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The Southern Star
The Southern Star prior to its 2009 closure
Map
General information
StatusDismantled for major repairs
TypeFerris wheel
LocationMelbourne Docklands
Construction started30 June 2006[1]
Completed2008
Renovated2009-2011[2]
CostA$100 million
OwnerING Real Estate
Height120 m (394 ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Sanoyas Hishino Meisho
DeveloperAlfasi Group
Main contractorHansen Yuncken[3]

The Southern Star is a currently nonoperational Ferris wheel in the Waterfront City precinct at Melbourne Docklands in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. It is 120 m (394 ft) tall, the equivalent of a forty storey building.[3] It opened in December 2008, but then closed the following month due to structural defects, and was subsequently dismantled for major repairs. Reconstruction began in January 2011.

History

The project, undertaken by ING Real Estate and managed by Hansen Yuncken, cost A$100 million to construct between 2006 and 2008, and was expected to attract 1.5 million visitors each year.

World Tourist Attractions submitted a proposal[when?] to the Commonwealth Government for the acquisition of the land and assets on the site from ING Real Estate,[4] however ING Real Estate were still the owners of the wheel in January 2011.[5]

The outer ring of the wheel was completed on 1 March 2008. The passenger pods arrived onsite on 10 June 2008 for installation. By 20 October 2008, the pods were receiving their fit out.[4] An opening date of 28 November 2008 was set only to be postponed due to delays in procuring parts and bad weather. The wheel opened on 20 December 2008.[3][4][6][7]

In January 2009, approximately one month after its opening, the wheel was shut down indefinitely after structural defects, including buckling and cracks, were detected. The operators initially blamed the 2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave for causing the damage. It was not known when the wheel would reopen.[8][9]

Upon further investigation, engineers working on the wheel discovered the cracks were not caused by the heatwave but rather a problem in the original design. Fourteen cracks were found in the steel.[10]

An undated press release on the operator's official website stated:[11][12]

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.

Reconstruction work began in January 2011 with the delivery to Docklands of the first of the seven replacement spokes, manufactured by BMC, from the Latrobe Valley.[5] In July 2011 the wheel was expected to be turning again by the end of the year.[13] In October 2011 reconstruction was continuing, but no completion date had yet been confirmed.[14]

On 28 November 2011 reconstruction work was still 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.[15][16]

In December 2011 it was reported that the wheel was not expected to reopen before Easter 2012.[17]

In January 2012 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 some time in 2012.[18][19]

Specifications

The structure consists of 1,250 t (1,230 long tons; 1,380 short tons) of steel. The supporting steel columns were manufactured in Tasmania by Alfasi Group, and the wheel structure was manufactured in the Greater Melbourne suburb of Dandenong.[citation needed]

The 21 5.7 m (19 ft) long and 3.7 m (12 ft) high air-conditioned enclosed capsules were imported from Sanoyas Hishino Meisho in Osaka, Japan. Each can accommodate up to 20 passengers, and provides extensive views of the city and Port Phillip bay and as far as Geelong.[20]

The LED lighting consists of over 3500 meters of custom LED tubes and control systems, manufactured in Korea by LGCNS, a division of LG Electronics, and designed and sold by Imagine That Design and Production, located in Las Vegas, NV. Once installed, the LED system will be the largest linear LED lighting installation in the world and will be capable of creating over 256 Million colors and displaying millions of moving and static patterns.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Kelly, Jan (30 May 2006). "Work to spin Ferris wheel". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 October 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) [dead link‍]
  2. ^ Observation wheel at a turning point | Herald Sun
  3. ^ a b c "The Southern Star". The Southern Star. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Royall, Ian (20 October 2008). "Man seeks to propose to girlfriend in new Southern Star wheel". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 October 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) [dead link‍]
  5. ^ a b Observation wheel at a turning point
  6. ^ Rennie, Reko (27 October 2008). "Melbourne's big wheel to open next month". The Age. Retrieved 27 October 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Rennie, Reko (19 December 2008). "After the spin, Melbourne's wheel ready to turn". The Age. Retrieved 19 December 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Wheel Closure". The Southern Star. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  9. ^ Cooper, Mex (2 February 2009). "Heat Closes Melbourne's Southern Star". The Age. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Design fault to keep wheel shut". The Age. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  11. ^ Southern Star Observation Wheel - Press Release
  12. ^ Southern Star Observation Wheel - Media Centre
  13. ^ Docklands attraction making wheel progress
  14. ^ Anger over Docklands' hotel plan
  15. ^ Union blames Government for Southern Star Observation Wheel accident
  16. ^ "More trouble for Docklands observation wheel". ABC Online. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  17. ^ Wheel's safety in doubt: union
  18. ^ Melbourne’s big wheel of misfortune
  19. ^ Melbourne’s Southern Star Wheel To Get ‘World First LED Lighting System’
  20. ^ "The Southern Star Observation Wheel". The Southern Star. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
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