The Eureka Tower Australia's tallest building to the roof, beaten only by the spire on Q1 on the Gold Coast. The highest view deck in the Southern Hemisphere, 88 storeys above Melbourne gives the most breathtaking views of the city.
On a good day the SkyDeck views stretch for miles around, having only lived right in the city centre I had forgotten how big Melbourne is and even that it's right on the coast! If you dare to look right down, you'll spot Flinders Station, Fed Square, the impressive spire of Melbourne Culture Centre and the roof of the National Gallery. You realise how close together the sports precinct stadiums sit and how big the Botanical Gardens are.
The 360 degree views allow you to spot the Etihad Stadium and Melbourne Star at Docklands, Albert Park with its F1 track and right on down to St Kilda pier. The full peninsula view is pretty spectacular, even though the mouth of the bay is so far away you can't see it, the little trail of shipping containers and Tasmanian ferries let you know which direction it's in. It's useful to have directed telescopes that label the key landmarks if you're new to the city!
For the most part the views are all inside and photos through glass however there is a small outside area that gets very windy and offers slightly better photo opportunities if your lens is small enough to take photos through the chain link.
For a small $12 extra fee at the top, you can get 'The Edge' experience. Ushered into a frosted glass tank after putting on shoe covers and leaving bags and cameras behind, the tank slowly moves out over the edge of the building. With some cheesy cracking and creaking sounds effects and a little shaking the frosted glass becomes clear and you can look right down past your feet to the ground 88 floors below, it's a tense moment while you wait for the view! A free bright yellow wristband proclaiming that you survived The Edge and an opportunity to buy novelty tourist photos rounds off the experience.
Drinks and snacks are available at the top as well as a small selection of gifts and postcards which you can send from Australia's highest post box! Exit through the gift shop on the ground floor for the best selection though.