AusLeisure

More than three years after its closure, reconstruction of Melbourne's Southern Star observation wheel is still incomplete and no date has been set for its reopening.

With the operators of the troubled $100 million attraction still undertaking reconstruction work, Victorian politicians are demanding a date for the attraction to be completed.

In June, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu slammed the wheel as a "disappointing sight" on Melbourne's skyline.

Premier Ballieu told Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun "it looks like what it is, which is a large, expensive, half-completed project, which has been very troubled, and the sooner it's resolved I think the better for everybody."

The Victorian Premier's comments followed Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle having called for owner ING Real Estate to provide a timeline for its completion.

Lord Mayor Doyle labelled the wheel an "embarrassment", adding "I think we're all sick of it and I'm not entirely happy with the amount of information we're being given."

In an interview with ABC local radio Lord Mayor Doyle went on to say "every major development in the city, some of them far bigger than this, can give you an approximate completion date ... so I don't see why (ING Real Estate) can't actually say, here is the completion date."

Opened two years behind schedule in December 2008, the Southern Star closed after just 40 days of operation when cracks appeared in the structure. Initially the cracks were thought to have been caused by the high temperatures of the 2008/09 summer but problems in wheel's original design were subsequently discovered.

Sanoyas Hishino Meisho Corporation, the designers and manufacturers of the Southern Star, undertook to carry out remedial works under the original warranty which, as of mid 2009, were expected to take a year to complete.

Since then, the rebuild has suffered repeated delays with Southern Star Wheel management recently stating that the construction of the wheel was "very complex" and the occupational health and safety rules were very strict on-site.

Among a recent poll of 1,491 Melburnians conducted by The Herald Sun more than three-quarters of respondents voted for it to be scrapped.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, USA, Caesars Entertainment has announced that it has obtained approval to build the world's tallest observation wheel in a $550 million retail, dining and entertainment complex on the Las Vegas Strip.

Dubbed the High Roller, the ferris-wheel is expected to stand 167.6 metres tall and would eclipse the 165-metre Singapore Flyer, which opened in 2008 and is currently the tallest observation wheel in the world.

The High Roller will feature 28 air-conditioned bubble-like cabins capable of accommodating 40 people apiece, with passengers experiencing views across the famous strip throughout a 30-minute revolution.

The High Roller is expected to open in late 2013.

Images shows the Southern Star during its 40 days of operation in 2008.

11th December 2011 - DELAYS TO SOUTHERN CROSS OBSERVATION WHEEL REBUILD

27th November 2009 - SOUTHERN STAR DECONSTRUCTION ALMOST COMPLETE

20th May 2009 - SOUTHERN STAR: REPAIRS ‘TO TAKE AT LEAST 12 MONTHS’

31st March 2009 - DESIGN FAULT KEEPS SOUTHERN STAR SHUT

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