Melbourne Star Observation Wheel

After doing a few of Melbourne’s big attractions, unlike the Eureka Skydeck, the Melbourne Star was a big let down. For close to $ 35 for a ride that failed deliver an exciting look at Melbourne I won’t be going back.
On the ride up the main view were the docks & train yards. They looked dirty & wasnt pleasing to view. To horizon was a more pleasing view but had to wait till almost the top before you got a good view. Looking out to the left wasnt too bad as you looked towards Port Phillip Bay. Had a good view of the Spirit of Tasmania & thats about it.
I was hoping to get a good view of the ‘G’ & sports precinct but was let down terribly. On the ride down, you got a good view of the city but then you found yourself looking at the same thing for the rest of the ride.
I think the Melbourne Star is set up in the wrong area & could be beneficial to have it either Albert Park or St. Kilda area. On the up side, there are some good things to do before & after the ride. Harbour Town Hotel was nice & we had a good bite there as well as a bit of a laugh in the mini theme park.

The stars will turn for you.
The Melbourne Star cost $ 100 million to create, it’s 120 metres up in the sky and takes 30 minutes to complete one rotation.
You have a 360-​degree view of Docklands, Melbourne’s CBD, Port Phillip Bay and you can see as far as Mount Macedon and the Dandenong Ranges.
The cabins are sturdy, so if you’re afraid of heights, you will feel safe as the wind barely rocks the boat. The voice-​over guides you throughout the ride, giving you a little bit of knowledge regarding Melbourne’s iconic places, parks and buildings.
The Melbourne Star struggles to deliver closer views to some of Melbourne’s more iconic places such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Melbourne Park, but considering where it’s built, the view is still breathtaking.
Pricing is expensive, so make sure you buy the day and night flight, for $ 10 more, you get a second ride and experience Melbourne in different contrasts.
It’s a great experience to do once, but its lasting appeal is a concern. Once you have done it, there’s little to go back to.
Once you’re at the highest point, you can appreciate that you’re closer to the stars than the rest of Melbourne, sit there and take it all in. It’s amazing, especially seeing the city at night.
Make a day of it and check out the Glow Golf/​Coffin Ride and Gold Leaf Harbour View Restaurant right beneath the wheel.
It’s worth it.

Normally I love things like this. I loved the Singaporean equivalent (The Singapore Flyer). I love the Eureka Skydeck. The Melbourne Star was a big disappointment for several reasons.
Firstly, it’s quite expensive. You could do things a lot more interesting than this with the $ 34 it costs.
Secondly, the views aren’t that great. It’s too awkwardly located to get good city skyline photos and the stuff you can see most clearly is boring industrial land and highways.
Thirdly, you’re at risk of getting stuck in a cabin with unpleasant people you can’t escape for the half hour. Although it wasn’t even a little busy when I went, I was shoved in a cabin with a group that included several little kids who yelled and shrieked for much of the ride. It made it hard to enjoy the views and my head hurt badly by the time I got off.
If you do want to see Melbourne from high up, I’d strongly recommend the Eureka Skydeck over this. The tickets are cheaper, you get a much better view of the city, you can stay up there as long as you like and you’re not stuck in a confined space.

We visited the Star on a weekday with a large group of students and my first impression was very positive.
The staff were well prepared to manage our group and explained everything we needed to know to have a great time on this spectacular Ferris wheel.
The ride is VERY smooth and I felt extremely safe and comfortable in our cabin. My intermittent fear of heights did not show up and I was able to enjoy the stunning views of our fair city.
It is a bit of a shame that the first images you see as you ride up over the Docklands are… well, the docks, but I shouldn’t have been surprised by that! You do eventually get high enough to have a good view of the Yarra River, Etihad Stadium and Port Philip Bay, plus the beautiful city skyline.
I certainly didn’t feel that it was too high up and I was able to enjoy the 30 minute ride.
My only negative comment is regarding the excessive cost. At $ 34 per adult, $ 20 per child with only small discounts for families. I know that this is comparable to international sightseeing attractions of this kind, but I feel that they could offer better discounts to families to encourage a better patronage.
It is a great view of the city and should be better promoted.

As a tourist I have to give this a five star review, so fun! I went on a slow day so our little group got our own private car. Beautiful sunny view and we used a coupon so it was pretty decent pricing. Hardly any wait in line and some gorgeous photos taken at the top! The green screen tourist photos were fun, but too pricy for me. I picked up a couple Melbourne guitar picks for souvenirs and the items in the gift shop were decently priced. Everyone who worked there were very friendly and talkative.

The Melbourne Star is one of those things that you just have to do, whether you are a tourist or you call Melbourne home. The fact there are only three wheels like it in the world makes the opportunity to ride it a privilege. A remarkable feat of engineering and inspiring view of the city at the top.
However, the location of the Melbourne Star Is not ideal. For most of the time one is treated to a view of people’s washing drying on their balconies on one side, and industrial trains on the other. The cabins are kept too cold with aircon overkill, and the prerecorded narration of the ride sporadically blears interesting fact about Melbourne at you, timed perfectly to disrupt the romantic atmosphere that naturally develops in this fantastic experience.
If the Melbourne Star turned down the aircon (bring a coat of you go on it), did something about the narration and perhaps slowed down the wheel somewhat then this would be a five star experience, despite the unideal location.

I really enjoyed the observation wheel. It gives a great aspect of the western end (the forgotten end) of the city. The view gives you a glimpse into the workings of the surrounding shipping terminal & train yards and then up into the city and beyond.
It takes about 30 minutes to do a round trip (the cost is a little high for the length of time) but there is also plenty of other things do do in the general area (shopping, fun park & ice skating) — so you can easily turn the visit into a full day trip.

If you are like looking at a city in the distance and are very interested in trading Estate. Then I am sure that you will give this wheel 5 stars.
Myself who is not interested in any of that, found the wheel very disappointing. Firstly the cost of the 30 minute ride was far to much and you got very little apart from a free guide.
I enjoyed the hight but found what you could see very boring. The person that thought that this was a good place for the wheel was very wrong. If this was closer to the centre of the city this would definitely work. But out on this remote trading Estate, I don’t think so.
I don’t like to give bad reviews but feel that this attractions was to much for what you get.
If the price was lowered then I am sure that more people would visit and this in turn would help the struggling harbour town shopping centre.

Melbourne’s very own observation wheel is now up and running again and it is time for everyone to experience a truly special experience. As one of only three wheels of its type in the world — Singapore and London being the other two — it was a great joy to view the city scape and surrounds from 40 storeys up. With views all the way to the Dandenong mountain range it was truly breathtaking and even though this traveller has a fear of heights the design and comfort of the ride was minimal on my vertigo.
As a senior you also receive a nice discount and the availability of adding an additional ride to your ticket that can be used up to 28 days after your first flight (the word on the blurb; not mine). Tickets bought are good for a full twelve months so gifting tickets is a great option as well.
The precinct around the eye makes for a great day out as there are any number of fine eateries and coffee shops to choose from and a plethora of designer outlet stores in the flavor of DFO to satisfy every shopaholics whims. Costco is within the same locale and you can always use their parking, take in the eye and then sooth the shopping beast within its walls.
Other attractions to tempt the family is a great themed carnival style play park and the Olympic ice skating rink is also a popular choice.
All in all we had a great day, a great experience and memories so savour.

Its pretty, its white, its big and it WILL SPIN AGAIN! Don’t give up hope…

What can we say about the Melbourne Eye? The government spent millions of dollars erecting this giant ferris wheel, in an attempt to align us with such cosmopolitan hubs as London and Barcelona, only for the machine to die after less than a month. The rotting corpse of the Melbourne Eye has littered the Docklands skyline for years now, as a painful and embarrassing reminder for everyone involved.
But hark! The wheel appears to have been significantly repaired in recent weeks, now having all of its necessary legs attached, it looks as though it is now only waiting on the actual people capsules to be attached before every person in Melbourne will be queuing to ride it! At only around $ 20 a pop, surely everyone will be desperate to get aboard! It’s totally going to be safe now, and not catch fire, snap in half and plummet people into a watery grave below! Think I might go start queuing now… Who’s with me?!