The Skyneedle is a prominent feature of the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

skyline which was constructed specially for

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo w ...

. The 88 m landmark was earmarked for relocation to

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

(following the completion of Expo '88). However, hairdresser Stefan Ackerie stepped in and purchased the Skyneedle, which was then relocated to the Stefan HQ at

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...

. After purchase, Stefan added his firm's signature rainbow rings logo to the top of the tower. The Skyneedle's light, which is capable of emitting a beam of light that may be seen away, is rarely seen except on special occasions, because of safety concerns for flight paths around

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is an international airport serving Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 mill ...

. On 4 November 2006, the Skyneedle caught fire due to an electrical fault, this incident being the second of its kind after a similar fire had broken out in 1988. Subsequent investigations have found that the fault was most likely caused by bird droppings. Ackerie has stated that it will be restored to its former glory. On 5 November 2006, Ackerie revealed that the Skyneedle will be technologically overhauled with the additional feature of a sound system. On 14 March 2009, the top 22-metre section of the Skyneedle was removed. Stefan announced that the section was being rebuilt with new laser technology.Courier Mail – "Stefan dismantles the top of his Sky Needle"
/ref> The Skyneedle, with its new technology, made its debut on Thursday 23 April 2009 but was officially activated on Friday 1 May by Stefan and Channel Nine weatherman Garry Youngberry on the 6pm news. The new lightshow includes an RGB

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

display strip from Italy and a powerful set of German-made spotlights. As of 2019 however, the Skyneedle's light system has once again stalled. In April 2015 Ackerie announced that he was selling the Skyneedle and the surrounding land to Pradella Group who planned to incorporate the tower into a 12-storey residential apartment complex. This development was granted approval by the Brisbane City Council in August 2015 with

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

Graham Quirk Graham Michael Quirk (born c. 1958) is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th Lord Mayor of Brisbane. From 2008 until 2011, he was Deputy Lord Mayor under Campbell Newman, succeeding the latter when Newman stepped down to prepare ...

announcing that the Skyneedle would be integrated into the development with a café being opened underneath it.

Gallery

File:Close-up-of-the-Skyneedle.jpg, The Skyneedle at

File:Expo-88-skyneedle-and-monorail.jpg, The Skyneedle at

File:Skyneedle, Brisbane (2006).jpg, The Skyneedle (2006) File:Skyneedle, Brisbane (2014).jpg, The Skyneedle (2014)
(taken from Edmondstone Street) File:Skyneedle July 2018.jpg, The Skyneedle (2018)
(During the construction of Skyneedle Apartments)

References

External links

A 100-photo 20th Anniversary of World Expo '88 retrospective on the towerFootage of the fire in 2006Footage of the new light show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skyneedle, Brisbane Buildings and structures in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane Landmarks in Brisbane World's fair architecture in Brisbane Towers completed in 1988 World Expo 88 Relocated buildings and structures in Australia 1988 establishments in Australia