Scaling the Seven Summits is on the Bucket List of adventurers worldwide. Our family has declined the challenge and skipped adding it the kid bucket list, preferring to focus on climbing (via elevator) the tallest buildings in the cities we visit. It involves less preparation and our fitness levels are rarely tested. On our recent trip to Melbourne, the Eureka Skydeck was an immediate addition to our itinerary for it boasts the highest public observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere.
My fear of heights actually make these adventures a huge challenge. I knew the Eureka Skydeck was going to get the adrenaline pumping and I was right, I became queasy just approaching the building making the mistake of looking up where I saw it skimming the clouds.
I was warned that the Eureka Skydeck gets quite busy and when we arrived we did discover that there a bit of a crowd. The ticketing team have the process down pat and we quickly found ourselves at the front to secure our tickets. On this occasion we declined the Edge experience, just being up the top was enough for me let alone adding walling into glass cube that projects outside the building! The kids were both provided a scratchy quiz and were told that if they found the correct answers on the trip they would be rewarded when we came back down.
When you enter the elevator you are told that is super fast. Yep, I think it was a matter of seconds and the doors opened revealing the 88th floor which is an astonishing 285 metres above sea level. The kids were off as soon as the doors opened, searching for the answers to their quiz. It took me a while (blush a whole 15 minutes!) to find my legs and I was so relieved to find seating all-around the floor.
As I sat and admired the view, I took some time to read a little about the Eureka Tower and Skydeck and was amazed to discover that this skyscraper is gold plated! My gosh. To my horror I also learned that, in high winds, the building can flex 600mm. There are two 300,000-litre water tanks on level 90 & 91 that prevent it swaying any further. That’s actually a good thing, but I was incredibly happy that the day was very calm and I couldn’t feel any movement.
The Eureka Skydeck has a great little cafe which we took advantage of as we soaked in the view. We also discovered a Photo Booth where the kids snapped a memento of our visit.
We spent over an hour on the Eureka Skydeck. It actually becomes quite relaxing after awhile and provides a while new perspective of Melbourne. When we finally descended, the kids handed in their trivia sheet (all correct) and were very impressed by their reward – a small stationary kit with a pencil, sharpener and ruler each featuring the Eureka Tower. It’s the best reward I’ve seen at an attraction.
The Eureka Skydeck – www.eurekaskydeck.com.au is open to visitors daily from 10.00 am – 10.00 pm Daily. A family ticket can be purchased online for $44.00 ($17.00 cheaper than at the door) and is valid for 12 months.
We were guests of Eureka Skydeck. All opinions are our own.
Looks like a fun way to spend an afternoon in Melbourne … thanks for sharing!
It was heaps of fun James