page_title: Melbourne Star
section_title: Reopening
hierarchical_section_title: Melbourne Star / 2013 / Reopening
caption_attribution_description: English: Melbourne Star Observation Wheel 18th Dec 2013
context_page_description: The Melbourne Star is a giant Ferris wheel in the Waterfront City precinct in the Docklands area of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia.
  Described by its operators as "the Southern Hemisphere's only giant observation wheel", it is 120 m 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, and was subsequently dismantled for major repairs. 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 takes 30 minutes and, according to the Star's website, provides uninterrupted 360-degree views of up to 40 kilometres "encompassing the Docklands precinct, Melbourne’s CBD, Port Phillip Bay and as far as Mount Macedon, Arthur’s Seat and the Dandenong Ranges."
context_section_description: 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."
  On 15 December a promotional television advertising campaign commenced, and three days later it was announced that "The Melbourne Star Observation Wheel will open for guests at 12 noon on Monday, December 23, 2013" – 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."
caption: Original passenger cabins fitted to the new wheel
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