Melbourne’s skyline at night is a twinkling delight – take in the view from the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and you can appreciate just how far Melbourne reaches and how pretty she is after dark.

When: 10am – 10pm with the last flight departure at 9.30pm.  Melbourne Star Observation Wheel will open from 1pm on Christmas Day (December 25) and Anzac Day (April 25).  Operational hours are subject to weather conditions and may be changed without notice.

Where:  101 Waterfront way, DOCKLANDS

Cost:  Adult $32, child $19, family (2 adults, 2 kids) $82, family encore (day and night package) $100.  Book online.

Peaking Duck at Gold Leaf

Yo Bar Docklands

Review

If you are planning a ride on the Melbourne Star I can recommend spending that tiny bit extra and taking the family for an encore ride – which means you can experience the Wheel during the daylight hours and again after dark.  And during winter there is the added bonus of daylight savings allowing nighttime rides at a more family friendly time.

Having now experienced the wheel after dark I have to say it’s a different experience.  During the day you can see lots of detail of what’s going on below as well as pick out landmarks more easily.  At night it’s a more visual experience of the city skyline, the urban sprawl of lights and of course the Wheel’s own lighting display (which is programmed by lighting specialists in Las Vegas!).

Before our “flight” we explored the Wheel from below while it was still light and then enjoyed dinner at Gold Leaf.  Gold Leaf is a great Chinese restaurant located at the entrance to the Wheel, there is no dedicated kids menu but the staff are friendly and accommodating and there’s plenty on the menu to suit kids.  Around the base of the wheel are easy desert options with ice-cream and yoghurt bars to choose from.

The “flight” takes about 30 minutes – and on the Saturday night we went there was no queue for tickets and only a small queue to board the “pods”.  Our flight was punctuated with the commentary  providing us with insights into the city and our view – the after dark commentary is different to the daytime one, so if you do choose to take an encore package you wont be listening to the same voice over.

Check out our review of the Wheel during the day.

Spending a few hours in the Docklands?  Why not take the kids to Wonderland Fun Park or Icehouse.

2014 Term 1 Holidays check out some of the FREE fun family activities happening at the Melbourne Star Observatory Wheel.

Watch the wheel in triple speed.