There are 3 observational wheels in the world.
The spectacular London Eye.
The sensational Singapore Flyer
and the erm.........Melbourne Star.
There are many wonderful things to see and do in Melbourne but truly this is not one of them.
I live in Melbourne currently, I love the City and am always ready to champion all that is good about it. However, this "attraction" is a huge damp squib, a grandiose white elephant of epic proportions.
Why?
Purely because of its location which quite frankly has me puzzled and annoyed in equal measure. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
We were ushered into the pod by over enthusiastic teenagers bidding us an "awesome flight" and in cringe worthy fashion encouraging us to make "friends" aboard!!
The tourist commentary bimbled exuberantly along exuding the highlights of Melbourne; the magnificent MCG, the iconic Flinders Street Station, the historic architecture, the Yarra River, the beautiful parks and gardens, the unprecedented restaurant scene and so on and so on.
Yes, without doubt fabulous but there was just one huge problem; you cannot see ANY of it from the Melbourne Star, absolutely nothing, nada, zilch.
What you do see is the Westgate freeway, the top of Costco's hypermarket roof, various multi storey car parks and warehouses and the industrialised working docks. Marvellous!
Even the city sky line is far yonder in the distance.
At $32 per adult it is not a cheap gig either, in fact rip off springs to mind.
Oh dear oh dear Melbourne, did no-one look at what London and Singapore have done? This could and should have been our "Harbour Bridge".
A star has not been born but a huge opportunity has been missed.
As we disembarked our pod after an arduous and quite frankly boring 25 minutes, we shook our heads in disbelief and those "enthusiastic teenagers" could barely meet our gaze.
If you want a great view of Melbourne with all the star attractions? Head up the Eureka Tower, easily located just off the Yarra River and enjoy a drink at the bar whilst you take in the view.
The spectacular London Eye.
The sensational Singapore Flyer
and the erm.........Melbourne Star.
There are many wonderful things to see and do in Melbourne but truly this is not one of them.
I live in Melbourne currently, I love the City and am always ready to champion all that is good about it. However, this "attraction" is a huge damp squib, a grandiose white elephant of epic proportions.
Why?
Purely because of its location which quite frankly has me puzzled and annoyed in equal measure. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
We were ushered into the pod by over enthusiastic teenagers bidding us an "awesome flight" and in cringe worthy fashion encouraging us to make "friends" aboard!!
The tourist commentary bimbled exuberantly along exuding the highlights of Melbourne; the magnificent MCG, the iconic Flinders Street Station, the historic architecture, the Yarra River, the beautiful parks and gardens, the unprecedented restaurant scene and so on and so on.
Yes, without doubt fabulous but there was just one huge problem; you cannot see ANY of it from the Melbourne Star, absolutely nothing, nada, zilch.
What you do see is the Westgate freeway, the top of Costco's hypermarket roof, various multi storey car parks and warehouses and the industrialised working docks. Marvellous!
Even the city sky line is far yonder in the distance.
At $32 per adult it is not a cheap gig either, in fact rip off springs to mind.
Oh dear oh dear Melbourne, did no-one look at what London and Singapore have done? This could and should have been our "Harbour Bridge".
A star has not been born but a huge opportunity has been missed.
 |
| The view comprises a varied selection of corrugated warehouses |
 |
| .... and a few more with the added aesthetic of the working docklands behind |
 |
| .....to my left, an interestingly painted multi storey car park |
 |
| and cutting through swathes of urban wasteland is the city skyline in the distance |
As we disembarked our pod after an arduous and quite frankly boring 25 minutes, we shook our heads in disbelief and those "enthusiastic teenagers" could barely meet our gaze.
If you want a great view of Melbourne with all the star attractions? Head up the Eureka Tower, easily located just off the Yarra River and enjoy a drink at the bar whilst you take in the view.
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