions, fine dining establishments and an array of cultural experiences that will make you realize why this is classified as the world’s most livable city. If you are visiting Melbourne for the first time, we urge you to consider taking a step back (or a “step up”) for a moment and admire an epic birds-eye view of the city. There is no better spot to accomplish this than the Eureka Tower Skydeck!
Incredible views, a delicious dining venue and an opportunity to overcome a lifelong fear for those that suffer from acrophobia. The Eureka Tower is the second tallest building in Australia after the Q1 tower on the Gold Coast, so be prepared for some pretty epic scenery once you reach the summit. But don’t worry, the views are not the only pull factor that makes the Skydeck such an attractive tourist spot in Melbourne…wait until you hear about “The Edge!”
Whether you are inspired to appreciate the beauty of Melbourne’s sprawling CBD or perhaps enjoy the distant Dandenong mountain range, the unequivocally breathtaking panoramic scenes from the summit of the Skydeck are unlike anywhere else.
Why Visit the Eureka Tower Skydeck?
So why do we think the Skydeck is the best place to start your adventure in Melbourne? Well, as we have already established, the city is full of things to do and unless you are well prepared, it can be a daunting task trying to figure out where to go, what to see and how to get from one place to the next.
If you visit the Eureka Tower Skydeck (officially known as Eureka Skydeck 88), you can spend some time planning an itinerary and getting a conceptual grasp as to the proximity of one attraction to another. For those that only have a short amount of time in Melbourne, I am sure our 48-hour guide to the city will give you a few ideas of where to start!
Every great city has its icon, its point of recognition, the gem in its urban skyline.
Before visiting the Eureka Tower Skydeck, I hopped on their website and after reading a little about their history I stumbled across the above quote which I think epitomizes the focal point of the Melbourne skyline.
Not only is it a stunning observation deck, it’s a well-recognized symbolic attraction that everyone visiting Melbourne should be aware of. Did you also know it’s home to Australia’s highest postbox? If you are not familiar with the Eureka Tower before heading to Melbourne, you sure will be after you leave!
Eureka Tower Skydeck Information
Let’s take care of some of the all important information such as admission prices and opening hours before we show you exactly what you will be missing should you opt out of a visit to the Eureka Tower.
Location
Located on the Riverside Quay in the heart of the Melbourne CBD directly by the Yarra River, the Eureka Tower Skydeck is conveniently situated to a bunch of other iconic Melbourne attractions such as Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
7 Riverside Quay
Southbank, Melbourne, 3006
Tel: +61 3 9693 8888
Website
Opening Hours
The Eureka Skydeck 88 is open all year round at the following times:
Open Daily 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (Last Entry is 9:30 PM) – Limited Hours on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve (10:00 AM to 5:30 PM)
We recommend checking the website above to be aware of any changes to these opening times.
Admission Prices
Tickets are available for the Skydeck and also additional costs for “The Edge” experience. Here is a breakdown of the current prices at the time of this post being published.
Adults (Skydeck) – $20 (Approximately 15 USD)
Concessions – Students, Seniors (Skydeck) – $15.50 (Approximately 12 USD)
Children 4-16 (Skydeck) – $11.50 (Approximately 9 USD)
Children Under 4 Years (Skydeck) – FREE ENTRY
Additional surcharge for “The Edge” are as follows:
Adults (The Edge) – $12
Concessions – Students, Seniors (The Edge) – $10
Children 4-16 (The Edge) – $8
Children Under 4 Years (The Edge) – FREE ENTRY
Adults can experience all of this for $32 which is a great bargain! If you are planning a trip with all the family, you can SAVE by purchasing one of the awesome package deals that will help you save up to $17. Check out the website for more details on these options.
You can expedite your visit to the Eureka Tower Skydeck by purchasing all your tickets online, dramatically reducing the amount of time required at the ticket counter.
Journey to the Top of Melbourne
After effortlessly passing through security, our journey to the top of Melbourne started as we entered the elevator for a short trip to the observation deck. The moment the doors opened and we were greeted at the summit, our eyes were immediately focused on the breathtaking views.
360-degree panoramic views are just the start of your experience once you arrive at the top.
We probably walked around the observation deck two or three times before focusing our attention on certain parts of Melbourne and trying to pinpoint some of the infamous attractions that we couldn’t wait to explore during the rest of our time in the city.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Tennis Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens and AAMI Park were all venues and attractions that we focused on to the east/southeast of the Skydeck.
Meanwhile, the winding Yarra River is another intriguing prospect as your eyes are drawn to the meandering flow while at the same time capturing some other iconic attractions along the path of the river.
The Docklands area of Melbourne is another aesthetically appealing neighborhood and looks even more beautiful from almost 1,000 feet. You don’t appreciate how spectacular the makeup of a city really is until you are stood 88 floors up peering over the complexities of urban sprawl.
The sight of the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and the impressive Etihad Stadium are just a couple of examples of how the Docklands area has thrived since the regeneration of this district in recent years.
Take a step outside on the outdoor terrace to enjoy gorgeous views, this time without the constraints of the glass windows that frequently hinder taking quality pictures.
The terrace also gives you an opportunity to catch a glance at The Edge as you mentally prepare yourselves if you are planning on experiencing this later in your visit.
The Edge Experience
If you love the rush of adrenaline or perhaps you have a burning desire to overcome your fear of heights, The Edge is an experience you cannot afford to miss while at the top of the Eureka Tower.
Unlike anywhere else in the world, The Edge is a glass cube that extends out from the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and allows visitors the opportunity to be suspended 300 meters above the ground with only glass walls, ceiling, and FLOOR around them.
We have experienced several other observation decks around the world that offer something similar but this is a completely different experience given that you start out by walking into the cube and all the windows are clouded over.
You also start out with the cube being inside the building and the adventure begins once the cube literally goes “over the edge” and protrudes about 3 meters.
Feel the rush inside one of Melbourne’s most unforgettable tourist attractions
Once the glass cube reaches full extension, the clouded windows quickly turn clear and you have the opportunity to admire the amazing panoramic views surrounding you. There certainly is a “rush” as the Eureka Tower Skydeck advertise the moment the windows become clear.
No cameras or cell phones are allowed on The Edge but it’s the memories that will long live with you after this epic experience. The Eureka Tower Skydeck staff will take a couple of pictures for you and an opportunity to purchase these later will be available.
Summary
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Eureka Tower Skydeck and would go back in a heartbeat the next time we are in Melbourne. You have probably realized by now that I am a bit of an aspiring skyscraper cognoscente and love this contemporary style of architecture in cities around the world.
Although the Eureka Tower may not compete in terms of height with the likes of Burj Khalifa and the One World Trade Center, it certainly competes in terms of breathtaking views once you reach the summit. We both agreed that our time at the summit wasn’t enough and time can quickly get away from you as you admire the beauty throughout Melbourne.
If you have any plans on visiting Melbourne in the near future, take our advice and head to the Eureka Tower Skydeck before exploring anywhere else. Don’t forget to live on “The Edge” while you are in Melbourne!
Disclaimer – We received two complimentary tickets to visit the Eureka Tower Skydeck and The Edge Experience for consideration of a blog post. The views contained within this post are entirely our personal opinion/experience and we received no final compensation for this.
Hoping to make it to Melbourne next year so fingers crossed I can make it to the Eureka Tower!
Hi Jill, you will have an amazing time in Melbourne! Eureka Tower is well worth visiting but there are also so many other awesome things to do in this city. Check out our 48 hour guide to Melbourne also if you want some other tips and we will be posting more on this beautiful city in the next few weeks!
I love Melbourne. I have been there tons of times and I didn’t even know the Eureka Tower existed – I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings.
We LOVE Melbourne too! I am not going to lie to you Lyn, when we first arrived in downtown Melbourne I was expecting the Eureka Tower to stand out among everything else on the skyline…I mean, it is the tallest structure there 🙂 But surprisingly it was kind of hidden among the rest of the structures along the Yarra River. However, once we knew what we were looking for, we found it and it’s well worth the journey to the top as you can probably imagine from the pictures.
Some great photos of our local hometown city! We need to get back to visit the Skydeck again soon as the kids were so much younger when we first visited and they’d get more out of it now. Thanks for the added inspiration!
Thanks so much for your kind comments Jane! We absolutely LOVE Melbourne and already can’t wait to go back. We are really hoping we can return when the Australian Open is taking place, we were about 2 weeks early this time. The Skydeck is really cool though and the views are out of this world 🙂
As a Melbourne native, I’ve actually never been up there but do think it has been a great addition to the city skyline. Amazing views out over the city, so I really should make my way there next time I’m back home. I don’t know if the tower touches on it, but I was under the impression that the colour scheme of the tower was based on the theme of the Eureka Stockade, basically a riot against the police during the Gold Rush, outside of Melbourne. The flag flown then was blue and white, the gold for well – gold, and the red for the blood spilled that day. Anyway, glad you enjoyed Melbourne!
Thanks so much for your comments David! YES, the tower is named after the Eureka Stockade rebellion that took place during the 1854 Victoria gold rush. I am not much of a historian but Heather was really intrigued to learn more about this and I think it’s cool that this architectural design and color scheme has such a significant relevance behind it. It’s interesting that you have never been to the top of this structure despite being a Melbourne native. But honestly, it doesn’t surprise me because being from England, I was guilty of never actually exploring many of the top “tourist attractions” and only now that I return home with Heather do we actually think about experiencing them.
We also did this last month as well and do highly recommend a trip to the Skydeck. Could have watched the Aussie Open tennis from up there when we went. Great guide guys..safe travels my friends
Thanks so much for your kind comments Danik! It really is an awesome attraction and I could imagine standing up there on the observation deck overlooking the show courts during the Aussie Open, that would be cool. Safe travels to you and look forward to continuing to follow you on your journeys around the world.
Visiting Australia is very much on my wishlist! I’ll keep this in mind whenever I visit Melbourne..hoping I make it next year 🙂
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!