Overview
In the near future, making the most of Brisbane's sunny all-year-round weather will involve eating, drinking and taking in the River City from 100 metres above, all thanks to the new Sky Deck that's coming to the CBD's $3.6-billion Queen's Wharf precinct. But, if you were hoping to spend this summer towering high, you'll need to change your plans. Last targeting a late-2023 opening, this revamped part of Brissie will now start launching in 2024.
Mark April in your diaries: at the time of writing, that's when Queen's Wharf and Sky Deck should start welcoming in visitors. The key word is 'should', because this project has been in the works for at least eight years now. The sooner that Brisbane scores a lofty spot with a restaurant, bar, glass-floor viewing platform, and 360-degree vantage out over the Brisbane CBD, Brisbane River, Mt Coot-tha and Moreton Bay, though, the better.
Acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles and The Star's Chief Operating Officer Kelvin Dodt have announced that the final Sky Deck piece has been put into place, with the 250-metre long crescent-shaped platform being lifted in three parts. The first went up in September 2022 and the second in March 2023, before the third this July.
"The Sky Deck is poised to become a tourist magnet as the centrepiece of the world-class Queen's Wharf Brisbane development, so to be here to mark this milestone is great," said the Acting Premier.
"This will become one of the city's most recognisable skyscapes, elevating Brisbane's already-growing international reputation as a must-visit destination ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Just as importantly, Sky Deck will be for the people of Brisbane as a vibrant public space to enjoy day and night, whether for important occasions, a casual catch up or just to take in the views," added Dodt.
When it does open between Alice, George, Queen and William streets, Queen's Wharf's crowning glory will combine bites, sips and taking in stunning views — all sitting atop everything other dining options, hotels, shops, apartments and a heap of public space.
While part of one of Queen's Wharf's resident resorts — it's set to feature four hotels — Sky Deck will be open to the public. Also, it isn't small, with a capacity of 1500 visitors at a time. Here, folks keen to scale great heights can also host parties, with an events space part of the setup. Brisbanites, your shindigs are looking up.
Specific details about Sky Deck's restaurant and bar, including their menus and operators, haven't yet been revealed; however, that glass-bottomed platform will sit around the midway mark of the structure. From the artists' impressions of the venue, locals and tourists alike can expect ample greenery and crucial outdoor seating elsewhere, the latter giving everyone plenty of places to stop, sit and take in the panoramic vista.
Expect Brisbane's Sky Deck to be popular, too. The Queensland Government certainly does, anticipating that an estimated 1.4 million international, interstate and local visitors to the city each year might stop by.
As for the rest of the Queen's Wharf Brisbane redevelopment area, it spans across 12 hectares in the CBD, and will include around 50 new bars, cafes and restaurant; a casino; those four aforementioned hotels; approximately 1500 apartments; and a swathe of retailers in a huge new shopping precinct. The full precinct features repurposed heritage buildings, plus the Neville Bonner Bridge and Brissie's first riverside bikeway cafe.
For Brisbane inhabitants, Queen's Wharf has been in the making for so long — and the construction around it just seems to be taking forever, too — that it feels like it has always been coming. But "let's meet at Queen's Wharf" is something that'll soon be able to be said, including by visitors.
Ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, the River City is transformation central, including tearing down and rebuilding the Gabba; renewing and reinvigorating South Bank, complete with a treetop walk, a permanent handmade goods market and new riverside lawns; making over Victoria Park; and revamping and expanding Northshore Hamilton.
Also, a new seven-hectare riverside parkland is set to join South Brisbane, QPAC's fifth theatre is under construction and Kangaroo Point is set to score a new green bridge with an overwater bar and restaurant.
Queen's Wharf is slated to start opening in the Brisbane CBD from April 2024. We'll update you when a specific date is announced — and you can find out further details in the interim via the development's website.