The Southern Star, Giant observation wheel in Docklands, Australia
The Southern Star is a 120-metre-tall observation wheel in Docklands, Melbourne. Its green steel frame has seven spokes, echoing the seven-pointed star of the Australian flag, and rests on two pairs of angled legs. Enclosed air-conditioned cabins, each 5.7 metres long and holding up to 20 passengers, hang from the rim.
The wheel opened to the public in December 2008 but had to shut down after only 40 days because of technical faults. Engineers then rebuilt the entire wheel mechanism, allowing the attraction to reopen years later.
The wheel's seven spokes mirror the seven points of the star on the Australian flag, a deliberate reference to the nation's symbol. Its operators marketed it as an observation wheel and claimed it as the Southern Hemisphere's only giant observation wheel. The cabins were built in Osaka, Japan, and each weighs 13 tonnes.
Each cabin holds up to 20 people and turns slowly for about half an hour during a full rotation. On clear days, the view reaches across the city center, the bay, and the distant hills far beyond the waterfront.
A Japanese corporation designed the structure and spent roughly 100 million Australian dollars on its construction. Despite the careful planning, technical flaws appeared only weeks after opening and required engineers to rebuild the entire wheel mechanism.
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