Melbourne Star

The Melbourne Star (previously Southern Star) is a 120 metre tall ferris wheel in the suburb of Docklands in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. Described by its operators as an "observation wheel" and claimed to be "the Southern Hemisphere's only giant observation wheel", it is tall and has seven spokes, reflecting the seven pointed star of the Australian flag. It opened two years behind schedule in December 2008, but closed 40 days later due to structural defects. The wheel itself was scrapped and replaced, but the original support structure and passenger cabins were retained. It was originally thought that reconstruction might be completed in late 2010, but repeated delays meant it did not reopen until 23 December 2013. A ride (one complete rotation) takes 30 minutes and, according to the Star's website, provides uninterrupted 360 degree views of up to "encompassing the Docklands precinct, Melbourne’s CBD, Port Phillip Bay and as far as Mount Macedon, Arthurs Seat and the Dandenong Ranges." The Wheel permanently closed on 6 September 2021, due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

The project was undertaken by ING Real Estate and the construction consultant was Hansen Yuncken. The wheel was designed and built by Sanoyas Rides Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese ship and amusement park ride builder Sanoyas Holdings Corporation. The steel builder was Alfasi Steel Constructions. Construction began in 2006. and by 21 October air conditioned enclosed passenger cabins, built in Osaka, Japan,

The wheel first opened to the public on 20 December 2008, Its ceremony, scheduled for 28 November 2008, was cancelled due to bad weather and delays in procuring parts. 40 days after opening, the wheel was shut down by WorkSafe after cracks up to three metres long were discovered by a contract worker installing LED lighting. One node was almost completely torn from its welded joint. Initially the operators blamed the 2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave for causing the damage and it was not known when the wheel would reopen. An undated press release on the operator's official website stated: "The Southern Star Observation Wheel was temporarily closed in January 2009. As a result of extensive design and technical reviews a conclusion was reached to build a new wheel."

In January the first of the seven replacement spokes, manufactured by BMC in the Latrobe Valley, was delivered to Docklands. In July the wheel was expected to be turning again by the end of the year. On 28 November reconstruction work was in progress when the wheel broke free from its restraints and began turning in strong winds, resulting in minor injuries for one of the workers as they fled the site. The next day, Southern Star Management issued a statement saying that bracing used to erect the wheel had failed, and that no final completion date for the wheel had yet been confirmed. In December it was reported that the wheel was not expected to reopen before Easter 2012.

In January it was reported that an international team of experts including Arup (who were involved in both the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer projects) and Hyder Consulting had been engaged in the redesign, and that reconstruction was now expected to be completed before the end of the year. In June it was reported that the then owner ING Real Estate had repeatedly refused to announce an estimated completion date, but that an estimated date might be given at a briefing of state government officials planned for July. However, later that same month, after the final section of the rim was installed, he stated "we're hoping it will be completed by the middle of next year".

In January, ING Real Estate advised that the wheel would not reopen until the second half of the year, and on 27 April it was renamed as the Melbourne Star. On 25 August the opening was put back yet again, to March 2014. Three days later the first of the original cabins, which had been in storage since the original wheel was dismantled, was reinstalled. This took up to three quarters of a day each, depending on weather conditions. The only substantial modification was an upgrade of their audio systems. On 25 October, Sanoyas Holdings Corporation president Takashi Ueda announced that the company was aiming to reopen the attraction in ten weeks time. Advertisements for approximately 100 jobs began appearing on the Melbourne Star website and on the 'SEEK' recruiting website.

On 6 December 2013 it was reported that construction work had been completed, and an announcement on the Star's website stated that the reopening would be in late December. Melbourne Star Management Group CEO Chris Kelly was quoted as saying "We are working to the earliest possible opening date. We are now well into the commissioning process, which is the final stage before opening, but some activities do remain weather dependent." – almost five years after the original wheel was shut down in January 2009. On the evening of 26 December, three days after the reopening, the wheel was stopped for several minutes while a cabin was inspected and taken out of service after passenger Marco Bresciani discovered a cracked window. CEO Chris Kelly described the damage as a "very minor cosmetic issue" caused by a bird strike. "The glass has been inspected and our advice is that it is cosmetic and doesn't present any safety issues. It is in the process of being repaired." On the afternoon of 28 December the wheel was evacuated to allow a "full inspection" after the wheel unexpectedly stopped rotating. It was restarted 15 minutes later. Spokeswoman Sally Abbott said technicians had identified an "isolated incident" but refused to provide any details. The Victorian Workcover Authority subsequently investigated safety complaints by several visitors. Two families were reported to have been traumatised and left "shaking and in tears" after cabin eight became stuck and began tilting as the wheel turned. The operators confirmed that an alarm was triggered on both occasions but refused to say what triggered it, whether the two incidents were connected, if the same cabin was involved, if cabin eight remained in service, or whether it had been serviced between the two incidents. CEO Chris Kelly said the wheel remained open and safe for tourists even though one of the cabins had been taken out of service, and insisted that the cabin "did not tilt or rock at any stage". He refused to answer questions about the mechanics of the wheel or the cabins, or to confirm that the same cabin was involved in both incidents, saying: "It is not our policy to comment on the specifics due to the highly complex engineering and electrical systems that operate the Star" and "It is not our policy to divulge this information as we don't want people to needlessly avoid specific cabins in the future."

On 24 January the Star was again unexpectedly closed. Visitors arriving at the wheel were told the closure was due to "windy conditions", however a spokeswoman said "operations have been temporarily suspended due to a software problem. Our technical services team are undertaking a comprehensive investigation to identify and correct the issue and we are expecting to resume operations later today." The wheel was closed from 11:00 until the following morning.

On 6 September 2021, the MB Star Properties announced that due to the COVID 19 pandemic, travel restrictions and high rise development in the surrounding area, the wheel was closed permanently. As of January 2024, it remains in situ, but still non operational.