Victoria builds for a big future with billions spent on infrastructure

Victoria builds for a big future with billions spent on infrastructure

Tourism Victoria 18 June 2010

Melbourne has bucked a global trend and continued to invest in world-class infrastructure over the past year with a swathe of new developments dotting the skyline.

The city is in the throes of an accommodations boom with several major upscale hotels recently opened, more projects on the radar and many landmark hotels recently refurbished.

The $300 million Crown Metropol opened last month and is now Australia's largest hotel, offering 658 rooms, a luxurious day spa, retail precinct, sky bar and terrace, and UK chef Gordon Ramsay's first Australian restaurant, maze. Crown's three hotels, all located in the Southbank precinct, now offer more than 1,600 rooms.

The Art Series Hotel Group's new properties have brought their own unique class of experiential luxury to the city. With each hotel named after and inspired by a famous Australian artist, the Art Series hotels showcase original artworks in a super-chic setting which perfectly complements Melbourne's cultured, cutting-edge image.

The first of the Art Series hotels, the 115-room, $45 million The Cullen, opened in November 2009, followed by the 229-room, $90 million The Olsen in March. The Blackman hotel is due to open in August, followed by three more major projects - The Larwill, The Knight and The Whiteley.

The Ascott Group will open its first Citadines hotel in Australia on Melbourne's Bourke Street on July 1, investing $136.2 million in the 398-unit Citadines Melbourne on Bourke, while the 290-room Travelodge Docklands opened in February.

In addition, multi-million dollar refurbishments have been undertaken by Crown Towers, Hilton on the Park Melbourne, Hilton Melbourne Airport, The Sebel & Citigate Albert Park Melbourne, Grand Hyatt Melbourne and Intercontinental Melbourne The Rialto.

On the arts and culture front, a $128.5 million overhaul of the Arts Centre's Hamer Hall will begin soon as the first stage of the Southbank Cultural Precinct redevelopment project. The area is home to many of Melbourne's significant arts venues and organisations, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne Theatre Company and the Australian Ballet.

Melbourne's newest business and dining precinct, South Wharf, is due for completion later this year. The precinct incorporates the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which opened in June 2009, the five-star Hilton Melbourne South Wharf Hotel and a Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centre. When completed, the precinct will also include a five-screen cinema, and exciting new bars and restaurants.

Crown Entertainment Complex unveiled significant new infrastructure earlier this year, including Crown Conference Centre, which caters for up to 840 delegates theatre-style and offers 19 meeting rooms.

Recognised in April this year as the world's "Ultimate Sports City" at the SportAccord Convention in Dubai, Melbourne continues to upgrade and expand its world-class sporting facilities.

The $267.5 million Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (branded AAMI Park) opened this month and will accommodate more than 30,000 fans at soccer, rugby league and rugby union matches.

The Victorian Government is also investing $363 million in the Melbourne and Olympic Park precinct, home of the Australian Open tennis championship, which soon will have three retractable roof stadiums and 21 new tennis courts.

The city also boasts the largest ice-skating facility in the Southern Hemisphere with the opening this year of the new $58 million Icehouse, located in Melbourne's Docklands precinct. Home to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, the Icehouse features two Olympic-sized ice rinks, function spaces and has an environmental rating equivalent to a ‘5-Star Green Star' rating.

To support the city's rapid development, Melbourne Airport is also undergoing a $330 million expansion of its international terminal. A new passenger concourse opened in December 2009 and stage two of the redevelopment, scheduled to open in late 2011, will add more than 5,000 square metres and facilities including a new passenger lounge, café and retail space.

For media enquiries contact Amy Skelding, Lucy Pennington, Debbie Hindle askelding@bgb.co.uk / lpennington@bgb.co.uk / dhindle@bgb.co.uk 0207 902 2990

Corporate website: www.tourismvictoria.com.au
Consumer website: www.visitmelbourne.com/uk

 

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