SkyPoint (formerly Q1 Observation Deck and QDeck) is an
observation deck located off the ground at the top of the
Q1 on the
Gold Coast,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The attraction is operated by
Ardent Leisure
Ardent Leisure (formerly Macquarie Leisure Trust) is an Australian-based leisure company which owns and operates a leisure portfolio of over 100 assets across Australia, New Zealand and the United States. It is most known for its operation of th ...
.
History
Over the course of a 3-year construction period from 2002 to 2005, Q1 was built. When the tower opened on 26 October 2005, it featured an observation deck known as the ''Q1 Observation Deck'' which was owned and operated by
Sunland. In 2006 it was sold off to the MFS group. In the late 2000s it was renamed the ''QDeck''. Following the receivership of the MFS group in 2009,
Ardent Leisure
Ardent Leisure (formerly Macquarie Leisure Trust) is an Australian-based leisure company which owns and operates a leisure portfolio of over 100 assets across Australia, New Zealand and the United States. It is most known for its operation of th ...
purchased the observation deck for $13.5 million.
As part of a $1 million refurbishment, it was rebranded as ''SkyPoint'' in 2010.
On 26 September 2011, the construction of the SkyPoint Climb began. In November 2011, Ardent Leisure began recruiting staff for the SkyPoint Climb with more than 100 people applying for the 12 available positions. The SkyPoint Climb officially opened on 14 January 2012.
Following the purchase of the observation deck, Ardent Leisure has reported that profits have increased from $1.7 million to $4.93 million in the 9 months to March 2011.
This gained the company a 15.4% return on their capital in the 11 months to May 2011.
In 2012, the company began combined ticketing options with their other Gold Coast attractions,
Dreamworld and
WhiteWater World
WhiteWater World is a seasonal water park situated in the suburb of Coomera on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ardent Leisure and is the sister park to Dreamworld.
After years of planning and a year of construction, Wh ...
.
SkyPoint Observation Deck
The ''SkyPoint Observation Deck'' is located on level 77 and 78 of the Q1 building.
It features a museum, weather station, theatrette and lounge bar across two levels.
It is Australia's only beachside observation deck and has room enough for 400 people.
It towers 230 metres above the Surfers Paradise beach, giving viewers a 360-degree view of
Brisbane to the north, the
Gold Coast hinterland to the west,
Byron Bay to the south and the
Pacific Ocean to the east. The express elevator to the observation deck travels the 77 floors in 43 seconds.
SkyPoint Climb
''SkyPoint Climb'' is an external building walk available at SkyPoint. It requires guests to
pay an additional fee. Guests are harnessed before walking up and around the top of the tower.
The journey lasts 1.5 hours.
See also
*
Dreamworld
*
WhiteWater World
WhiteWater World is a seasonal water park situated in the suburb of Coomera on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ardent Leisure and is the sister park to Dreamworld.
After years of planning and a year of construction, Wh ...
References
External links
*
{{Dreamworld
Tourist attractions on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Restaurants in Queensland
Observation decks